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Oct 6, 2023 · Let's take a look at some of the biggest differences — both good and bad — between the first two seasons of Amazon Studios' show and Robert Jordan's correlating source material.
- Overview
- 1. It’s not Game of Thrones
- 2. It’s not family-friendly
- 3. It’s full of future stars
- 4. It looks expensive
- 5. It’s accessible to newcomers
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News
By Axel Metz
last updated 16 November 2021
A feast for fantasy fans
(Image credit: Amazon)
After months (nay, years) of excited fanfare, Amazon’s big-budget fantasy show, The Wheel of Time, finally arrives on Prime Video this weekend.
Okay, this one might seem obvious, but headlines and conversations around The Wheel of Time have been quick to draw comparisons between Jordan’s work and George R. R. Martin’s rival fantasy series, which itself was made into a massively successful HBO TV show.
Depending on your perspective, you’ll be pleased to learn that these comparisons are, for the most part, superficial. Yes, The Wheel of Time is an expensive live-action series based on a sweeping collection of fantasy literature, but the similarities really stop there. While Game of Thrones is more focused on the political warfare of multiple houses – beyond its dragons, the show could, conceivably, be historically accurate – The Wheel of Time is far more deeply rooted in high fantasy. That means you can expect magic, witches and wizards in place of silver-tongued charlatans and incestuous siblings.
Those worried that the show’s high fantasy would equate to a low body count need not fear. The Wheel of Time is really, really violent – but in a good way (you know what we mean). In the first two episodes alone, we’re treated (or subject?) to decapitations, severed limbs, gargled blood and burning flesh. Hell, in one scene, our hero literally regurgitates a bat.
This level of blood and gore won’t be to everyone’s taste, of course, but we felt it provided a nice contrast to – and added to the reality of – the sillier elements of the story. As the stakes get higher in the show’s later episodes, too, we expect the deaths to get even more gruesome.
Beyond Rosamund Pike, who plays Aes Sedai Moiraine in the show, most of The Wheel of Time’s cast are relative newcomers. There are a handful of familiar faces, Sophie Okonedo and Michael McElhatton among them (the latter, incidentally, starred as Roose Bolton in Game of Thrones). But its quartet of youngsters, who occupy the lion’s share of screen time, are, indeed, young adults – which is to its credit.
Josha Stradowski, Madeleine Madden, Zoe Robins, Barney Harris and Marcus Rutherford – performers who hail from all over the world – add a real authenticity to the strife of The Wheel of Time's central characters, and they’re not hamstrung by the familiarity of roles they’ve played elsewhere. Each will undoubtedly offer a different type of performance as the show moves along, but as confused teens grappling with the weight of expectation, they’re a perfect fit.
Like those Game of Thrones comparisons, much has been of the eye-watering budget Amazon spent – and continues to spend – on The Wheel of Time. Reports suggest season 1 cost the studio upwards of $10 million per episode (there are eight in total), with the total bill coming to just shy of $100 million.
Sure, Amazon set aside $250 million just for the rights to its upcoming Lord of the Rings series, but $10 million an episode is no small change for a multi-season adaptation of a relatively unfamiliar IP (filming on season 2 is currently underway).
Perhaps the most impressive element of The Wheel of Time, though, is its accessibility. For those going into its first episode with next to no knowledge of the source material, the show does a great job of translating the most crucial parts of Robert Jordan’s story onto the screen, and new audiences will find as much to admire here as those who’ve waited years to see his sprawling vision brought to life.
Unfamiliar viewers looking for a grounded and intricate political epic may come out of this one disappointed, but The Wheel of Time will undoubtedly prove a journey worth taking for old school fantasy fans – as well as those who just can’t wait for The Witcher season 2.
The Wheel of Time's first three episodes launch exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, November 19.
•Everything we know about HBO’s House of the Dragon
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Dec 28, 2021 · Amazon Prime's The Wheel of Time cuts quite a bit from Robert Jordan's novels, but overall the series is a faithful adaptation that gets the big moments right.
- belen.edwards@mashable.com
- Entertainment Reporter
Nov 19, 2021 · There are only eight episodes in Season 1, but thankfully, Amazon Prime has already renewed The Wheel of Time for a second season! There's definitely plenty of source material to draw from. Stream new episodes of The Wheel of Time on Fridays on Amazon Prime.
- Katherine Stinson
Nov 16, 2021 · 'Wheel of Time' fans will fall in love with Amazon's lavish new Prime Video fantasy series starring Rosamund Pike, but what about outsiders to the story?
- Meghan O'keefe
- 2 min
Nov 19, 2021 · You can find all available episodes of The Wheel of Time streaming on Amazon Prime Video. For even more Wheel of Time, check out the epic book series, also available on Audible.
- 2 min
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Sep 4, 2021 · The Wheel of Time’s first season will debut on Amazon Prime Video on November 19, 2021. Amazon has not announced an expected release window for Season 2, but production began in July.
