Entertainment Weekly has published new images and an interview with the cast of Amazon’s The Wheel of Time TV series. All dressed up in the photos are Rosamund Pike’s Moiraine, Madeleine Madden’s Egwene al’Vere, Josha Stradowski’s Rand al’Thor, and the rest of the novel series adaptation’s cast, but the real stars of the Wheel of Time image drop are the settings and props, with one standout being the cage that surrounds Álvaro Morte’s Logain.
Showrunner Rafe Judkins discussed in the interview the desire to get Amazon’s big-budget fantasy series right for fans. One example can be seen in the effort the team put into building Shadar Logoth, The Wheel of Time’s haunted, abandoned city. “We literally built Shadar Logoth from scratch just for 15 minutes of airtime, because it’s that important to the series,” Judkins said. “That’s where it becomes very clear it’s not just the forces of good and evil. There are lots of different angles.”
He continued, speaking on his belief that the work originally done by author Robert Jordan will remain intact in the show: “I try to stick to the spine and the heart of the books, and bring that to the screen. If I can successfully do that, the story and the characters will sell themselves.”
The world of The Wheel of Time largely puts its female leaders in the spotlight, with the Aes Sedai, a powerful group made up entirely of women, prominently including Pike’s character, Moiraine. The Aes Sedai have the skill to utilize an ancient ability called the One Power. The Wheel of Time Amazon series will see them dealing with Logain, who is attempting to use the One Power to posture himself in a seat of control.
“Just as men are often trying to shut down female power in our world, the Aes Sedai are trying to stop this man from becoming too powerful,” Judkins said. “If, hypothetically, one of our male characters were able to use the One Power, they understand the stakes of it from what they see of Logain.”
Costume designer Isis Mussenden also spoke on the role of women in Amazon’s The Wheel of Time: “These are not just a bunch of princesses swanning around in pretty dresses. These are women doing jobs. They’re taking care of the governance; they’re taking care of healing.”
The Wheel of Time is currently slated to premiere in November, and season 2 is already confirmed — but right now, we just have some images of season 1.
