NYCC 2023: The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins talks Season Two and what to expect for Season Three
The Prime Video hit fantasy series The Wheel of Time, which recently completed its critically acclaimed second season, was the topic of fan chatter this weekend, due to two packed special events that revealed insights into Season Two, teases into the highly anticipated Season Three, and additional fun surprises!
On Saturday, October 14, the creative team for The Wheel of Time took to the Empire Stage at New York Comic-Con (NYCC), as part of a special two-hour panel titled Prime Video Presents: The Power of Prime, which featured three additional series, Invincible, Hazbin Hotel, and Upload, and lots of exclusive content across these titles, including first looks, announcements, and screenings.
During the panel for The Wheel of Time, executive producer Marigo Kehoe, VFX supervisor Andy Scrase, and VFX producer Brian Shows spoke with moderator Damian Holbrook of TV Guide Magazine about the intricacies of the series’ impressive visual effects in Season Two, and they debuted a VFX highlight reel exclusively for the NYCC audience.
In a surprise and delight moment, series showrunner Rafe Judkins came on stage at the end of the panel to enthusiastic applause from the audience. Judkins revealed that Season Three of The Wheel of Time will focus primarily on the storylines from Book Four, with elements of Book Five, an announcement that brought mass cheers. He also teased audiences that they will get to meet additional members of the Forsaken, and that the forthcoming season will explore Dreamwalking, an ability to enter the dreams of others.
The excitement of the weekend continued Sunday, when Prime Video hosted a special in-theater screening of the action-packed Season Two finale of The Wheel of Timeat the Whitby Hotel in New York for an excited audience of fans, who were thrilled to see the epic episode on the big screen. Judkins once again made a special surprise appearance to introduce the screening, and stayed afterward to participate in a Q&A about Season Two with television critic Sean T. Collins.
During the conversation, Judkins teased more key Season Three plot points, confirming that in addition to taking audiences back to the Two Rivers, the upcoming season will unveil fan-favorite cities, never before seen on screen, including Tanchico and Rhuidean. Season Three will also visit the Aiel Waste, dive into the Aiel culture, and dig deeper into Aes Sedai politics at the White Tower. It will also explore new versions of channeling in other cultures, and will introduce the famous Sea Folk, a seafaring people known for trading.
The complete second season of The Wheel of Time, which has been Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and is now available on Prime Video. The second season was filmed in the Czech Republic, Morocco, and Italy, and stars Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, I Care a Lot) as Moiraine Damodred, Daniel Henney (Criminal Minds) as Lan Mandragoran, Josha Stradowski (Gran Turismo) as Rand al’Thor, Zoë Robins (Power Rangers Ninja Steel) as Nynaeve al'Meara, Madeleine Madden (Dora and the Lost City of Gold) as Egwene al'Vere, Marcus Rutherford (Obey) as Perrin Aybara, Dónal Finn (Rogue Heroes) as Mat Cauthon, and Ceara Coveney (Young Wallander) as Elayne Trakand.
About The Wheel of Time
In the Amazon Original series The Wheel of Time, Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski, Gran Turismo) learns he is The Dragon Reborn—a dangerous figure from history destined to save the world … or break it. Desperate to protect him from the Dark One, an army of powerful women must reckon with his burgeoning power and encroaching madness. The Wheel of Time turns, and the Last Battle approaches. Though Rand thought he destroyed the Dark One, evil is not gone from the world. In Season Two, threats new and very old seek out the young friends from the Two Rivers, now scattered over the world. The woman who found and guided them is now powerless to help, and so they must find other sources of strength. In each other, or themselves. In the Light ... or the Dark.
The Wheel of Time was adapted for television by executive producer and showrunner Rafe Judkins (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hemlock Grove). Larry Mondragon and Rick Selvage of iwot productions (Winter Dragon), Ted Field of Radar Pictures (Jumanji: The Next Level, Winter Dragon), Mike Weber (Jumanji: The Next Level, Beirut), Darren Lemke (Shazam!, Goosebumps, Winter Dragon), Marigo Kehoe (Outlander, The Crown), Justine Juel Gillmer (The Survivor, Halo), Sanaa Hamri (Empire, Lovestruck), and Amanda Kate Shuman (The Blacklist) also serve as executive producers. Rosamund Pike and Dave Hill (Game of Thrones) also serve as co-executive producers, and Harriet McDougal, Brandon Sanderson, and Lauren Selig are consulting producers. The Wheel of Time is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television.