The first trailer for The Wheel of Time TV series has arrived, giving an early look at Amazon’s upcoming adaptation of Robert Jordan’s epic 14-book fantasy series ahead of its November 19th release date on Amazon Prime Video.
The trailer sets the stage for the series, establishing some of the basic tenets of Jordan’s world, with a specific focus on Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike), a member of a group of female magic wielders known as the Aes Sedai, who are capable of wielding the One Power to accomplish feats like controlling the elements and healing others.
The trailer also shows off a first look at The Wheel of Time’s younger cast: Madeleine Madden as Egwene al’Vere, Marcus Rutherford as Perrin Aybara, Barney Harris as Mat Cauthon, Zoë Robins as Nynaeve al’Meara, and Josha Stradowski as Rand al’Thor — the five central characters in Jordan’s books who Moiraine ends up mentoring as they journey to save the world from darkness.
Fans will also recognize other key elements of Jordan’s story teased in the trailer, including a visit to Shadar Logoth, a cursed city of shadow; the White Tower of Tar Valon and a glimpse at the different color-coded orders of Aes Sedai; and the show’s take on the corrupted Myrddraal and Trollocs that will oppose Moiraine’s group.
It’s been a long road for The Wheel of Time series to become a TV show. Amazon first announced that it had greenlit a series in 2018, but production was delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Amazon’s show isn’t technically the first time an attempt at a Wheel of Time show has been put to the screen: in 2015, FXX aired a half-hour episode of The Wheel of Time: Winter Dragon, a pilot that had been secretly produced and aired in the dead of night as an attempt to prevent the adaptation rights for the series from reverting back to Jordan’s estate.
The Wheel of Time is just one part of Amazon’s plans for a big-budget fantasy adaptation to try to succeed as the heir to Game of Thrones. The company is also hard at work on a new Lord of the Rings series that looks to be one of the most expensive TV shows ever made, which will debut on September 2nd, 2022.
