The Wheel of Time season 1: Cast, release, and plot details we already know

Where? The Wheel of TimeIt ended the first season of Amazon’s series in December on a sad note. Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) and Warder Lan Daniel Henney had discovered Rand (Josha Strowski), who was the Dragon Reborn. And yes, Egwene (Madeleine Madden) and Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) had come into their own powers. Yet, they were all almost defeated by their initial assault on the Dark One (Fares Fares). Rand went on his own, Perrin (Marcus Rutherford), set out to hide, but he was betrayed and Moiraine lost her spiritual connection to Lan and her power.

It’s a tough place to leave off, with all its “one step forward, one step back” energy. But luckily, Amazon’s high-fantasy show (or at least the first one ahead of The Lord of the Rings: Rings of PowerSeason 2 of ) has already begun, having received a second renewal prior to its premiere.

That’s not particularly surprising — while Amazon has other fantasy skin in the game, the Wheel of Time books have a major following interested in seeing them finally get the adaptation they deserve. While showrunner Rafe Judkins’ vision made some drastic changes to the world of Robert Jordan’s books, the reception was fairly positive. But even with the early renewal and filming underway since July 2021, Amazon hasn’t given much by way of timeline about the second season arriving. We do know some details about season 2. The Wheel of Time.

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for the second Wheel of Time book, which may be the entire basis for the second season of The Wheel of Time.]

What time does Wheel of Time season 2 debut?

Photo by Jan Thijs/Amazon Prime Video

Amazon hasn’t said yet. Filming has been ongoing since July 2021, BeforeThe premiere of season 1 is a sign that we can expect season 2 to arrive before the year ends. Despite this, Lord of the Rings premiering in early September, it’ll likely be the final quarter of 2022 before we catch up with the ta’veren.

“We are going to be really thoughtful about how we release these shows,” Vernon Sanders, Amazon Studios’ head of global TV, told TV Line in December 2021. “In our minds, they are very different shows, but we are cognizant of our genre fans, and we are excited about the collection of content we have.”

Rand, The Wheel of Time’s Dragon Reborn, is in for some growth

After a lot of hemming and hawing over who the great Dragon Reborn could be, it’s … Rand! Like the books. But in several postmortem interviews, Judkins was careful to emphasize that he wants the show to be about all five of the Two Rivers crew, not just Rand’s journey as the “chosen one.”

That being said, Rand’s showdown with the Dark One set the tone for what viewers can expect from future battles. In particular, Judkins wanted actor Josha Stradowski to establish his own style of channeling unlike that of the women we’ve seen so far.

“That was one of the biggest challenges for me was actually the channeling but I was really thankful for the for the books because in the books they [have] a lot of description — beautiful descriptions — about what channeling is for men and how it feels and what it is like,” Judkins told The Wrap in December 2021. “And what I wanted it to be is that you can see that it definitely costs something of you … And, as a man it’s also something that is a dangerous thing as well because that One Power — if you use that as a man it’s tainted by the Dark One, so that means the more you use it, the closer you go to madness, really.”

Photo: Jan Thijs/Amazon Prime Video

That’s ultimately why Rand decides to go off on his own and let his loved ones think he perished.

“He’s now cut off from his roots. It is the beginning of a identity shift. Becoming the Dragon Reborn means that you’re the only person in the whole wide world who can save or destroy the world and that responsibility is insane,” Judkins said.

“That weighs heavy and yes, I think Rand now has to go his own way to do what he needs to do. And it’s just the start of his transformation to — now knowing that he is the Dragon Reborn, now it’s actually about becoming the Dragon Reborn. What’s the best way to do this? You need someone to help. And it’s the start of a very heavy, dark, dramatic journey.”

How does Wheel of Time Season 2 unfold?

While Amazon hasn’t said exactly what will be included in season 2, the arc of the first season — which pulled from the first book in the series and the prequel New Spring — suggests it’ll likely be based (mostly) on The Great Hunt.

Rand, the Dragon Reborn’s newfound knowledge, is trying to prevent The Dark One from stealing the Horn of Valere. That horn is a magical one, meant to be blown by the Dragon Reborn as he heads into the “Last Battle” against the Dark One. He joins fellow ta’veren and Shienaran soldiers to keep it safe, while Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne head to the White Tower to begin learning the ways of the Aes Sedai.

Photo by Jan Thijs/Amazon Prime Video

In the show, Perrin is the one who finds the Horn of Valere — though it’s promptly stolen by Padan Fain, who reveals he’s a Darkfriend who came to the Two Rivers to find the ta’veren. Judkins confirmed that the change was made in order to make The Wrap happy.

“You don’t get to spend a lot of time with the dark friends in the books outside of the forsaken. And so, we really wanted to make sure that each dark friend that we meet in the show like Dana, who you met in episode 3, and Padan Fain … that you kind of understand them as people and that their goal is not, you know, the evil. They’re not just evil people who are born evil who want evil,” Judkins said.

“They have complex human emotions and feelings and they probably view what they’re doing as being positive either for themselves or for the world or for their loved ones, or for whatever reason they view what they’re doing as important and we wanted to give that to Padan Fain. And that sets up a lot of what we’ll see in season 2 with each of our core characters also struggling with the balance of dark and light within themselves.”

Sanders hopes that Sanders will allay any concerns about the possibility of deviations from what is written in his book. In the same interview with TV Line, Sanders said he thought season 2 would be “bigger, bolder, and a more expansive Wheel of Time.”

“Rafe has been a fantastic leader — thoughtful, kind, really dedicated to trying to do this the right way — and Rosamund as well,” Sanders said. “So we absolutely went into Season 2 with a real conversation about, ‘What can we do even better now that we have introduced this giant world and established these characters?’”

One thing we do know for certain: The first episode will be called “A Taste of Solitude.”

That phrase is the title of the 18th chapter in Wheel of Time’s sixth book, Lord of ChaosMake of it whatever you like

What are the names of the attackers at season’s end?

In a tag for the first season, a young girl plays on a beach along the “Far Western Shore.” She looks out at the water to see a line of ships; the camera zooms in on (what appears to be) two Aes Sedai who are being manipulated to use the One Power to cause an enormous tidal wave.

Photo by Jan Thijs/Amazon Prime Video

While season 1 hasn’t given us much to go on, The Great HuntIt does include a subplot, where an empire called The Seanchan attack. They want to retake the continent their ancestors came from, and have been gathering resources for years for what they call “the Return.” That means they’re coming armed and ready, including with enslaved channelers like the ones seen at the end of season 1.

The women we see channeling are damane, or “leashed ones,” per a translation of the Seanchan language. They are controlled by sul’dam — “leash holders” — and taken from wherever the Seanchan can find them, including kidnapped Aes Sedai.

What is the deal with Lan?

The final chapter brought a blow to what seemed like an impenetrable bond: Moiraine severs her connection with Lan to head into the (“first”) battle. But after tussling with the Dark One, she’s left cut off from the One Power — and unable to repair her and Lan’s bond.

In an interview with Content mode, Daniel Henney who plays Lan teased a little bit about this.

The tests will include Moiraine and Lan. Both individually and together as Warder/Aes Sedai units. They’ll face challenges that have huge implications. I consider season 2 a “journey season” for Lan. He will be faced with many moments and situations that force him to question everything he’s believed in and how he’s lived his life up to this point. It’s really hard for me to not give too much away, but I will say this- 2 swords, multiple fades, blood….lots of blood.

The Wheel of Time is growing

Most of the main cast will be returning for season 2: Rosamund Pike as Moiraine Damodred, Henney as Lan, as well ta’veran candidates Josha Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford, Zoë Robins, and Madeleine Madden.

As was previously announced, Dónal Finn will be taking over the role of Mat from Barney Harris. No one has been named. Wheel of Time has commented on the reason for the swap, he did say the transition felt “seamless” between the actors.

The second season will feature some brand new characters. Ceara Coveney plays Elayne Trakand Queen of Andor, Cairhien. Broadchurch’s Meera SyalAnd Peaky Blinders star Natasha O’Keeffe will be joining (in roles yet to be announced). Ayoola Smart was announced as Aviendha, a Wise One introduced in the third book of the series; she’s one of the strongest female channelers around. And while we don’t know the details of how Wheel of Time will treat her on screen, she’s one of Rand’s love interests in the books.

Also joining as Bayle Domon is Julian Lewis Jones, who’s been in things like Justice League and Invictus. Bayle, his character is introduced for the first time in The Eye of the WorldThis is book one of The Wheel of Time, which more prominently features into The Great Hunt Particularly in the fights against Seanchan.