Long in development with at least two companies and considered for both TV miniseries and films, Robert Jordan's epic fantasy tome series The Wheel Of Time is now officially a go at Amazon.
Though you might think the company's Prime Video coffers might be bare after the wallet-shredding purchase of the rights to elements of The Lord Of The Rings, it has stepped up development on the late writer's work, with writer/producer Rafe Judkins, who had been busy adapting it into a series, on board to run the show.
Set in an epic world where magic exists but only women can use it, The Wheel Of Time follows Moiraine, a member of the shadowy and influential all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she embarks on a dangerous journey with five young men and women across the world. Moiraine is interested in these five because she believes one of them might be the reincarnation of an incredibly powerful individual, who prophecies say will either save humanity or destroy it.
Jordan's books span 14 (though 12 onwards were finished posthumously by Brandon Sanderson using his notes and tapes) plus a prequel, so there's material here to keep a series running for a good few years. "The Wheel Of Time is endlessly fascinating and resonates hugely with fans as one of the bestselling global book franchises and we were drawn to its timely narrative featuring powerful women at the core," Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said at a show-and-tell event in London attended by Variety. "We’re thrilled to extend our relationship with devotees who’ve found the book series transformative and welcome new ones by bringing it to life on Prime Video for viewers worldwide."
In related news, the company has also snagged the services of one Neil Gaiman, a man with no little experience writing fantasy himself. With his deal at Freemantle (despite signing it as a multi-year contract in 2017) now seemingly over as of May this year, he's jumping to Amazon, where he's been shepherding a Prime Video TV adaptation of Good Omens, due on screens next year.
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