The Wheel continues to turn at Prime Video with the second season of The Wheel of Time. Greenlit months before season one premiered, season two of the fantasy series has already filmed and wrapped (with season three in the works). The sprawling tale adapts Robert Jordan’s 14-book fantasy book epic of the same name. Key word there? Adapts. Season one brought many changes to the order of events. For example, it left out characters and locations. But the heart of the story comes through, as do the characterizations of the primary ensemble—most of whom will return for more of the story.
We have new faces too, like some Maidens of the Spear, who introduced themselves in a video for JordanCon. The convention marked the announcement of some new casting too: Maja Simonsen as Chiad, Ragga Ragnars as Bain, Jay Duffy as Dain Bornhald, and Rima Te Wiata as Sheriam Bayanar.
Here’s everything we know about The Wheel of Time season two so far.
The Wheel of Time Season Two’s Plot
The first season of The Wheel of Time largely followed book one of Robert Jordan’s series, The Eye of the World. However, it did pull in elements from books two and three as well. And the TV series is different enough from the books that we should only look at the source material as a loose guide. All that said, we imagine many aspects of season two will focus on book two, The Great Hunt.
Plot and casting signs indicate threads of The Great Hunt ahead. Padan Fain took the Horn of Valere from Fal Dara, and surely our heroes will chase him to reacquire it. The artifact is too important to leave with a Darkfriend. And of course, the Seanchan made their first appearance at the very end of the season one finale. Their forces and invasion play a huge role in the books and introduce a truly nightmarish use of the One Power.
At New York Comic Con 2022, showrunner Rafe Judkins confirmed the Seanchan have a large role to play in the season ahead. He also noted that season two will take us through the end of book three, The Dragon Reborn. Judkins said those initial three books are kind of the first section of the series and set up the ensemble cast on their various paths. A continuing theme throughout the season will be characters dealing with loneliness.
We got a sneak peek for season two at New York Comic Con, and basically, the show is turned up to 11. The characters we met in season one are on their paths and now, well, it’s on. The tease for season two confirms they did not defeat the Dark One but instead, set free the Dark One’s right-hand lieutenant. The group has to contend with that issue, the Forsaken, the Seanchan (which look terrifying), Moiraine’s loss of the One Power, the Whitecloaks… that only scratches the surface. We see a lot of tears and blood in this sneak peek.
Behind the Scenes
Rafe Judkins continues as showrunner. We know the first episode is called “A Taste of Solitude.” Amanda Kate Shuman wrote it. Interestingly, the episode name pulls its title from a chapter in book six of the series, Lord of Chaos. Judkins also recently shared that The Wheel of Time season two would have eight episodes, like season one. He also noted that The Wheel of Time season two’s episodes would be longer.
The Wheel of Time Season Two’s Cast
The primary cast from season one is mostly sticking around as far as we know. Basically, if the character is still alive, the actor is back—except for Mat Cauthon. Barney Harris portrayed the character in season one, but Dónal Finn will pick up the role in season two. Amazon has not shared the reason behind recasting.
New cast members include:
- Ceara Coveney as Elayne Trakand, the daughter-heir of Andor
- Natasha O’Keeffe in an unknown role
- Meera Syal in an unknown role
- Ayoola Smart as Aviendha, an Aiel Maiden of the Spear
- Maja Simonsen as Chiad, a Maiden of the Spear
- Ragga Ragnars as Bain, a Maiden of the Spear
- Jay Duffy as Dain Bornhald, a Whitecloak
- Rima Te Wiata as Sheriam Bayanar, Master of Novices at the White Tower
New recurring cast members include:
- Guy Roberts as Uno Nomesta
- Arnas Fedaravicius as Masema
- Gregg Chillingirian as Ingtar Shinowa
The Wheel of Time Season Two’s Release Date
Season two of The Wheel of Time began filming in July 2021 and they wrapped filming in May 2022. However, we don’t know the release date yet.
Rafe Judkins recently shared in an interview, “I do believe season two will be premiering in 2023. I think, early? There’s still a lot of work that we’ve got to do on the show, in post, VFX, all of that. I would not expect it in early 2023 but you can expect it in 2023.”
With that in mind, we’ll persist in hoping we see the second season earlier rather than later in 2023.
Originally published on December 28, 2021.
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