We’ve known for a long time that we would be getting a second helping of The Wheel of Time, as the show was renewed for a second season before the first had even aired on Prime Video. The Wheel of Time season 1 made a very strong impression upon its launch, and it became the most-watched series on Prime Video (although it has since been eclipsed by Reacher).
Filming on the second season wrapped earlier this year, and now we’ve finally been treated to a teaser for the series’ second season. Hopefully, that means we can look forward to seeing the next parts of Robert Jordan’s hugely popular fantasy saga on our screens soon!
The Wheel of Time season 1 gave us what we’ve been missing since Game Of Thrones ended. A high-concept political fantasy world with a much-needed feminist twist. The first season was an efficient eight episodes packed with plot and worldbuilding. All this alongside magic, warriors, and dragons (but not that kind, not yet anyway). What could The Wheel of Time season 2 release date bring?
There are 14 books in the series from author Robert Jordan, so there is plenty for showrunner Rafe Judkins to draw from in telling his version of the story. We ended the series with a few questions; how did Egwene (Madeleine Madden) bring back Nyneave (Zoë Robins) from apparent death? What will happen to Rand; the dragon reborn (Josha Stradowski)? Where is Mat (Barney Harris)? And will Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) and Lan (Daniel Henney) be able to re-bond after she has lost touch with the One Power?
The Wheel of Time season 2 teaser
To celebrate the end of filming on The Wheel of Time season 2, the show unveiled a behind-the-scenes teaser video. It has extremely brief glimpses of table reads, prop weapons, location shoots, and fight choreography.
A brief recap of season 1 and a sneak peek at The Wheel of Time season 2 were released at New York Comic Con. Narrated by a terrified Moiraine, the teaser shows us our main cast will find themselves in dire straits very soon. Clearly, bigger challenges in the fight against the Dark One lie ahead…
The Wheel of Time season 2 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, and Book Three, The Dragon Reborn.
By the end of the first season, Rand and Moiraine had snuck off in search of The Eye of The World, where they had a treacherous encounter with the Dark One. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang stood with the forces of Fal Dara in a desperate battle against the Dark One’s forces.
Rand managed to overcome the Dark One with the help of a totem Moiraine had given him to banish him deeper into his current prison. Although he triumphed, he urged Moiraine (who has been cut off from the One Power by the Dark One) to tell his friends he had died due to his worries about what he might do now that he has a connection to the One Power.
Season 2 will no doubt deal with the fallout from this climactic decision, as well as explore what Mat was up to, plus the arrival of the Seanchan army from across the sea.
The Wheel of Time Season 2 Cast
Undoubtedly, Rosamund Pike will be returning as Moiraine along with her bodyguard and ward Lan Mandragoran, played by Daniel Henney.
Our young heroes from the Two Rivers should be returning as well. But maybe except Mat.
The biggest casting news concerns the character of Mat Cauthon. Barney Harris won’t be reprising his role from season 1, with The Witcher and Cursed actor Dónal Finn taking over. In September 2021, we reported that Harris was no longer part of the cast. No reason was given for his departure and showrunner Rafe Judkins declined to comment on the situation.
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
When is The Wheel of Time season 2 out?
We don’t know exactly when the fantasy show will come back, but The Wheel of Time season 2 could start any time between November 2022 and early 2023.
The production on season 2 wrapped in May 2022, and with a show of this scale we imagine the editing process would be fairly lengthy. A minimum of six months in the post-production stage is a standard estimate.
More Information…
How many episodes are in season 2
We don’t know much about the episode list for season 2, but it looks like we’ll get eight again like the first season. The first episode title and director was revealed by the official Wheel of Time Twitter account.
Showrunner Rafe Judkins hasn’t spilled much of the beans about the new season, but he did note(opens in new tab) that The Wheel of Time season 2’s episodes “are longer than the first season.”
Is The Wheel of Time being renewed for season 3?
During The Wheel of Time‘s panel presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Amazon has renewed the series for a third season already, even though we still don’t yet have a premiere date for The Wheel of Time season 2!
Showrunner Rafe Judkins said: ““I’m so thrilled that we’ll be making a third season of The Wheel of Time. The Shadow Rising has always been my favorite book in the series, so being able to bring it to television and introduce new audiences to the stories that made me fall in love with these books in the first place is such an honor, and something I’ve been working toward since I first pitched the show years and years ago.”
