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The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins has said that he sees the fantasy epic lasting for eight seasons, and therefore that it's better suited to the small screen than a movie adaptation.
Based on the series of books of the same name by Robert Jordan, the series stars Rosamund Pike as a member of a powerful organization of women who can use magic. She takes a group of five young people on a journey around the world, believing one of them might be the prophesied reincarnation of the Dragon.
"I think Wheel of Time lends itself better to a television series," Judkins told Deadline. "That’s why I think now is the right moment for it to finally exist because people who know that books know it’s just a story about the characters and the journeys each of them is on. The amount you’d have to compress it to turn it into a series of movies is too much. It would take away the heart of what’s good about it."
The show has already been renewed for season 2, which is currently filming. The books span 14 volumes (plus a prequel), published between 1990 and 2013, so there's certainly enough source material for Judkins and his team to get their teeth into.
"For me, I always have to approach it as if we’re going to get to tell the whole story that’s in the books," Judkins added. "If we don’t approach it that way, then we’d set ourselves up to not stick the landing and these books have such a good ending. I really need to set us up to get there if we’re able to. That’s not up to me ultimately. If people watch it and Amazon wants to keep doing more, I’d love to continue to expand this world further."
The first three episodes of The Wheel of Time arrive on Amazon Prime Video on November 19, with subsequent episodes following weekly. In the meantime, check out our list of the best shows on Amazon Prime that you can stream right now.
