Amazon's Wheel of Time series is making some surprising changes to the books. "The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again." Those words introduced readers to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, one of the most popular and beloved fantasy franchises. Jordan initially proposed the series to his publisher to Tor Books as a trilogy back in 1984, but he found himself captivated by the world and characters he had created. In the end, the Wheel of Time tale is told in 14 books, finished by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan sadly died in 2007.
Networks and streaming services are keen to fill the void left by Game of Thrones, and as a result Amazon has signed up to a big-budget Wheel of Time series. The first season is due in November, the second has already been agreed, and showrunner Rafe Judkins already has eight seasons planned out. Now, Amazon has finally given viewers their first look in a full trailer, and it's a thrilling vision that seems to hew close to Jordan's original works - but it does have some distinctive changes.
The trailer suggests the "entry" character is Madeleine Madden's Egwene, which is surprising; although she's an important figure in the books, in the first novel - The Eye of the World - she was essentially a secondary character, principally a love interest for the star Rand al'Thor. Robert Jordan became increasingly interested in developing the rest of the world, especially the Aes Sedai, as the story continued, and as a result Egwene became increasingly important; she joined the Aes Sedai, ascended through their ranks, and became one of their key leaders. It looks as though Amazon's Wheel of Time will focus on Egwene's journey as much as Rand's, possibly even more so, and no doubt she'll receive a number of essential infodumps about the Aes Sedai after she joins them - helping get viewers up-to-speed on Wheel of Time's sorceresses.
Meanwhile, all the characters in Wheel of Time are a little older than the books. “We aged up the Emond’s Field Five from the books because sometimes TV shows with a bunch of 17 year olds as leads feel more like YA and Wheel of Time isn’t YA," showrunner Rafe Judkins explained, and her reasoning is sound; modern audiences are used to seeing teenagers starring in YA fantasy, and they may therefore misconstrue this show. The decision to "age up" the central characters has subtly changed the narrative, with Egwene and Rand clearly an actual item - one shot in the trailer even shows them together naked. That's very different to the "will-they-won't-they" relationship they shared in The Eye of the World, but it may well give Egwene a better arc, because she has a better reason to accompany Rand on his journey.
The interesting question, though, is whether or not this will significantly alter Rand's arc - and, indeed, the mechanics of Robert Jordan's fantasy world. In the books, Rand is able to tap into saidin - the male half of the One Power - and most men with this ability are driven insane. It's possible the madness associated with saidin develops at a later age in Amazon's show, allowing him to be older; there's another subtle hint this may be the case in the Wheel of Time trailer, because it also shows a man named Logain who could wield saidin as well, and he's been aged up as well (and given a beard, which he doesn't have in the books). Clearly, while the broad brush-strokes of The Wheel of Time are faithful to the books, there are some subtle changes which will have profound implications on the lore going forward.