In light of the massive viewership of The Wheel of Time season 1, Amazon says the upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel series will affect the release of The Wheel of Time season 2. Created by showrunner Rafe Judkins, The Wheel of Time adapts Robert Jordan's extensive fantasy epic told throughout 14 main volumes and three additional novels. Its television adaptation seems to follow in the path of this best-selling novel series, because the 3-episode premiere ranked number one among streaming series in November.
The Wheel of Time's loyal fanbase led Amazon to renew the series for season 2 back in May 2021, long before any episodes of the series had been released. In addition to continuing The Wheel of Time, Amazon Prime Video will be releasing a Lord of the Rings prequel series in September 2022, developed by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. While details about The Wheel of Time season 2 and the LOTR prequel are limited, Amazon has given itself a big task in bringing two of the most-loved fantasy worlds to the screen.
While fans of both series wait with bated breath, Amazon Studios’ Head of Global TV, Vernon Sanders, discussed what The Wheel of Time's current success could mean for future releases. Speaking with TV Line, Sanders recognizes how important fans are to genre series like The Wheel of Time and LOTR, and he states that Amazon will consider LOTR's September premiere when setting The Wheel of Time's season 2 release date. Read Sanders' full statement about the schedule below:
"We are going to be really thoughtful about how we release these shows. In our minds, they are very different shows, but we are cognizant of our genre fans, and we are excited about the collection of content we have — those two, along with The Expanse and The Boys, Carnival Row is coming back, we have a fantastic show with [Westworld creators] Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy called The Peripheral…. We are very excited about the future."
While Sanders still doesn't give fans a concrete date for The Wheel of Time season 2, his statement implies that a positive reception from fans is Amazon Studios' primary concern. Fantasy epics recently gained traction as a television genre, and popular shows like HBO's Game of Thrones helped prove that they could hold viewers' interest. Understandably, Amazon would want to balance the releases of its two most anticipated series. After all, they want to compete with other streaming services, not themselves.
The success of The Wheel of Time season 1 so far demonstrates Prime Video's mastery over the fantasy genre. While it's hard to say with certainty that such success will continue before season 1 has finished, the viewership reports indicate that audiences will carry that success into future seasons. Considering that the LOTR fanbase is even larger, anticipation for both the LOTR prequel series and The Wheel of Time season 2 is sure to be growing.
Source: TV Line