‘Wheel of Time’: First Look at Amazon Fantasy Series’ Set Revealed

On Wednesday, Amazon revealed the first real look at The Wheel of Time — an upcoming fantasy adaptation meant to rival the success of Game of Thrones. The brief clip shows a view of The Winespring Inn in the center of Emond’s Field, where the series begins. After years of waiting to see this world brought to life on screen, this was the first real glimpse fans got.

The Wheel of Time is a fantasy series unmatched in size and scope, coming in at 15 total novels and juggling at least as many story lines and characters as its contemporaries. Still, it is vital for the story to begin in the small village of Emond’s Field, so it’s only fitting for fans to see that first as they await the series premiere. The teaser cleverly begins by panning over the description of The Winespring Inn in the book itself, then lowering the page to reveal the inn behind it. Behind-the-scenes pictures have previously shown parts of the Emond’s Field set, but this was the first shot of it as it is meant to be seen.

In honor of this big reveal, Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins decided to do a fan Q&A on Twitter as well. He answered three questions, mostly about the experience of shooting the series, as he declined to reveal information about the release itself.

Judkins wrote that walking through this set was “Absolutely one of the most emotional moments on the show for me so far. Just standing in the center of Emond’s Field felt totally surreal, looking up at the red roof of the Inn, the trouble they’d gone to give each house and villager a profession and a life there. It was amazing.”

He gave a similar answer when asked how the set smelled, but for the third question, he gave a bit of a spoiler. When asked if the Bel Tine celebration would make it into the show, he wrote: “This one might be a spoiler, especially for Winternight enthusiasts, but yes.”

The Wheel of Time was published throughout the 1990s, concluding in 2014 with the 14th book in the main series, plus one prequel novel. It was popular at the same time as the A Song of Ice and Fire series, which was later adapted into HBO’s Game of Thrones. Comparisons between the two are inevitable, and Amazon Video is trying to capitalize on that fact to get its own blockbuster fantasy series going.

So far, they seem to have done a good job, as fans were ecstatic about what they saw on Wednesday. However, many were disappointed to find that there is still no firm release date in place.