'Wheel of Time' Series Development Still Underway Despite Widespread Coronavirus Shutdown

Like many TV series, Amazon Prime Video's adaptation of The Wheel of Time paused production due to [...]

By Michael Hein

Like many TV series, Amazon Prime Video's adaptation of The Wheel of Time paused production due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, in a Q&A with fans on Sunday night, showrunner Rafe Judkins confirmed that work on the series is still underway. While the cast and crew cannot gather on set, Judkins said that they are still doing everything they can from home.

Judkins held a Q&A on Sunday night on his Instagram Stories, taking questions directly from fans. One asked hopefully if "any aspect of the show" is "still in development." Judkins had surprisingly reassuring news on this front, revealing that he is working both on visual effects for Season 1 and scripts for Season 2, all while practicing safe social distancing.

"A lot can be done virtually!" he wrote. "I'm still doing VFX, editing and the Season Two Virtual Writers Room! And I can do it all in pajamas."

The news quickly spread throughout the Wheel of Time fandom, which has a strong foothold online. The show is one of Amazon's most ambitious series on the way, adapting the beloved high fantasy series by Robert Jordan into an all-out swords-and-sorcery TV show.

Judkins has been attached as the showrunner on Wheel of Time since 2018, when Amazon Studios gave the show a series order. The 37-year-old writer made his way into the TV industry as a contestant on Survivor, but went on to write for shows like Chuck, Hemlock Grove and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Through social media, Judkins has made it clear that he is a die-hard fan of Wheel of Time, to his followers' delight. The series has a seriously dedicated fan-base, who want to see it get the same serious attention as other fantasy series like The Witcher and Game of Thrones.

The Wheel of Time is a series consisting of 15 novels, published between 1990 and 2013. It was written by Robert Jordan until his death in 2007, at which point his widow, Harriet McDougal, chose author Brandon Sanderson to complete the series, using the extensive notes left by Jordan.

The series centers around a young man named Rand al'Thor, who begins as a simple farm boy and soon learns he is embroiled in prophecy, magic and cyclical reincarnation. It is widely praised for having one of the most well-realized fantasy worlds in the genre, and promises to make for an incredible TV adaptation.

Amazon's The Wheel of Time was still filming in Prague when production was halted earlier this month. There is no concrete release date in place for the series just yet.

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