One of Prime Video's epic book adaptation fantasy series is set to return, with The Wheel of Time season 3 officially confirmed, and reportedly already filmed too.
The Wheel of Time takes place in a fantasy world that's on the brink of war, and it follows several young adults who may (or may not) be the reincarnation of one prophesised to be pivotal for breaking or saving the world.
It's not a big secret that The Wheel of Time season 3 is on its way, as Amazon confirmed as much before The Wheel of Time season 2 had even hit our screens.
The Wheel of Time season 2 ending tied up many of the storylines so far, and saw Rand taking down one of the Dark One's strongest allies... whilst also teasing new new foes.
We just recently got a huge update about The Wheel of Time season 3, as filming's now come to an end on the second series. Hopefully, that means we'll be getting plenty more info about the next installment soon. Here's what we know about The Wheel of Time season 3 right now.
The Wheel of Time season 3 release date
At the time of writing, we don't yet know when The Wheel of Time season 3 will be on our screens, but we'd wager that another installment is likely a ways off.
The Wheel of Time season 1 debuted on Prime Video back in November 2021, and we had to wait almost two full years for season 2 to arrive in September 2023. If the gap between seasons 2 and 3 follows the same pattern, we probably won't be laying eyes on The Wheel of Time season 3 until 2025.
There's also the fact that The Rings of Power season 2 is on its way in August 2024. Would Amazon really schedule both flagship fantasy shows in the same year? It's possible, but seems unlikely.
If you need another fantasy TV fix whilst you wait, check out our top picks for the best fantasy TV shows and the best fantasy TV series on Netflix right now.
The Wheel of Time season 3: latest news
The latest news about the new series is that filming for The Wheel of Time season 3 has officially ended, as of March 22.. This was confirmed in a brief social media teaser featuring several members of the main cast; you can see it below:
Thank the Light, we’re done filming Season 3. pic.twitter.com/U7fOKuxIY4March 22, 2024
Before the filming update, the last big official announcements came from New York Comic Con 2023, where showrunner Rafe Judkins teased crowds with a few new details about the new season.
The main takeaways were that the series will also include elements from Book Five and season 3 will also introduce both a new member of the Forsaken and bring in the concept of "Dreamwalking", the ability to enter the dreams of other people.
In a Q&A after a big-screen showing of The Wheel of Time season 2 finale, Judkins also revealed that the latest installment will be taking us back to the Two Rivers and introducing some new cities that haven't been seen in the show so far, including both Tanchico and Rhuidean.
Plus, The Wheel of Time season 3 will take us to the Aiel Waste, dive more into Aiel culture and dig even further into the politics of the White Tower. And as if that wasn't enough, he also teased that we'll be seeing new versions of channeling the One Power and be meeting the Sea Folk, the sailing people who are known for being traders.
What will The Wheel of Time season 3 be about?
When The Wheel of Time season 3 was first confirmed, showrunner Rafe Judkins confirmed the third series would draw from the fourth novel in the series, The Shadow Rising, which just so happens to be the longest book in the series. As we mentioned above, the series will also draw elements from book five, The Fires of Heaven.
"I'm so thrilled that we'll be making a third season of The Wheel of Time", he said when the show was renewed. "The Shadow Rising has always been my favorite book in the series, so being able to bring it to television and introduce new audiences to the stories that made me fall in love with these books in the first place is such an honor, and something I've been working toward since I first pitched the show years and years ago" (quotes via Variety).
You can find the synopsis for The Shadow Rising below, but be aware of spoilers if you're not already caught up with the books or the show:
"In The Shadow Rising, the fourth novel in Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time®, Rand al’Thor now wields the sword Callandor. He is both the Champion of Light and the Dragon Reborn. Now, he seeks answers to another prophecy that lies with the warrior people known as the Aiel to put him on the path of learning how to wield the One Power.
"Accompanied by Moiraine Damodred, Rand arrives at the Aiel Waste and is granted permission by the Wise Ones to enter the sacred city of Rhuidean. After passing through a doorframe ter'angreal, Moiraine gains foresight while the Aiel await Rand's return, either with both arms marked by dragon symbols, validating his identity as He Who Comes With the Dawn, the Chief of Chiefs of all the Aiel—or to never emerge at all."
Anyone who has seen The Wheel of Time season 2 finale will know that the Two Rivers gang faces a new member of the Forsaken. Before Rand offed Ishamael atop the tower of Falme, the Dark One's lieutenant released several more of the Dark One's allies from their seals. One such Chosen was Moghedien, who appeared right at the end of the episode to warn Lanfear to stay away from the ta'veren, as she and the other Forsaken had nefarious plans for them all.
Showrunner Rafe Judkins has also teased that The Wheel of Time season 3 is set to be even richer than what we've seen so far. In a Q&A on Twitter, he told fans that the next season would be 'even more sophisticated and rich and deep than S2', which has already been hailed as a big improvement on the first season of the show as is.
I’ve always said that people grew up with the books. That the tone and storytelling and emotions of the first book progress and mature until you reach the incredible depths of the final books. I hope the show is the same. S3 is even more sophisticated and rich and deep than S2September 27, 2023
The Wheel of Time season 3 cast: who's coming back for season 3?
We'd expect all our major players to be returning for The Wheel of Time season 3 as they've got much more to face in the battle against the Dark One. Here's a breakdown of some of the major stars we expect to make a comeback next time around, as of season 2.
- Rosamund Pike as Moiraine Damodred
- Josha Stradowski as Rand al'Thor
- Zoë Robins as Nynaeve al'Meara
- Marcus Rutherford as Perrin Aybara
- Dónal Finn as Mat Cauthon
- Madeleine Madden as Egwene al'Vere
- Ceara Coveney as Elayne Trakand
- Daniel Henney as Lan Mandragoran
- Hamme Animashaun as Loial
- Johann Myers as Padan Fain
- Kae Alexander as Min Farshaw
- Natasha O'Keeffe as Lanfear
- Laia Costa as Moghedien
- Jay Duffy as Dain Bornhala
Wheel of Time news site WoTSeries.com has also shared a report about a few more characters who are due to appear. According to the site, Marin al'Vere (Egwene's mother) will be appearing in season 3, though Rina Mahoney will be taking over the role from Lolita Chakrabarti.
In addition, WoTSeries says several of the Tuatha'an are due to reappear in the third season, as they've claimed Daryl McCormack (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande) will be returning as Aram, as will Narinder Samra (Casualty) as Raen and Maria Doyle Kennedy (The Tudors) as Ila.
Alexandre Willaume, who played the gleeman, Thom Merrilin in The Wheel of Time's first season also confirmed that he'd returned to play the character for the third season over on Instagram.
Speaking to TheWrap back in June 2023, Rosamund Pike also shared that we should expect to meet 'way more' characters in the forthcoming season.
"Actors are really flocking to come and be guest stars on our show", Pike said. "They know that we have a show with diversity at its core, where people are embraced to celebrate powerful figures in all their dimensions and we've got fantastic actresses of all ages coming to do amazing work on our show, and actors too.
"It is very exciting that people now know that this is a home that they can have for a few months, that they can come and do exciting work and play really unforgettable characters, and you'll get a glimpse of some of them in Season 2 and way more in Season 3".
Is there a trailer?
Not yet, and we expect we won't get one for a while yet. As and when we see anything more from The Wheel of Time season 3 we'll be sure to include it here.
