Wheel Of Time Fantasy Series Getting A Movie Franchise
The Wheel of Time novels are getting their own movies. Here's what we know so far.
This article is more than 2 years old
Fans of the Wheel of Time fantasy book series will be delighted to learn that the first of three planned movies to go along with the long-gestating TV show is already in the works.
Deadline reports that iwot productions and Radar Pictures have secured screenwriter Zack Stentz to pen the first installment in the trilogy. Stentz is perhaps best known for co-writing the recent Marvel superhero films Thor and X-Men: First Class. While those are not anyone’s favorite installments in either franchise, all eyes are on the young scribe to see what he can accomplish with the beloved Wheel of Time franchise.
The outlet reports that the first film in the Wheel of Time trilogy will be titled Age of Legends, which Stentz describes as, “a tale of paradise lost, as a futuristic Garden of Eden devolves into a dangerous and broken world.”
The first film in the Wheel of Time series begins several millennia before the events of the books in a futuristic utopia powered by a magical force shared by men and women known as the “One Power,” according to the report. However, when an evil force unleashes itself upon the world, the once-great civilization begins to crumble into chaos and war across every corner of the map. When men who use the one power start to go insane, it’s up to a small band of women to unite under something called the White Tower in order to save the human race.
The plot sounds similar, albeit a little different, from Robert Jordan’s original Wheel of Time novels, first released in 1990. The series spans 14 volumes as well as a prequel novel and two companion books. Although he’s credited with the franchise, Jordan was hard at work on the 12th novel when he died in 2007 of complications from primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy. However, he left copious notes behind for author and fan Brandon Sanderson to complete the story. He told Wired in 2013 ahead of the release of the last book (which ended up being split into three volumes) that Jordan wrote the final chapter before he died, and it was merely his job to fill in the gaps.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that, despite what Game of Thrones book fans would have you believe, The Wheel of Time series went on to sell 90 million copies internationally, putting it up there with the likes of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings in terms of best-selling fantasy series of all time.
If you’re unfamiliar with The Wheel of Time books, now might be a good time to get familiar as it’s poised to be a hit across both film and television. It was announced in 2018 that Amazon had picked up the series of novels with an eye toward making it a TV show to drop on its Prime Video streaming platform. Not only do those plans still exist, but The Hollywood Reporter notes that Age of Legends will be designed specifically to complement the storylines that will be established in the show, which is expected to drop later this year. It will join fellow fantasy novel big shot The Lord of the Rings in getting the TV treatment at Amazon.
While the TV show is under the banner of Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios, there is currently no distributor attached to Age of Legends or the larger Wheel of Time film series.
