The Wheel of Time season 2: everything we know so far

The Wheel of Time season 2 might be coming sooner than we think. With rumors circulating online about when it’ll be released, now is a good time for you to read up on everything to do with the fantasy show’s next installment.

Below, we’ve assembled every important piece of information on The Wheel of Time’s second season. That includes the Prime Video series’ possible release date, as well as its confirmed cast, potential story beats, the future of one of the best Prime Video shows around, and more.

Major spoilers are incoming for The Wheel of Time season 1. Additionally, possible spoilers for season 2’s cast and plot follow. Use the navigation bar to your left to skip those sections if you’re avoiding spoilers pre-launch.

The Wheel of Time season release date

There’s no release date for The Wheel of Time season 2 yet. However, a report from The Telegraph India (opens in new tab) suggested it’ll land in early 2023. The article in question has been amended since its initial publication, but Reddit (opens in new tab) caught the confirmation before it was removed.

Speaking to DragonMount (opens in new tab), a Wheel of Time YouTube fan channel, showrunner Rafe Judkins said of the rumor: “There is some truth to it, in that I do believe that season 2 will be premiering in 2023, I think early. There is still a lot of work we’ve go to do on the show in post/VFX, all of that, so, expect it in 2023.”

Some fans originally hoped season 2 would arrive before 2022 ended. However, Amazon Studios’ Head of Global TV Vernon Sanders told TVLine (opens in new tab) that wasn’t never going to happen. Why? Because Amazon didn’t want The Wheel of Time season 2 and The Rings of Power season 1‘s launches to overlap.

The Wheel of Time season 2 trailer

The Wheel of Time season 2’s first teaser was released in October 2022.

It opens with a fast-paced, still image-based montage of the first season’s key moments. It’s not until the 0:25 mark that the season 2 footage begins, but it looks suitably foreboding, action-packed, thrilling, and fantastical.

We get good looks at where all of our heroes are at the outset – more on this in our plot section – as well as the antagonists set to make their debuts. It all seems like it’s become a bit too much for Moiraine, who’s seen verbally lashing out at Lan. We’re also introduced to the new Mat Cauthon, who’ll be played by Dónal Finn following Barney Harris’ departure.

There’s only 30 seconds of footage to take in but it gives us a good indication of what’s at stake and what’ll play out in the show’s next entry. The teaser comes three months after a behind-the-scenes look at the show’s next installment was posted online, too:

The Wheel of Time season 2 cast

Season 1’s main cast will return, although there’s one notable exception: 

• Rosamund Pike as Moiraine Damodred 
• Daniel Henney as Lan Mandragoran 
• Josha Stradowski as Rand al’Thor 
• Zoë Robins as Nynaeve al’Meara 
• Madeleine Madden as Egwene al’Vere 
• Marcus Rutherford as Perrin Aybara 
• Dónal Finn as Mat Cauthon 
• Fares Fares as The Dark One 
• Johann Myers as Padan Fain
• Sophie Okonedo as Siuan Sanche

The biggest casting news concerns the character of Mat Cauthon. Barney Harris hasn’t returned, so Dónal Finn (The Witcher, Cursed) has taken over. In September 2021, we reported that Harris was no longer part of the cast. No reason was given for his departure, with Judkins declining to comment (per Deadline (opens in new tab) ).

The Wheel of Time’s other notable characters are returning. That includes Fares Fares’ primary antagonist The Dark One and Sophie Okoendo’s Siuan Sanche, who are seen in The Wheel of Time season 2’s sneak peek. Meanwhile, fansite WOTseries.com (opens in new tab) suggests Sandy McDade’s Maigan will feature.

As for who else could return, we suspect Kate Fleetword’s Liandrin and Kae Alexander’s Min Farshaw will reappear. The first season’s plot was pulled from multiple books in Jordan’s series, while Judkins took some creative liberties that led to its plot diverging from the story in the novels. 

It’s unclear, too, if The Wheel of Time season 2’s plot will differ from its source material. If it does, we may not see Liandrin or Min return, even though they have roles in the series’ second and third books, aka The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn. Elsewhere, Alexandre Willaume, who played Thom Merrilin in season 1, told The Mighty Dragon podcast (opens in new tab) he won’t be back for The Wheel of Time season 2.

What we do know is that new characters will be introduced – and we already know who some of those are.

Ceara Coveney – in her first major acting role – will portray a hugely significant character in Elayne Trakand. In the novels, Elayne is not only Queen of Andor and Cairhien, but she’s also one of the most powerful Aes Sedai in Robert Jordan’s fictional universe, so expect her to play a major role.

Natasha O’Keeffe (Misfits, Filth) and Meera Syal (Paddington 2, Doctor Who) have also been cast in undisclosed roles. Rafe Judkins has teased that they’ll portray “two of the most important characters.”

Potential season 2 cast spoilers follow, so skip ahead if you don’t want to know which actors have reportedly joined the series.

Here’s a rundown of other confirmed and rumored characters, and the actors portraying them:

Deadline (opens in new tab) has claimed Guy Roberts (Hanna), Arnas Fedaravicius (The Last Kingdom), and Gregg Chillingirian (A Discovery of Witches) will feature in supporting roles. Roberts will reportedly play Uno Nomesta, a one-eyed soldier who served Lord Agelmar before the latter’s death in the season 1 finale. Fedaravicius will play Masema, another of Agelmar’s former charges. Finally, Chillingirian portrays Ingtar Shinowa, who Deadline describes as a warrior from war-torn lands.

In a WoTseries.com (opens in new tab) article, Marie-France Alvarez (Paddington 2) will portray another Aes Sedai called Celestin. Melissa James (Coronation Street) and Jessica Boone (Das Boot) have also apparently been hired (per WoTseries.com (opens in new tab)). WoTseries.com (opens in new tab) also suggests British-born New Zealand actor Rima Te Wiata (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) is part of the cast after being spotted in The Wheel of Time season 2 production wrap video. Additionally, WoTseries.com (opens in new tab) suggests Ken Bradshaw (Eastenders, Wire in the Blood) will play Asan Sandair, a city guard who crosses paths with Rand.

WoTseries.com has leaked other supposed hires. Jay Duffy (Vikings, Derry Girls) has reportedly joined the cast (opens in new tab), as has iconic Disney star Hayley Mills (opens in new tab) (The Parent Trap, Pollyanna, Tiger Bay, and Forever Young among others). Darragh O’Toole (Foundation, Peaky Blinders) and Lubna Kerr (Moondogs) are also believed to have signed on (opens in new tab).

In an interview with The Press and Journal (opens in new tab), Stewart Kenneth Moore (Blood Red Sky, Carnival Row) confirmed that he has a bit-part role. Moore refused to reveal his character’s identity, but hinted that he’ll turn up in episode 5 for a “fairly memorable scene.”

Finally, The Witcher fansite Redandian Intelligence (opens in new tab) claims four other actors have been joined the party. Laura Crowhurst (The Last Bus) has reportedly been cast in an undisclosed role, as has Natasha J. Murley in her first major acting role. Game of Thrones‘ Will Tudor will also allegedly play Barthanes Damodred, a relative of Moiraine’s, while Haruka Kuroda (Killing Eve) is set to portray one of Min Farshaw’s aunts.

The Wheel of Time season 2 plot

Spoilers follow for The Wheel of Time season 1.

Little is officially known about The Wheel of Time season 2’s story, but we’ve been given some indication about its central themes and narratives.

Per Prime Video’s Fanology Twitter account, it’ll deal with theme of loneliness (opens in new tab). That’s not surprising, given that Amazon has pulled a Fellowship of the Ring-style move and broken up our merry band of heroes. Meanwhile, Daniel Henney told New York Comic-Con attendees that there’ll be more individual storylines in season 2 (opens in new tab).

There are also lots of plot threads that need to be picked up or resolved.

First, we need to be reunited with Rand – aka the Dragon Reborn – who, after temporarily defeating The Dark One, is continuing his journey alone. The Dragon Reborn is a prophesied, all-powerful channeler of the One Power fated to save or destroy the world, so Rand considers himself to, well, everyone. He asks Moiraine to tell his friends that he perished in battle against The Dark One so they don’t come looking for him. Josha Stradowski, who plays Rand, says the character’s season 2 arc will be built around redefining his identity (via The Wrap (opens in new tab)).

As for Moiraine, The Dark One destroyed her connection to the Source, which is where Aes Sedai draw the One Power from. Unable to channel her powers anymore, Moiraine and Lan’s relationship is sure to shift. The duo hardly feature in The Wheel of Time’s second book, but Judkins told CBR.com (opens in new tab) their upcoming arcs will comprise wholly original content created specifically for the TV adaptation, as “you can’t sideline Rosamund Pike and Daniel Henney in a season of television”. Additionally, Pike revealed (per Entertainment Weekly (opens in new tab)) that Moiraine will return to her home city of Cairhien in The Wheel of Time season 2.

The season 1 finale also teased the arrival of the Seanchan – a villainous, seafaring empire that has ambitions on conquering The Wheel of Time’s main continent. Asked by Collider (opens in new tab) how they’ll make a *ahem* splash, Judkins said: “Everything’s following this traditional fantasy format coming out of the first book. In the second book, the Seanchan come out of nowhere and slap our characters, so we really wanted to have them function the same way in the show. We get this nod to them at the end of season 1 but, in season 2, the Seanchan arrive and they affect the story.”

Elaborating on the role the Seanchan has, Judkins told New York Comic-Con 2021 attendees (via SyFy.com (opens in new tab)): “The Seanchan come in and sideswipe every story in the show. They sideswipe the show as much as they do the books and it’s a really cool storytelling device that Robert Jordan built and I think it’s so special and I’ve been so excited to bring it to the screen.”

There are many other branching narratives and subplots that the show’s second season needs to circle back to. Judkins confirmed to Nerdist (opens in new tab) that “we’ll certainly see” more of the backstory of Lews Therin, aka the first Dragon, as the season and overall series progresses. Judkins also teased the potential introduction of Gawyn and Faile, who are important characters in Egwene and Perrin’s stories, and the possibility of Rand and Min interacting more (per CBR (opens in new tab)). As for Mat, Judkins revealed he’s heading for the White Tower – the Aes Sedai’s stronghold – and not Shadar Logoth in the season 1 finale.

We’re also expecting to learn more about Perrin’s wolfbrother powers and hope our heroes will get the Horn of Valere – a key item in the final battle with The Dark One – back after Padan Fain stole it in the season 1 finale. The love triangle between Moiraine, Lan, and Nynaeve is also set to be explored in more detail, too – Daniel Henney and Zoë Robins, who play Lan and Nynaeve, teasing their season 2 storylines in a chat with Inverse (opens in new tab).

Speaking about The Wheel of Time season 2’s overall theme, Judkins told EW the show’s next entry will “peel back the surface and try to understand what balance between dark and light they’re trying to find within themselves.”

The Wheel of Time’s next entry will also cover plot elements from multiple novels, Judkins telling EW: “[Audiences] will see that some characters are diving more into their book two story in season 2, and some of them are diving more into their book three story. We have a big round-up point at the end of season 2 that reconnects everything and pushes us off in a new direction where we’ve completed all the stories we need to get through.”

Additionally, we can expect blood – and lots of it. Daniel Henney told ContentMode (opens in new tab): “It’s really hard for me to not give too much away, but I will say this: two swords, multiple Fades, blood….lots of blood.” Meanwhile, Rafe Judkins told TVLine (opens in new tab): “More characters will die in the show than in the books, because we cannot carry a cast of 2,000 actors for seven seasons!” Prepare for your favorite characters to potentially perish at some point, then.

Finally, Judkins took to Twitter to answer fans’ season 2 questions (opens in new tab) during some post-production downtime. One key detail confirms the introduction of the Forsaken, i.e. channelers who serve the side of Shadow in the War of Power. Fans can expect to see new locations, such as Cairhien, Tear, and Falme in The Wheel of Time season 2 as well.

Will The Wheel of Time get more seasons?

The Wheel of Time season 2 won’t be the final entry in Amazon’s live-action adaptation, with Amazon confirming it’s been renewed for a third season (opens in new tab) in October 2022.

Interestingly, The Shadow Rising, which season 3 will be based on, is the fourth book in Jordan’s epic fantasy book series. Given that season 2 will adapt books one through three, it makes sense that the series’ third season will pick things up with book four.

It’s unclear when principal photography will begin on season 3, but we suspect it won’t be until mid-2023 at the very earliest. If The Wheel of Time season 2 launches in early 2023, the cast and crew will complete their press tour before filming begins.

As for future seasons, much will depend on whether seasons 2 and 3 resonate with audiences, and if Amazon feels it can fund its two big fantasy properties in The Wheel of Time and The Rings of Power. The latter’s premiere was the biggest Prime Video launch of all-time so, if only one show is continually greenlit, it’s likely to be its Lord of the Rings show, which is already returning for The Rings of Power season 2.

That said, we’d still expect Amazon to renew The Wheel of Time for more seasons. Judkins has eight seasons mapped out, so it would be silly for Amazon to cancel the series midway through its run (if a fourth season is also greenlit). Here’s hoping, then, that The Wheel of Time can keep rolling on until it reaches its end point.

For more Prime Video TV content, check out everything we know about Invincible season 2.

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