Everything we’ve heard so far about Wheel of Time season 3
(Ed. remark: This post contains spoilers for the end of Prime Video’s Season 2 The Wheel of Time.)
Season 2 of The Wheel of Time covered a lot of ground. Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) and Lan (Daniel Henney) have discovered what life is like after losing (and then regaining) connection with the True Source. Rand (Josha Stradowski) went on a journey to find out if he could really handle all his power. Egwene (Madeleine Madden) was trapped by the Seanchan as a damane, while Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) broke free from her own block to her potential. Meanwhile, Mat (Dónal Finn) and Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) found their own connections to the supernatural and untapped abilities that could prove useful in the ongoing battle against the Dark One.
And that’s all before we get to that final big battle, where virtually every military force on the continent comes together in battle against each other, with Seanchan and White Cloaks turning on each other, Ishamael (Fares Fares) coming after Rand again, and our fearless heroes stuck in the middle. The developments in that one hour dramatically reset the board for Season 3 – just in time for a new villain to appear. (This is Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, after all! Not a moment to rest for these heroes.)
Fortunately, we know a little about what the pike comes for The Wheel of Time the show, along with new casting and even a trailer and release date. Here’s everything we know so far:
Is Wheel of Time season 3 coming?
Yes. In fact, that was first already announced in July 2022a full year before season 2 would even debut.
Is there a trailer for Wheel of Time season 3?
There’s a teaser trailer, which at least gives us a glimpse of what Moiraine and co. that they have to deal with in the third season – especially her concern that in the “thousands” of futures she’s seen, the only way Rand will come out alive is if she dies.
When will Wheel of Time season 3 come out?
At CCXP 2024 in São Paolo, Brazil, showrunner Rafe Judkins finally spoke up and announced that the show would premiere on March 13, 2025 (a Thursday, if you’re curious). The show will feature three episodes in the first week, followed by one episode per week thereafter.
Who will participate in Wheel of Time season 3?
Together with the returning cast for The Wheel of TimePrime Video has announced a new antagonist that we can all welcome: Elaida do Avriny a’Roihan, played by Shohreh Aghdashloo, from The vastness And The penguin fame.
For those unfamiliar with the book, Elaida is an Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah. In the third season she returns to the tower after a long time away and (who is surprised) has some argument with Moiraine. As Prime Video puts it:
Elaida is a ruthlessly powerful (…) who is as adept at politics as she is at channeling. She has a deep history with Moiraine (Pike) and Siuan (Sophie Okonedo), and can settle for both of them when she returns to the White Tower. Elaida is someone who believes in ends over means, and is willing to do anything to achieve what she envisions as the greater good.
So what does that mean for our honest heroes and the world of The Wheel of Time go to season 3? So glad you asked…
What is Wheel of Time season 3 about?
Since season 2 included the second and third books of Robert Jordan’s book series, Judkins has season 3 of The Wheel of Time will pick up the fourth book, The shadow that risesat least. That said, it’s not clear how far the show will go in the next book.
Just like in the show, The shadow that rises continues with all of our main characters in the same place, and Rand has embraced his destiny as the Dragon Resurrected. Accompanied by Moiraine, Rand heads to the Aiel Waste, where he will prove he is who he says he is, or he will never return.
Elaida’s announcement will certainly cause some upheaval in the stability of Aes Sedai; (minor book spoilers) she has her eye on Siuan’s chair and an ax to grind. And not only Siuan will be on her list, but undoubtedly also powerful newcomers such as Egwene and Rand. Elaida wants power, she knows how to get it, and she believes she’s doing it all for the right reasons.
The Wheel of Time season 3 will also go back a bit and encounter some storylines from the second and third books that the show hasn’t quite made it to yet. In an interview with Tor.comJudkins also revealed that we can expect Rand to begin his sword training with Lan in the near future, and that his showdown with Turak, a favorite moment for book fans, is also on the way.
The upcoming season will also give us more information about what exactly Mat is planning to do with his special hornand you might even meet a few Abandoned ones that have hidden in plain sight.
Who is Moghedien, who meets Lanfear at the end of the season 2 finale?
Shadow rises is also when Jordan started to delve more into the Forsaken, something Judkins has said he is excited about the opportunity to do. And season 2 teases that with Moghedien, played by Laia Costa, showing up to scare the bejeezus out of Lanfear.
“Leaving the Forsaken is something we think about a lot (…) who do you meet when, how do they function in the story?” Judkins told Polygon. “When is it just the right amount of Forsaken for the audience to be 100% in love with each of them? And when are there too many Forsaken operating at the same time that things start to get a bit messy and confusing? It’s something we pay a lot of attention to for us, because (…) every scene that one of the Forsaken is in has to have an impact.
“And so the reason we did that Moghedien scene was really so that you feel the impact of the other Forsaken at the very end, even just feeling Lanfear’s fear – like a character you haven’t seen scared all season, suddenly being scared of someone is a great way to introduce how the Forsaken function in the rest of the show.
Should I read the books while I wait for Wheel of Time season 3?
Look, we’re not going to tell you whether or not you should read a fourteen-book series. That’s between you and your god. The Prime Video series will almost certainly stick to the books (for the most part), but so many books require quite a bit of reading. The good news is that if you just want to catch up on the series, or read the basics for season 3, you probably only need to read book 4. The shadow that rises. But be warned: at 393,823 words, this is the longest Wheel of Time book out there (and that’s saying something).