Amazon Finds Director For Wheel Of Time Series

 

Thanks to Amazon’s recent teasing of their Lord of the Rings television series and a paucity of info regarding their other potential fantasy and science fiction series, it is reasonable to assume the other projects would take a back seat to the ambitious Middle-earth prequel. But it seems the streaming service has not forgotten about its other epic fantasy tale.
Deadline reports director Uta Briesewitz, a veteran of series like Westworld and Jessica Jones, will helm the first two episodes of The Wheel of Time. Based on the novel series by Robert Jordan, it tells the tale of a world where women have access to magical forces. Main character Moiraine treks across the world — and several others — with a band of young people. She suspects one of them is a prophesied chosen one who will eventually save the lattice-work of worlds or destroy them utterly.
Veteran Chuck writer Rafe Judkins serves as showrunner while Rick Selvage, Larry Mondragon, Ted Field, Mike Weber, and Darren Lemke serve as executive producers. Jordan’s widow Harriet McDougal will be a consulting producer.
Jordan’s saga briefly appeared on television once before as a 22-minute pilot called Winter Dragon. Staring Billy Zane, it aired on FXX in 2015 during a terrible time slot and, like the Roger Corman’s production of Fantastic Four, was a play to hold onto film and television rights. That option eventually lapsed, leaving it open to an Amazon acquisition of fantasy and sci-fi properties which also includes Conan, Gateway and Snow Crash.
The Wheel of Time is not yet scheduled for release.