Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Show Could Affect Wheel of Time Season 2

Amazon is becoming quite the hub for big-budget fantasy TV, filling the void left behind by Game of Thrones. The streamer has a Lord of the Rings TV series on the way next year, and a brand new hit on its hands with its adaptation of The Wheel of Time. Based on Robert Jordan’s books, The Wheel of Time has quickly become one of the most popular streaming shows around, and fans are already excited about the second season. The debut of that next installment could potentially be affected by the impending arrival of The Lord of the Rings.

Vernon Sanders, Amazon’s Head of Global TV, recently spoke with TV Line about the success of The Wheel of Time and the future of the streamer’s fantasy projects. He said that Wheel of Time has been popular enough that its release is being carefully considered, along with Lord of the Rings and other titles.

“We are going to be really thoughtful about how we release these shows,” Sanders explained. “In our minds, they are very different shows, but we are cognizant of our genre fans, and we are excited about the collection of content we have – those two, along with The Expanse and The Boys, Carnival Row is coming back, we have a fantastic show with [Westworld creators] Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy called The Peripheral…. We are very excited about the future.”

This isn’t saying that The Wheel of Time Season 2 will be affected by the arrival of The Lord of the Rings in September 2022, but it could be. Amazon may want to space the shows out a bit in order to maximize the popularity and viewership. Whatever is best for both shows seems to be what Amazon is going to do. 

Here’s the official synopsis for The Wheel of Time:

“The Wheel of Time is one of the most popular and enduring fantasy series of all time, with more than 90 million books sold. Set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it, the story follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity.

Based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling fantasy novels, The Wheel of Time was adapted for television by executive producer/showrunner Rafe Judkins. Larry Mondragon and Rick Selvage of iwot productions, Mike Weber and Ted Field of Radar Pictures, Darren Lemke, Marigo Kehoe, and Uta Briesewitz will also serve as executive producers, with Briesewitz set to direct the first two episodes. Rosamund Pike will serve as producer and Harriet McDougal and Brandon Sanderson as consulting producers. The Wheel of Time is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television.”

What do you think of Amazon’s Wheel of Time adaptation? Let us know in the comments!