Wheel of Time Recasts Core Character for Season 2
Amazon Prime will be replacing one of the core cast members of The Wheel of Time series. Deadline reports that Donal Finn will be portraying Mat Cauthon in the second season of The Wheel of Time, which is currently under production. Finn replaces Barney Harris, who will portray Mat in the first season of the fantasy series that has yet to air. Deadline reports that the reason for the re-casting was "unclear." Finn previously played Nettly, a peasant who sought out Geralt's help in dealing with a "devil," in Season 1 of The Witcher. Neither Amazon Prime nor The Wheel of Time's social media has commented on the recasting.
The recasting comes as a bit of a surprise as Mat is one of The Wheel of Time's core characters and arguably one of the most popular characters among fans of the books. In the book series, Mat is one of the "Emond's Field Five," a group of five youths from the remote region of Two Rivers who find themselves pulled into an epic journey by the mysterious magic user Moiraine. Moiraine discovers that either Mat or his friends Rand and Perrin may be the Dragon Reborn, a legendary male magic user who is destined to either save the world or destroy it.
The Wheel of Time book series was originally written by Robert Jordan and was finished by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan's death. While not as popular as series like Lord of the Rings or A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series is still considered a modern classic by many fantasy fans.
The series is described by Amazon Prime as follows: "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."
Amazon Prime's The Wheel of Time will star Rosamund Pike, Zoë Robins, Barney Harris, Daniel Henney, Madeleine Madden, Marcus Rutherford, and Josha Stradowski. The first season will launch on Amazon Prime on November 19th.