Wheel of Time Reveals First Look at Fan-Favorite Character

Amazon Studios has released a first look at a fan-favorite Wheel of Time character in a new ad for the series. Yesterday, Amazon Prime debuted the first three episodes of The Wheel of Time, the ambitious TV adaptation of the book series by Robert Jordan. While fans are still digging into all the lore and the changes from the books, some fans have spotted a critical character from the books in a promotional image for the show. Loial was spotted in a thumbnail on the Amazon Prime mobile app. You can see a blown-up version of the thumbnail below, courtesy of Reddit: 

Loial is an ogier, a race of large non-human creatures who live in steddings separate from humanity. In the books, Loial joins the party and helps them in the last leg of their journey by granting them access to the Ways, a series of magical pathways that allow travelers to quickly move across long distances. Based on the image above, it appears that Loial is standing with the rest of the core cast in front of a Waygate, one of the magical gates that leads to the Ways. Loial is a steady presence in the book series, usually accompanying one of main characters on their quest while trying to avoid returning to his home stedding. In The Wheel of Time TV series, Loial is played by Hammed Animashaun.

We'll note that Loial stands 10 feet tall in the books. While Loial looks to be significantly shorter in the image above, that's likely due to forced perspective as opposed to an actual height change. 

The official series description for The Wheel of Time reads: "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."

The first three episodes of The Wheel of Time are available now on Amazon Prime. New episodes are posted every Friday.