Where their paths converge
Prime Video’s epic fantasy series adaptation of The Wheel of Time, the best-selling, multi-world series of books by Robert Jordan, has returned for a second season. The band of saviours have now spread across the world as they prepare for battle with the dark forces. Tymon Smith spoke to some of the crew about the challenges faced in bringing the second season to screen.
Holger Reibiger and Marigo Kehoe (producers)
Is it difficult to walk the line between delivering a show for fans of the book and attracting a new audience who aren’t familiar with Jordan’s work?
Kehoe: Very much. You want to keep the book fans on side and give enough to a new audience. We work closely with the writers. From a creative standpoint it’ sa thin line but the writers make the decision about what characters are in and how the show unfolds.
What were some of the challenges you faced producing this season?
Reibeger: The stakes are always higher for a second season. There are challenges because the world we’re showing is big. The way we work with the writers and the creators and the HODs is to find the best solution to create the scale that reflects the books. The characters go on their own journeys in this season. They go to different worlds and we have to create those worlds. We created fantasy worlds in places all over the real word.
What makes it stand out from other fantasy shows?
Kehoe: The strong female characters and the diversity of the people we represent on screen. It’s an extraordinary story about the balance in life. There are many resonances with our world today. Is it different? Yes, it is — it’s a huge canvas with a large number of characters. Everybody can find someone they love.
Ondrej Nekvasil (production designer) Did you have a lot of freedom to create the look and feel of this show?
From the beginning we decided that the cast would be colour blind and we’d have people of different ethnicities at the core of the story. The reason wasn’t to be politically correct but because it connects to the idea of the wheel of time and of the world turning. We wanted a diverse group of people to reflect our contemporary world. For the production design we combined different approaches from around the world. We had no limit to what and where we could look for ideas.
The Wheel of Time Season 2 is streaming now on Prime Video.