UPDATED (March 13, 2024): Filming for The Wheel of Time Season 3 has begun in South Africa in February 2024 and it is expected to last for two months.
The Wheel of Time Season 3 will look to elevate the stakes after a wild ending to Season 2 where it reunited most of the characters.
The hit Amazon Prime Video series finished its sophomore run by setting up several stories and characters for Season 3.
The Season 2 finale ended with the highly-anticipated reunion of the Ta'veren, the death of Ishamael, and the arrival of a much more dangerous villain.
Looking ahead to Season 3, it looks like a fresh start for the characters is in the cards amid the ongoing battle between the light and the dark.
Wheel of Time Season 3 Release: When Will It Come Out?
In July 2022, Amazon Prime Video renewed The Wheel of Time for Season 3 ahead of Season 2's release.
The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins shared an official statement during the news of its renewal, with him confirming that Season 3 will focus on The Shadow Rising arc:
“I’m so thrilled that we’ll be making a third season of 'The Wheel of Time'. The Shadow Rising has always been my favorite book in the series, so being able to bring it to television and introduce new audiences to the stories that made me fall in love with these books in the first place is such an honor, and something I’ve been working toward since I first pitched the show years and years ago.”
As of writing, Amazon Studios has yet to officially reveal Season 3's release date.
Despite that, WoTseries revealed in April 2023 that production had already begun for Season 3 in Prague. The outlet then reported that filming had to take a pre-scheduled break in August 2023 before going back to work in the Czech Republic in September 2023.
Meanwhile, some fans are confused as to why work for The Wheel of Time was not disrupted by the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes as has been the case for many other major movies and series.
Judkins clarified, via IGN, during the show's New York Comic-Con panel that the scripts for all eight episodes of Season 3 had already been written before the WGA strike started in May.
As for the cast, the showrunner pointed out that "they're on Equity (the British actors' union) contracts, not SAG contracts:"
“We were very lucky that we had eight scripts before we started so we were able to keep going,” Kehoe said. “And the production team were unbelievable. Cast-wise, they’re on Equity contracts, not SAG contracts, so they were contracted and able to work. We’re one of very few shows, I think, that was able to keep going. We really were lucky, and I’m just very grateful for the huge team of people, the crew, because it’s been so tough for everybody.”
In June 2023, Daniel Henney, who portrays Lan, told Techradar that they were able "to get a good chunk of [Season 3] done:"
"Filming has begun. We had the scripts done [before the writers strike], so we were one of the lucky shows that had them locked. As of right now, we're still shooting and we were able to get a good chunk of it done. But we'll have to see what happens down the road."
Fast forward to October 2023, Wheel of Time TV Series news (WoTseries) reported that Season 3 finished filming all scenes in the Czech Republic.
This doesn't mean that Season 3 has already wrapped production since the outlet pointed out that there are scenes that need to be filmed in South Africa during the summer.
For reference, filming for Season 2 started in July 2021 and it wrapped in May 2022. Assuming a similar timeline for Season 3, then production could wrap around February 2024.
However, a new update from Wheel of Time TV series news (WoTseries) in February 2024 unveiled that "the final stretch of filming" for Season 3 has begun in South Africa and the outlet anticipated that it will last for two months.
Considering the length of post-production and potential reshoots, The Wheel of Time Season 3 could premiere in early 2025.
Wheel of Time Season 3 Cast: Who Will Return?
The Wheel of Time Season 3 is expected to bring back most of its regular cast members, starting with the Emond’s Field five.
These are the core characters led by Josha Stradowski's Rand al'Thor (aka the Dragon Reborn), Marcus Rutherford's Perrin Aybara, Zoë Robins' Nynave al'Meara, and Madeleine Madden as Egwene al'Vere.
Dònal Finn is also poised to return and continue playing Mat Cauthon in Season 3 after taking the reigns from Barney Harris in Season 2.
Rosamund Pike's Moiraine Damodred and Daniel Henney's Lan Mandragoran are set to make a comeback after being reunited by the One Power in the Season 2 finale.
Season 2 breakout star Ceara Coveney is expected to have a major role in Season 3 as Elayne Trakand:
- Rosamund Pike - Moiraine Damodred
- Daniel Henney - Lan Mandragoran
- Zoë Robins - Nynaeve al'Meara
- Madeleine Madden - Egwene al'Vere
- Josha Stradowski - Rand al'Thor
- Marcus Rutherford - Perrin Aybara
- Dònal Finn - Mat Cauthon
- Ceara Coveney - Elayne Trakand
As for the villains, Natasha O'Keeffe's Lanfear is also primed to make a comeback alongside a new Forsaken named Moghedien (played by Laia Costa).
Wheel of Time newcomer Mina Rahoney is part of Season 3's cast as well, replacing Lolita Chakrabarti to play Egwene's mother, Marin al'Vere.
Here's an overview of the other side characters that will return in Season 3:
- Natasha O'Keeffe - Lanfear
- Laia Costa - Moghedien
- Mina Rahoney - Marin al'Vere
- Kae Alexander - Min Farshaw
- Hammed Animashaun - Loial
- Priyanka Bose - Alanna Mosvani
- Jennifer Cheon Garcia - Leane Sharif
- Kate Fleetwood - Liandrin Guirale
- Johann Myers - Padan Fain
- Taylor Napier - Maksim
- Meera Syal - Verin Mathwin
- Jay Duffy - Dain Bornhald
- Lindsay Duncan - Anvaere Damodred
- Ayoola Smart - Aviendha
It's safe to say that Season 3's cast will only get bigger after Pike's comments to The Wrap in June 2023.
The actress teased that "actors are really flocking to come and be guest stars" in the series:
“Actors are really flocking to come and be guest stars on our show. They know that we have a show with diversity at its core, where people are embraced to celebrate powerful figures in all their dimensions and we’ve got fantastic actresses of all ages coming to do amazing work on our show, and actors too."
In a report from WoTseries in February 2024, a new cast member will join the series, namely Paul Maynard (Extraction 2, Carnival Row) as Jac al'Seen.
Jac al'Seen is a character from Two Rivers who has ties to Perrin.
What Will Happen in Wheel of Time Season 3?
The Wheel of Time Season 2 ended with the Ta'veren reunited and the Dark One's Forsakens losing Ishamael after his death.
Additionally, showrunner Rafe Judkins already confirmed that Season 3 will primarily focus on The Shadow Rising arc of the books.
The novel's 58 chapters tackled how Rand (the Dragon Reborn) went on a journey to the Aiel Waste while the other members of the Ta'veren went home to the Two Rivers.
It also explored Rand's search for the crystal sword, Padan Fain's attack at the Two Rivers, and a heavy political element within the White Tower.
Meanwhile, Season 3 is expected to delve into the origins and the motivations of Moghedien, with the show explaining why even Lanfear is scared of her.
In fact, in October 2023, Judkins told Entertainment Weekly that Season 3 will do a deep dive into the Forsaken, saying that "it's a really fun thing to unravel:"
"Are there any Forsaken hiding in our world that we're meeting in season three? In the books, each of them appears in their own way that's unique to that Forsaken. And so it's a really fun thing to unravel in the show because they're almost like representatives of these different versions of evil. Moghedien's fun because she is not driven by love in the way that Lanfear and Ishamael are, and she is a much more dangerous character because of that."
Season 2's ending showcased how Rand proclaimed himself to the public as the Dragon Reborn. This move is crucial as it is poised to allow new allies and enemies to emerge in Season 3, thus spelling bad news for the Ta'veren.
The first two seasons of The Wheel of Time are streaming on Prime Video.
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