Amazon Prime's Wheel Of Time Writers Better Be Paying Attention To Brandon Sanderson's Latest Reveal
In 2021, Amazon Prime kicked off its bid to become the new go-to streaming home for fantasy fans when it released "The Wheel of Time" Season 1. Based on the popular fantasy book series written by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, "The Wheel of Time" marked the first of Amazon's two biggest fantasy adaptations to date (the other being "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power"). Similar to "The Rings of Power," the debut season of "The Wheel of Time" was received fairly divisively when it was released (via Rotten Tomatoes). While the series received mostly positive reviews from critics, fans of Jordan and Sanderson's original novels had far more complex reactions to the high-profile adaptation.
Amazon's investment in the series is set to extend beyond its first season, though. Indeed, before "The Wheel of Time" even made its long-awaited premiere on Amazon Prime, the streaming service renewed it for a second season in May of 2021 (via Deadline). A little over a year later, Amazon bet big again on "The Wheel of Time" by renewing it for a third season. Now, as fans continue to wait for "The Wheel of Time" Season 2, they're allowed to rest easy knowing that the show's sophomore batch of episodes won't be its last.
However, if Amazon wants its investment in "The Wheel of Time" to truly pay off, it'll have to make sure that the series actually pleases both casual viewers and the fans of the books that inspired it. One way the Amazon writers might go about winning some of these longtime Randland residents back to the adaptation is to begin the careful work of building in the shocking secret about the "Wheel of Time" books that was just recently revealed by none other than Brandon Sanderson himself.
Brandon Sanderson has revealed one Wheel of Time character's shocking fate
The "Wheel of Time" book series was created by Robert Jordan, who died prior to finishing its final installment. Fortunately, he left enough notes for author Brandon Sanderson to finish the series' final book, which eventually grew into three separate volumes. The series' last installment, "A Memory of Light," was eventually released in 2013. With all this in mind, Sanderson recently participated in a livestream honoring the 10th anniversary of "A Memory of Light."
During the livestream, Sanderson revealed that the scheming character known as Lanfear, who fans previously believed was killed in "A Memory of Light," actually survived her death. As a matter of fact, Sanderson revealed that Lanfear not only survived her death but also used a form of magical mind control – Compulsion, in series parlance — to manipulate her "killer," Perrin (who is played in Amazon's "The Wheel of Time" by Marcus Rutherford), into believing that he had successfully killed her. Her ruse was so effective that it also duped the vast majority of the fandom for a decade.
Sanderson noted that there are several moments in the final "Wheel of Time" books that hint at Lanfear's ultimate survival. The author also revealed why he believes Lanfear's secret plan is perfectly in keeping with her character, noting that her own insatiable hunger for power led to her making multiple moves throughout the "Wheel of Time" books against both her enemies and her supposed "allies." Her decisions ultimately put her in a lose-lose position when it came to the book series' central conflict.
Her only way to escape death would be to not only help ensure the downfall of her master, the Dark One, but also convince the forces of the Light that she was dead. According to Sanderson, it was this train of thought that led to the formation of Lanfear's plan.
Lanfear is expected to appear in The Wheel of Time Season 2
While Lanfear has not appeared yet in Amazon's adaptation of "The Wheel of Time," the character is expected to make her debut soon. As a matter of fact, a number of "Wheel of Time" fans believe (via WinterIsComing.net) that actor Natasha O'Keeffe has already been cast as the selfish, power-hungry Forsaken. O'Keeffe is not only expected to play a major role in "The Wheel of Time" Season 2, but she also fits Lanfear's physical description in the books.
Whether O'Keeffe is playing Lanfear or not, though, the character is one of the most powerful, evil characters featured in the "Wheel of Time" books. Thanks to Brandon Sanderson's recent livestream, fans also know that she even secretly survives the events of the series. The creative team behind Amazon's "The Wheel of Time" shouldn't choose to take the character in a different direction (as they have done with so many already).
Regardless of whether some fans actually like Lanfear's newly confirmed fate, the "Wheel of Time" TV series has already received quite a lot of flack for how it has diverged from its source material. Planting the seeds for this Lanfear twist sooner rather than later would not only be one way for the TV series to signal its commitment to the original novels that inspired it, but it would also be an encouraging nod to the fans of Jordan and Sanderson's original books.
Those fans will, of course, have to wait to find out whether or not the "Wheel of Time" team actually plans on bringing this Lanfear twist to life on-screen. Right now, though, it seems safe to say that there's very little to be lost by doing so, and a lot to be gained.