Rosamund Pike (State of the Union, Private War) is set to star in Amazon’s adaptation to series of Wheel of Time, Variety has learned. The series is based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling fantasy novels and draws on elements of Asian philosophy and culture, such as Buddhism and Hinduism. According to the official logline, the show is set in a “sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it.”
Pike will play Moraine, a member of the powerful all-female organization of healers, scientists, and philosophers called the “Aes Sedai,” who will travel around the world with five young individuals. Moraine believes that one of them is the reincarnation of a powerful being, the “Dragon Reborn,” who according to prophecies, will either save the world or destroy it.
“For so many people, including me, this book series has served as a world to escape to, to lose yourself in, to devour and inhabit completely,” TV writer Rafe Judkins stated last fall. “And I couldn’t be more honored to be the one finally bringing that world to life on screen, for old fans to lose themselves in all over again and new fans to discover for the very first time,” Judkins added.
Judkins (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Hemlock Grove) serves as executive producer and showrunner. Ted Field and Mike Weber of Radar Pictures ( Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Beirut) and Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After), Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon (Red Eagle Entertainment), also serve as executive producers. Harriet McDougal serves as a consulting producer.
An adaptation of Jordan’s novels has been in development since 2000, but the series was never produced, except for a pilot episode called Winter Dragon, which aired in 2015 on FXX, starring Billy Zane and Max Ryan.
McDougal shared an update on the upcoming adaptation online. “Wanted to share with you exciting news about The Wheel of Time,” she wrote on Google+. “Legal issues have been resolved. The Wheel of Time will become cutting edge TV series! I couldn’t be more pleased. Look for the official announcement coming soon from a major studio,” McDougal added.
The release date for the series is still unknown.