If you are like me, a fan of the acclaimed Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan then you have probably asked yourself at one time or another, why hasn’t this series been adapted to TV or Film? Wheel of Time seems to be constantly overshadowed by Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings which I have always believed to be unjust. Most people hear Wheel of Time and think, just a lesser rehash of GoT or LotR, those people are WRONG! Just look at the cover on any of the books, somewhere you will find the distinct New York Times quote “Robert Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkien began to reveal.”
For those of you unfamiliar with the series Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time is a fantasy series comprised of fourteen books in a tale so epic, Jordan himself died before he could complete it. Brandon Sanderson, Jordan’s successor finished the series and was acclaimed for his efforts. The story follows the lives of three youths, Rand al’Thor, Mat Cauthon and Perrin Aybara, chosen by fate to rid the world of the Dark One. On paper the concept might sound cliché, in fact it is. But throw in a reborn dragon destined to go mad, man eating trollocs, an evil peddler with a grudge, a horn that brings back fallen heroes and a thousand other weird and fantastical things and we have the ingredients for a brand new recipe of fantasy.
Game of Thrones fans whether they be obsessed by the books or watched the HBO series know about George R.R Martins more realistic approach to fantasy. The author has been acclaimed and criticized for holding nothing back in his approach to portraying sex and violence and has been an inspiration for a new wave of novelists. Jordan on the other hand approaches the genre with a lighter hand, gluttons for sex and grisly violence will likely find it hard to engage with the Wheel of Time which lends itself more towards fairy tale. When it comes down to my preference between the two, I find myself leaning toward the WoT camp for several reasons. First and foremost is my preference of an adventure narrative that is not really relevant in GoT which opts for a political fantasy approach. Call me old fashioned but I like my heroes and heroines to get out there and explore the world, rather than staying in their castles coveting their crowns. Don’t misunderstand, I do not mind the latter but there is a reason why the old ways are sometimes the best. In many ways Jordan’s approaches are traditional and the values of his characters are what we of modern society would call old fashioned. For example in WoT it is considered indecent for a dress to rise above the ankles. While in GoT there is seemingly no limit to the depravity humans can enjoy. There is a realism Martin employs that reflects modern humanity that I do not like, I read fantasy to escape modern realism. That is why I prefer WoT, fantasy is a genre that helps us escape into a brand new worlds and I would rather escape into a brand new world than a world that reflects the one we live in. In that sense it better resembles J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings as the techniques of both authors bear a resemblance.
The Wheel of Time’s acclaim is due in no small part to Jordan’s distinctive writing style. For those who have read even just one of the books you may have noticed how frequently the women smooth their skirts or how Jordan can spend whole pages describing someone’s dress. The characters are colourful and unpredictable in their own ways, they cannot be predicted or prescribed by any foreknowledge you may have in the fantasy genre. Jordan has carefully sculpted each character into their own unique shape.
What deserves a mention and is perhaps the greatest source of humour throughout the books, yes there is humour, is the battle of the sexes that is ongoing throughout the series. Rand, Mat and Perrin in particular clash with almost every woman they meet in their adventures and most of the time they have no idea what it is they did wrong. The no-nonsense attitude that seems to be a universal given of almost all female characters throughout the series serves to enhance the humour of these moments.
The scope of detail in the Wheel of Time’s world is so polished it can be almost overwhelming at times for any reader. With so many different nations and kingdoms on board sometimes knowing a Taraboner from a Tairen is a challenge that will have you referring to the map just to figure out who they are and where everything fits. Indeed Jordan has left little opportunities for minor details to escape. Every region seems to possess its own fashion style, their own unique values, a detailed history and a hundred other things that serves to bring life to the world of the wheel of time. Where most authors might omit a minor piece of detail, Jordan will leap to fill in the gap.
Wheel of Time has already been adapted into comics, games and has even inspired music. So why has this iconic book series been all but ignored for prospective film and TV adaptions. There have been concerns amongst fans and developers alike that the series is simply too epic for a film series. A fourteen year commitment and the actors would quickly outgrow their respective characters. Of course if GoT is any indicator, the age of the characters and the actors is a loose term. So what about a TV series? In the year 2000 Jordan stated that NBC would do a miniseries on The Eye of the World. Fifteen years later a pilot episode titled Winter Dragon was aired by Red Eagle Entertainment that starred Max Ryan as Lews Therin Telamon and Billy Zane as Ishamael. Rand or Emond’s field, none of that was featured. The half hour pilot episode follows the prologue from the first book. Few knew about this release because the pilot was released with no publicity, not even Jordan’s wife Harriet McDougal was aware of it. According to a statement by Jordan’s wife, McDougal said:
“It was made without my knowledge or cooperation. I never saw the script. No one associated with Bandersnatch Group, the successor-in-interest to James O. Rigney, was aware of this.”
Bandersnatch (Jordan’s estate) had originally given film rights to Universal who had been working alongside Red Eagle, the rights were due to expire so it is believed the studio slapped the pilot on the air to maintain their grasp of the rights.
“I see no mention of Universal in the “pilot”. Nor, I repeat, was Bandersnatch, or Robert Jordan’s estate, informed of this in any way.”
“I am dumbfounded by this occurrence, and am taking steps to prevent its reoccurrence.”
At first I was excited at the prospect of a real WoT TV adaption but as I read about all the cloak and dagger behind the pilot’s release my anticipation withered. The series literally opened with no announcement and was aired at 1:30am; it was almost as if the studio itself did not want anyone to watch it. There is simply too much cloak and dagger for my liking. If that is not enough the comments online have been rather scathing. If this series continues I will not be in a rush to watch any subsequent episodes. I think the only thing that would compel me to watch at all would be my sheer curiosity to see The Wheel of Time in a visual format.
So yes, an attempt on a TV series was made, albeit behind our backs and in sketchy circumstances. So what does this mean for the future? Red Eagle’s series seems to be destined to fall by the wayside and the legal battle that has ensued in the chaos has left things uncertain. If a new move at making Wheel of Time a success on screen is ever ventured, we can expect a long wait ahead of us.