By Sarah Mills
LONDON (Reuters) – Robert Jordan’s fantasy book series “The Wheel of Time” comes to the small screen in a new television drama, with Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike at the helm.
The Amazon Prime Video series features the British actor as Moiraine, a member of the mighty all-woman Aes Sedai organization, who embarks on a perilous journey around the world with a group of young men and women. One of them is prophesied to save or destroy humanity.
Pike, known for “Gone Girl” and “Die Another Day”, leads a relatively unknown cast of young actors.
“I haven’t been part of a cast like this since I made ‘Pride and Prejudice’ in terms of this peculiar alchemy of personalities where there’s kind of magic in the shooting of it,” she told Reuters at the series premiere on Monday.
“And so that makes me optimistic for how fans will respond. And we’ve just put so much love into it. I think whatever has infected fans of ‘The Wheel of Time’ over the years has impacted us too and we’ve now become genuine fans.”
In a vote of confidence for the series, which has drawn comparisons with “Game of Thrones”, filming for season two has begun in the Czech Republic.
“It would be a travesty if we didn’t make a success of it because what (Jordan has) written is so amazing,” Pike said.
Jordan’s books have won a loyal following since the first, “The Eye of the World”, was published in 1990. The series is comprised of 14 volumes, with fellow fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson co-authoring the last three after Jordan died in 2007.
“All you can do now is … see what the reaction is but I have high hopes,” said actor Daniel Henney, who plays Lan Mandragoran.
“The Wheel of Time” hits screens on Friday.
(Reporting by Sarah Mills; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
