'The Wheel of Time' Turns Up A March Debut for Season 3

The pandemic delays that upended filming for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon led to a head-to-head, as Amazon and HBO released Season 1 of each within a week of each other in 2022, and then their respective Season 2 back-to-back earlier in 2024. However, it also lifted the profiles of both series, turning them into *THE* big-budget fantasy showdown of the 2020s and leaving Amazon's other big-budget fantasy series, The Wheel of Time, as an also-ran in the minds of critics. It's a damn shame, too, as Rafe Judkins' innovative adaptation of the unwieldy series continues to be superior to both.

For those who didn't grow up in the 1990s, The Wheel of Time marked a new era in fantasy novels in which women's perspectives were given the same weight as their male counterparts. Much like George RR Martin's hit novels, which became Game of Thrones, they are very much a product of their era, and at 14 books, far too slow-moving to adapt straight to television. Enter Judkins, whose surprisingly expert streamlining of the series conveys all the heaviness of the Hero's Journey story while excising the detritus that would only confuse viewers.

The series is also not included in these conversations because its release date tracking is different. It streams in The Rings of Power's off-years; in this case, Season 3 will arrive in March 2025, six months after LOTR Season 2 and almost a year after the second run of HotD. Both should be grateful, as the trailer for Season 3 once again promises to eclipse most of the competition.

Here is the Season 3 synopsis, which picks up at the beginning of Book 4, for those who know the novels:

At the end of Season 2, after defeating Ishamael, Rand reunites with his friends at Falme and is declared the Dragon Reborn. But in Season 3, the threats against the Light are multiplying: the White Tower stands divided, the Black Ajah runs free, old enemies return to the Two Rivers, and the remaining Forsaken are in hot pursuit of the Dragon… including Lanfear, whose relationship with Rand will mark a crucial choice between Light and Dark for them both. As the ties to his past begin to unravel, and his corrupted power grows stronger, Rand becomes increasingly unrecognizable to his closest allies, Moiraine and Egwene. These powerful women, who started the series as teachers and students, must now work together to prevent the Dragon from turning to the Dark…no matter the cost.

Like all of these British-ish fantasy series, The Wheel of Time stars high-profile U.K. actors, including Rosamund Pike (Saltburn) as Moiraine Damodred, Marcus Rutherford (Funny Woman) as Perrin Aybara, Dónal Finn (Rogue Heroes) as Mat Cauthon, Ceara Coveney (Hoard) as Elayne Trakand, Kate Fleetwood (Harlots) as Leandrin Guirale, Natasha O’Keefe (Peaky Blinders) as Lanfear, Ayoola Smart (Killing Eve) as Aviendha, and Kae Alexander (Game of Thrones) as Min Farshaw. It also includes New Zealand actors Zoë Robins (The Brokenwood Mysteries) as Nynaeve al’Meara, Madeleine Madden (Jack Irish) as Egwene al’Vere, Dutch actor Josha Stradowski (Just Friends) as Rand al’Thor, and American actor Daniel Henney (Criminal Minds) as al’Lan Mandragoran.

The series was adapted for television by showrunner Judkins (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), who executive produces along with Pike, Mike Weber, Marigo Kehoe, Ciaran Donnelly, Justine Juel Gillmer, Dave Hill, Rick Selvage & Larry Mondragon for iwot productions, and Ted Field for Radar Pictures. The Wheel of Time is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television.

The Wheel of Time Season 3 will premiere globally on Prime Video on Thursday, March 13, 2025, and stream with one episode a week through the end of April.