[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for the end of season 2 of Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time.]
Season 2 of The Wheel of Time covered a lot of ground. Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) and Lan (Daniel Henney) figured out what life looks like after she loses connection to the True Source (and then gets it back again). Rand (Josha Stradowski) went on a journey to figure out whether he could really handle all his power. Egwene (Madeleine Madden) was trapped by the Seanchan as a damane, while Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) broke free of her own block to her potential. Meanwhile Mat (Dónal Finn) and Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) found their own connections to the supernatural, and untapped abilities that might come in handy in the ongoing fight against the Dark One.
And that’s all before we get to that final big battle, where pretty much every force on the continent converges in a fight against each other, with Seanchan and White Cloaks turning on each other, Ishamael (Fares Fares) coming after Rand again, and our intrepid heroes stuck in the middle. The developments in that single hour dramatically reset the board for season 3 — just in time for a new villain to show up. (This is Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, after all! Not a moment to rest for these heroes.)
Thankfully, we know a little bit about what’s coming down the pike for The Wheel of Time the show, along with new casting and even a trailer and release date. Here’s everything we know so far:
Is Wheel of Time season 3 happening?
Yes. In fact, that was first announced all the way back in July 2022, a full year before season 2 would even debut.
Is there a trailer for Wheel of Time season 3?
There is a teaser trailer, giving us at least a glimpse of what Moiraine and co. are up against in the third season — particularly her concern that in the “thousands” of futures she’s peered into, the only way Rand comes out alive is if she dies.
When will Wheel of Time season 3 come out?
At CCXP 2024 in São Paolo, Brazil, showrunner Rafe Judkins finally gave the word, announcing the show would premiere on March 13, 2025 (a Thursday, if you’re curious). The show will have three episodes available the first week, with one episode per week after that.
Who is joining Wheel of Time season 3?
Along with the returning cast for The Wheel of Time, Prime Video has announced a new antagonist for us all to welcome: Elaida do Avriny a’Roihan, who will be played by Shohreh Aghdashloo, of The Expanse and The Penguin fame.
For those not familiar with the book, Elaida is an Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah. In the third season, she’ll be returning to the tower after a long time away and (who’s surprised) has some beef with Moiraine. As Prime Video puts it:
Elaida is a ruthlessly powerful […] as proficient in politicking as she is in channeling. She has a deep history with Moiraine (Pike) and Siuan (Sophie Okonedo), and scores to settle with both of them when she returns to the White Tower. Elaida is someone who believes in ends over means, and is willing to do anything to achieve what she envisions to be the greater good.
So what does that mean for our fair heroes and the world of The Wheel of Time going into season 3? So glad you asked…
What will Wheel of Time season 3 be about?
Given that season 2 covered the second and third books of Robert Jordan’s book series, Judkins has confirmed season 3 of The Wheel of Time will pick up with the fourth book, The Shadow Rising, at least. That being said, it’s not clear how far into the next book the show will go.
Like in the show, The Shadow Rising picks up with all of our major characters in the same place, and Rand having embraced his destiny as the Dragon Reborn. Accompanied by Moiraine, Rand heads out to the Aiel Waste, where he will prove he is who he says he is, or else never return.
The announcement of Elaida will certainly bring some upheaval to the Aes Sedai’s stability; (minor book spoilers) she has an eye on Siuan’s seat and an ax to grind. And not only will Siuan be on her list, but no doubt powerful newbies like Egwene and Rand. Elaida wants power, she knows how to get it, and she believes she is doing it all for the right reasons.
The Wheel of Time season 3 will backtrack a bit, too, getting to some storylines from the second and third books that the show hasn’t quite made it to already. In an interview with Tor.com, Judkins also revealed that we can expect Rand to start his sword training with Lan in the near future, and that his face-off with Turak, a favorite moment for book fans, is on the way too.
The upcoming season will also give us more information on what exactly Mat is up to with his special horn, and maybe even meet a few Forsaken who have been hiding in plain sight.
Who is Moghedien, who Lanfear meets at the end of the season 2 finale?
Shadow Rising is also when Jordan started getting into more of the Forsaken, something Judkins has said he’s excited for the opportunity to do. And season 2 teases that with Moghedien, played by Laia Costa, showing up to scare the bejeezus out of Lanfear.
“Coursing out of the Forsaken is something we think a lot about […] who do you meet when, how do they function in the story?” Judkins told Polygon. “When is it exactly the right amount of Forsaken for the audience to be totally 100% in love with each of them? And when is it too many Forsaken that are operational at the same time that it starts to get a little messy and confusing? It’s something that for us we pay a lot of attention to because […] any scene that any of the Forsaken are in should be impactful.
“And so, the reason we did that Moghedien scene was really that you feel the impact of the other Forsaken right at the end, even just feeling Lanfear’s fear — like, a character that you haven’t seen be afraid the entire season suddenly afraid of someone is a great way to be introduced to how the Forsaken function in the rest of the show.”
Should I read the books while I wait for Wheel of Time season 3?
Look, we’re not going to tell you whether you should or shouldn’t read a 14-book series. That’s between you and your god. The Prime Video series is almost certainly going to continue sticking to the books (mostly), but that many books is quite a bit of reading to do. The good news is, if you’re just trying to catch up to the show, or read the basis for season 3, you’ll probably only have to read through book 4, The Shadow Rising. But be warned: At 393,823 words, it’s the longest Wheel of Time book out there (which is saying something).