Although the special effects for Amazon Prime Video's The Wheel of Time promise to be impressive, fans shouldn't expect them to perfectly replicate the visuals described in the books that inspired the show.
After a new clip revealed the first look at an Aes Sedai character, Moiraine, showrunner Rafe Judkins answered some questions related to the footage on his Instagram. These responses, which were reposted by the show's official Twitter, shed some light on how the distinctive "ageless" appearance of the Aes Sedai in the books will be handled.
In The Wheel of Time's mythology, women like Moiraine who have lived as Aes Sedai for a long time are said to have faces that reveal nothing about their age, as they seem neither old nor young. One Instagram user with the name of @twistboy77 commented on this not being shown in the clip: "That doesn't look 'ageless.' Is this something that is being 'reworked'?"
Judkins' answer explained that the cost of creating the ageless effect wasn't practical. "VFX that require you to touch every frame that a character appears on screen are not great uses of money," he wrote. "So don't expect to see CGI faces for all Aes Sedai."
As there are other Aes Sedai characters coming later into the show, it's possible that some will wear some version of the effect that fans of the books were hoping to see. Moiraine herself should find it easy to prove that she's an Aes Sedai through some other means.
First published in 1990, Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time fantasy series consists of fourteen novels, the final three of which were co-written by Brandon Sanderson following Jordan's death in 2007. The series, which follows a group of young villagers coming to terms with their own powers while being drawn into a worldwide conflict, is set in a world in which only women can wield the magical One Power without losing their sanity. It became a cornerstone of modern epic fantasy, known for its unique worldbuilding and expansive scope.
Executive produced and written by Rafe Judkins, The Wheel of Time stars Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford, Zoë Robins, Barney Harris, Madeleine Madden, Daniel Henney, and Michael McElhatton. A premiere date has not been announced by Amazon at this time.
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