Rosamund Pike to Star in Amazon's 'Wheel of Time' Fantasy Series
Now that "Game of Thrones" has concluded, Amazon is moving forward with its own fantasy epic series.
The long-in-the-works "Wheel of Time" TV show has cast "Gone Girl" star Rosamund Pike in the lead role of Moiraine.
The drama follows Moiraine, a member of the shadowy and influential all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity.
"Wheel of Time" is a bestselling 14-book fantasy series written by Robert Jordan (he died before completing the final three novels; they were finished by author Brandon Sanderson from Jordan's notes). They have sold over 90 million copies worldwide.
A television series has been in development at Amazon for a year, but its journey to the screen has been as long and arduous as that of the heroes' in the books.
Amazon is clearly looking to fill the fantasy gap left by "Game of Thrones" (as is every other TV and streaming player, including HBO, which has a prequel series in development). Amazon not only is working on "Wheel of Time," but it spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the rights to make a "Lord of the Rings" TV show.