Rafe Judkins/Quotes

Quotes from Rafe Judkins related to the television series The Wheel of Time.

Questions and answers

Judkins has done several Q&As with fans on social media.

Twitter September 2018

On September 12, 2018, Judkins answered questions on Twitter, stating "Here we go! I'll answer one question per person, as long as it is in response to THIS thread with #WoTWednesday and #WheelofTime hashtagged! Also, I can't answer most questions because of NDAs/the desire to surprise in series/dramatic suspense/etc, but I'll do what I can :)"

Question

Who do you see in the role of Bela?

Rafe Judkins

I am SO GLAD you asked this. I love Bela, and although we're very far away from this, I already want to make sure that we have a consistent horse(s) to track her through the entire run of the show :)

Question

How would you like to handle the prologue  (book spoilers!) of EOTW  (book spoilers!), and the prequel scenes from New Spring  (book spoilers!)?

Rafe Judkins

I have plans for both of these, but you'll unfortunately have to wait for the show to see :)

Question

Is there any way for fans to get involved with the show in some fashion?

Rafe Judkins

I think being involved online is a great way to contribute to the show. You'd be shocked by how many showrunners/writers/executives/etc read posts for their show on reddit/twitter/AV Club and more. On past shows, most people would discuss fan reaction the morning after each ep

Question from JordanCon

Dear Rafe. The guest list for #JordanCon 2019 filling up fast! Should we pencil you in for 2019 or 2020?

Rafe Judkins

Pencil me in for both!

Question from JordanCon

i think music will be a massive thing for the show, i LOVE elder scrolls oblivion music, but.... listening to Metallica songs/lyrics.... (frayed ends of sanity,blackened etc) i think that suits too, any ideas on that front about what music to use yet?

Rafe Judkins

We're still a ways from music decisions! A lot of that will be director/composer/music supervisor dependent. I like to hire people who are really good at their jobs and take their advice, so it may end up being different than what I think right now :)

Question

Egwene is a divisive character among fandom (although my fav, as a fellow community organizer), what do you think is her defining attributes that you would want to bring out in the show?

Rafe Judkins

I'm obsessed with Egwene. I think, of all the characters, she faces some of the most dramatic/impossible choices in the series. And to me, characters you fall in love with are the ones who have to face these choices and come out stronger on the other side. She is going to rock

Question

How closely do you anticipate the show to follow the 'true canon' of the books, or are you already planning on creating a parallel canon? Are you considering having any of Team Jordan on-hand as consultants through the process at all?

Rafe Judkins

I am telling the story of the books, but as with any adaptation to a different medium, there will be differences. Otherwise, what will people have to scream about after each episode? #ladystoneheart4ever

Note: Lady Stoneheart is a notable character that was cut from Game of Thrones, which caused some fans to be upset.

Question

How do I become an extra on the show?

Rafe Judkins

Extras are always cast on location. So once we have one you'll have to move there, ha. There were tons of people who would do work-visa-vacations to Belfast to be extras on GoT.

Question

Will Logain's story line be retained in TV series? And if yes, just interesting how you imagine this character?

Rafe Judkins

I really like Logain and plan to not only retain, but expand, his role in series.

Question

Will @BillyZane be reprising his role as Ishmael ?

Rafe Judkins

NO.

Question

Can you say what the target audience might be? Game of thrones level? Or teen drama like they did with shanara?

Rafe Judkins

I think, like the books, this show should be aimed at a wide audience.

Question

How much badassery do you think we can expect from the Mat vs Gawyn & Galad fight?

Rafe Judkins

I mean this question answers itself, doesn't it?  ;) (ie. badassery, obviously)

Question

What would it take to get you to do a round of Cons (ComicCon, DragonCon, or especially JordanCon)?

Rafe Judkins

If I'm allowed to go and don't need to be somewhere else, I'll go :)

Question

WoT is controversial regarding how it handles gender/sexuality/mental health. My audience at WoTTalk has expressed concern on how these topics will be handled. Would you mind commenting on these concerns/how you plan to approach these topics?

Rafe Judkins

I think the explorations of these topics is something important and I'll be using a lot of advisors and writers around me to make sure that we tackle them thoughtfully.

Question

Who is your favorite character, and why is it Egwene?

Rafe Judkins

This is my favorite question so far. I know it's lame, but I honestly have too many favorites -- Egwene, Aviendha, Mat, Nynaeve, Perrin, Rand, Tam -- honestly I believe that when you're writing you have to be in love with all of your characters, and now that I'm writing, I am ha

Question

Considering all the fan questions Jordan, @BrandSanderson, and #TeamJordan have answered about the #WheelofTime over the years, have you studied that mountain of data not found in the books? If not, what’s your strategy to make sure you get all the details right?

Rafe Judkins

I'm in communications with everyone on #TeamJordan, and will be even more so once we are further down the line. They've lived this and will be invaluable to me. I'm also the kind of writer who values all the data I can get, and then let it inform but not direct my decision making

Question

What written resources besides the published novels are you utilizing (such as Robert Jordan's archived notes, The Wheel of Time Companion  (book spoilers!), the comic book adaptations)?

Rafe Judkins

Everything I can get my hands on!

Question

What character will be hardest to translate to TV?

Rafe Judkins

Bela! It's hard to get the same horse to do every scene. So we'll probably be doing some horse make-up on a team of Bela lookalikes.

Question

Have you written any Wolf Brother/Wolf Communication yet & how will it be represented (words whispered, images, etc.)?

Rafe Judkins

This'll be decided with the consultation of a director. But I think that using images to convey meaning might be very suited to TV :)

Question

How do you plan to write around the fact that the weaving of the power is so in depth but can’t really be visualized well on screen?

Rafe Judkins

I'm hoping it can be visualized well on screen!

Question

How much are you hoping to shoot on location vs in a Soundstage? Do you have any specific personal goals for locations to represent iconic Randland settings?

Rafe Judkins

I love shooting on location, so we'll try to go out a lot and then use soundstages for the bigger interior sets that'll be used repeatedly.

Question

Are you writing the first season / first book as a standalone, or do you envision this being a series that will span the whole book series?

Rafe Judkins

A series that spans the whole book series!

Question

Does the idea of SFX impact how you write the series? Do you find yourself hesitating with certain ideas for shots/scenes based on awareness that they'll be really complicated/expensive? As a literal gruesome monster, this concerns me.

Rafe Judkins

Yeah, you have to be considering this at all stages of the process. Making a show is about making the right choices to deliver the best thing to screen, and so I'm already considering props vs sfx vs makeup vs vfx for everything.

Question

Is @AmazonStudios planning to give the show the same scope and production value as HBO’s #GameofThrones, or #Westworld, or is this entirely a unique beast? Does Amazon realize the potential of this property? Thank you!

Rafe Judkins

Regardless of budget, I will make sure that we are only executing on screen things that look as good as those shows do. The smaller the budget, the less of those things, but I think it's important that the entire show feel real, grounded, and premium

Question

what are your thoughts/plans regarding lgtbq representation in the shows? There is some in the books (pillow friends and such) & we know how much it matters to be represented in media. Thank you!

Rafe Judkins

I think that gender is such a key theme of the books, and discussing gender without a full representation of LGBTQ+ people would be a disservice to that discussion. Rest assured, their will be pillow friends out the wazoo.

Question

Are you approaching the #WoT Series lining up as 1 season per book, combining books into a season, or extending books past a single season? Or adjust on a per book basis?

Rafe Judkins

I think you really have to take it book by book and make decisions that best suit those stories.

Question

Thanks for interfacing so well with the fandom! How will you approach portraying the Age of Legends in the flashbacks (Sho-wings, Shocklances, Song of Growing, etc.)?

Rafe Judkins

Thank you, but I feel like I'm terrible at interacting with the fandom. I'm so bad at social media, it makes me feel like a sad old man. I only want to use flashbacks when they help elucidate our characters' stories, so that'll be a WAFO :)

Question

How do you visualize the threads and weaving of the One Power on screen?

Rafe Judkins

This, as with most things, I want to stay true to the books. I think this can be done in a really cool way, but will hold on a firm answer until I've discussed more fully with a director

Question

How would you ideally want to handle the Shadowspawn? (CGI, practical effects, etc.)

Rafe Judkins

I think trying to do practical as much as you can is always the right choice.

Question

Robert Jordan was massive on foreshadowing and long game setups, are these elements going to be prevalent in your script?

Rafe Judkins

This was a huge gift he gave the show! Being able to set up things seasons in advance is amazing.

Question

Which are the 5 scenes from the first two books that you are most excited to adapt for the show? Thank you for doing this!

Rafe Judkins

Tam and Rand in the Westwood, Winternight, Tarwin's Gap, Toman Head, Egwene being leashed

Question

If you were in the #WheelOfTime world, what would you do? You can be anything from a farmer, to royalty. I would be a Green Aes Sedai from the Borderlands, interested in the making of power forged weapons and armor. My Warder would be a blacksmith!

Rafe Judkins

I would be an activist for male inclusion in the Aes Sedai ;)

Question

WoT has a great deal of content, what is the plan for condensing this into a show that is coherent and retains the major themes from the series? Anything you are sad to have to leave out?

Rafe Judkins

I think this will come into focus the deeper we get into series. I imagine most of the things I’ll be sad to lose will be actor or budget driven

Question

How many seasons you think the series would take in tv format? And how many episodes per season?

Rafe Judkins

This one I imagine will be malleable as we go. More than 5 but less than 14 :)

Question

What do you think of the existing officially licensed Wheel of Time merchandise?

Rafe Judkins

My mom has the “Who Killed Asmodean?” bumper sticker on her car!

Question

In terms of length and the amount of material to get through, how do you see the story playing out across seasons... Is there a rough figure of episodes and seasons, and do you think they'll roughly match up to a season per book?

Rafe Judkins

Again, this’ll be malleable by season and book

Question

What have you found most challenging about the screenwriting process so far, especially writing The Wheel of Time itself? One thing would be the sheer amount of material/characters: what are your general/specific plans to avoid mental breakdowns?! :)

Rafe Judkins

I think the challenging thing is always off the page actually, and the amount of other logistical concerns that have to be managed without letting it affect the storytelling

Question

What is your approach to all the sword fighting/martial arts we see from Lan, Tam, Rand, the Aiel, and others? I'm hoping for a realistic & creative approach to this and not what TV usually gives us.

Rafe Judkins

I love action and a great stunt coordinator is key. I want everything to feel as real as possible

Question

Given that the Wheel of Time is complete and making a 14-season series is almost certainly not viable, can you talk about how you decide which books to combine into which seasons? Realistically what sort of number of seasons do you see it taking?

Rafe Judkins

I mean let's all be honest, I'm gonna be condensing in the latter middle section of books ;)

Question

Since the books follow a path of chosen one versus dark entity, and now these days grim dark and ambiguity rule the Tv shows, are you planning to follow the same way?

Rafe Judkins

I think sometimes we need a little light and clarity in the world

Question

This series is so important and big parts of life to alot of people. Ex. It helped me get through incredible loss and even Joy. How did you get into to #wheeloftime and what (if anything) did the character's struggles help with anything in life in general??

Rafe Judkins

Hey this is a great question that I talk about a lot. This book really helped me deal with a difficult time in my life and I so hope the tv show can create a world that will offer the same escape/support that the books did to me

Question

Have you already put thought into directors for season one's episodes—if you're not planning to direct most of it yourself? Do you have a DP in mind already?

Rafe Judkins

I don’t plan to direct it, but am already thinking about a lot of great men and women for the jobs!

Question

which storyline are you primarily writing?

Rafe Judkins

Can you clarify? :)

Question

in EotW(book), you have the Rand/Mat/Thom storyline, Perrin/Egwene, Moiraine/Lan/Nynaeve..... which are you focused on the most? I hope that clarifies it a bit?

Question

Or maybe my thinking is all wrong in how the total story is divided up. Is it all written “per episode”?

Rafe Judkins

We will hopefully follow all of those stories very fully. That's one of the beauties of TV, is following multiple POVs in one episode :)

Question

That is so awesome to hear!!! But I was wondering if you personally write for specific characters, or does everyone write for all characters??? I love the passion that I’m reading here today!!!

Rafe Judkins

Everyone writes for all! Especially me :)

Question

If you had the budget, time, and access to special effects, what is your vision for how the scene at Shadar Logoth in EotW would look like?

Rafe Judkins

That requires like 15 pages of script to answer, but in three words I want it to be eerie, beautiful and tense

Question

What's THE central/key/core conflict of the series?

Rafe Judkins

I think most people would say light vs. dark, but I'd actually say balance vs. imbalance.

Question

Aren't you feeling overwhelmed by the work it will take to work on a 14 novel serie ?

Rafe Judkins

Nope. I love it. Can’t wait.

Question

Will you be keeping Min, Elayne and Aviendha as separate characters each with a role in the show and their relationship to Rand in tact?

Rafe Judkins

That one you’ll have to WAFO

Question

What will the show be rated? The books have both violence and sexual comments which can be played either up, down, or shown on TV as written.

Rafe Judkins

I want it feel simultaneously adult but accessible to all

Question

What difficult to translate part of the series are you most excited for the community to see and why?

Judkins

The relationships between the characters.

Question

Will the various cultures be based on various countries and will we get corresponding ethnicities and races? #makeEgwenebrown

Rafe Judkins

I really want to stay true to the books in creating a world that feels way more diverse than what we're used to seeing in our fantasy tv shows

Question

What do you think about addressing multiple main character PoV's? Do you think you would focus ONE episode/sequence of episodes on ONE branch of the overall story, or switch between PoV's within an episode, even though they are not dependent?

Rafe Judkins

I think both are fair game. I always think mixing things up in a tv show and keeping the audience guessing with HOW you're going to tell the story adds a lot to the experience.

Question

With the importance of Padan Fain to the series, do you plan to disguise his "true-self" in the show better than his introduction in the book for those who haven't yet read the series?

Rafe Judkins

Yessir!

Question

What do you think will have to hit the cutting room floor from the Eye of the World in transitioning from book from show? As a follow up could those things re-emerge at a natural point later?

Rafe Judkins

This is a WAFO, but there are already aspects of EoTW that I plan to use in different seasons

Question

As a fan, who were your favorite characters?

Rafe Judkins

Already answered this, but I’ll give you another — Graendal!

Question

Other than online, fans may want to be a part of the cast, is that possible when casting comes up?

Rafe Judkins

All casting will be handled by the casting director when we get there! Hopefully we will have some fans on the show

Question

have you ever considered making WoT into a animated series?

Rafe Judkins

Nope, only live action for me :)

Question

How can I increase my chances of working in this show ? It’s literally why I became an actor

Rafe Judkins

It seems like being a Disney Star is a key way to get cast in anything now. Ha. But again, pursue casting director when we get there

Question

How will the magic in the series be shown? If you know of course.

Rafe Judkins

Again, this will be director dependent

Question

Hey, Rafe! SO pumped to see this happening- do you plan on matching any specific accent to a region? Ex: English accent to Andor

Rafe Judkins

Yes and no. It’ll be somewhat actor dependent but I’d like to find at least as much consistency as GoT has

Question

Thank you Rafe! Presumably, you can’t say much, but it will be interesting to see how you visually discern between The True Power and The One Power in use, and of OP, how to discern between saidar and saidin (corrupted and cleansed). Thoughts?

Rafe Judkins

I think there are actually descriptions in the book for all of this that can translate well to screen (slick oil taint etc)

Question

Will the show be full of fantasy, meaning using the one power, dragon's prophecies, world of dreams, snakes&foxes, props, special effects, etc? Will it feel like a fantasy world but with realistic characters? Hope so

Rafe Judkins

I want it to feel like a realistic fantasy world

Question

Can you provide any insight on how you plan to tackle Jordan's style of providing important details as part of character's internal dialog?

Rafe Judkins

That’s always the crux of screen adaptation. It makes it fun!

Question

Hi Rafe, the narration itself is more lighthearted than sad with comical scenes and much humor - are you planning on running with that for the adaptation?

Rafe Judkins

Of course. Humor is key to making any world feel real

Question

Are there any major characters that are going to be axed while the transition from Book to TV adaptation? If yes can you name them?

Rafe Judkins

I don’t have big axing plans. I imagine that’ll only happen once there’s an actor who can’t pull off what they’ve been given

Question

will Rand's romance plot remain close to the books? I mean, liking one girl at first but ending up with three in the end?

Rafe Judkins

No

Rafe Judkins (5 hours later)

Let’s just say I’m much more interested in polyamory than polygamy. And maybe give me a little more credit than assuming I’m gonna gut that entire story and ruin everything off a one word answer?  ;)

Note: The above one-word "No" response generated some fan disgruntlement and backlash, which led to Judkins returning to clarify his answer.

Question

Will each "season," assuming there are multiple seasons, cover 1 book or will they be split up based on storyline?

Rafe Judkins

It’ll be dependent on book/season and not the same throughout

Question

Aside from the books themselves, what other TV shows or movies come to mind when you think about how you want the show to feel when viewers experience it?

Rafe Judkins

LoTR of course and GoT, but also not Shanarra

Question

Are there any minor character/plot point/locations you are in love with but know you’ll have to cut for time? Non spoiler because I said minor right?

Rafe Judkins

We lose a lot of Cenn Buie, and I like his grumpy old manness.

Question

Will your scripts include scenes that occurred "off camera" in the books but could be used "on screen" for the show to progress the story in a fresh way?

Rafe Judkins

Ding ding ding. This is a big part of things I want to add.

Question

Are there any plans yet on how the One Power will be portrayed when users are channeling?

Rafe Judkins

I want to do it as close to possible as the books do

Question

What is one tv show or movie that has influenced you with regards to overall visual aesthetic or plot development?

Rafe Judkins

I love the visuals of Hero and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

Question

What is your all time favourite moment of the series?

Rafe Judkins

Egwene’s final scene

Question

For the direction of the series are you going to stick close to the books or more of a reimagining/your own spin?

Rafe Judkins

Close to the books! I love them for a reason

Question

How does WoT's wide cast of characters, impact script writing for the TV-show. With characters like Tam, Elaida and more being vital, shown early but not seen for a long time again later?

Rafe Judkins

It’ll be a puzzle of casting and contracts but it’s a puzzle I think is worth figuring out

Question

Are there any plot lines that you already know are going to be cut from the show, and if so, any hints as to which? Also, thank you for allowing us to bombard you with our questions!

Rafe Judkins

Not looking to cut major plot lines, more reshuffle/repurpose/etc

Question

which character are you the most eager to be seen played on screen?

Rafe Judkins

Moiriane. Obviously.

Question

Who is your favorite character?e

Rafe Judkins

Answered this already but here’s another — Moghedien!

Question

If you had to cast Mat, Rand, and Perrin right now who would you cast?

Rafe Judkins

Again, won’t make our future cast members sad by naming people who aren’t them now ;)

Question

Will you picture less charecters and storylines than the original material to reduce screetime and cut on budget ? If so, any idea of the characters and parts of the book that may not appear in the show ?

Rafe Judkins

Again, will try to include as much as I can, but will always cut things that don’t tell us more about character

Question

Could you describe how you picture the main ta'veren characters looking as you write them, not naming names if you picture actors but what do they look like to you. If you cant do all three for possibly semi-obvious reasons i'm most interested in Perrin

Rafe Judkins

I've found that the pictures you create in your head of characters always end up being different than the actors you actually cast, and then once you do have those actors, it becomes impossible to picture them any other way!

Question

Do you have a plan for either highlighting/emphasizing or condensing/cutting (some of) the Forsaken? Or is it too early to plan for that still?

Rafe Judkins

I do have a plan for this!

Question

So what is your favourite scene in the series that you can't wait to see on screen ..or feel horrified you have to pull it off

Rafe Judkins

Most I’m just excited about, terror comes in for things like Rands journey through Rhuidean. I hope I can do it justice.

Question

Which characters are you most and least looking forwards to casting?

Rafe Judkins

Most — Moiraine. Least — Moiraine.

Question

Thoughts on details that go unnoticed/unexplained for several books? Things that seem extraneous until rereading the books. IE cats liking female channelers, such as Basil Gill's cat leaving his ankles for Moiraine's. Especially excited for the cats.

Rafe Judkins

I personally love details like this and think they add so much

Question

What is the character/scene which you're most looking forward to penning?

Rafe Judkins

That's a good/hard question. I think when we go to the Waste and spend time with the Aiel, I just see that so clearly in my head and can't WAIT to see a whole bunch of warrior gingers :)

Question

Will efforts be made to cast Rand TALL and ginger?

Rafe Judkins

Efforts will be made

Question

Do you have any dream casting choices you're willing to share, even if it's actors you know won't be able to be in the show? Or can you share people who you've always pictured for certain characters as you read the books?

Rafe Judkins

I can’t! Don’t want to make any future people feel like second choice :)

Question

Hi Rafe, in regards to special effects, what are you envisioning for weaving the one power on screen.

Rafe Judkins

Again, director dependent but I think it’ll be great. I loved how it looked in Doc Strange.

Question

If I were to say that the Two Rivers is to Andor as Wales is to England, would you agree? (Hoping that you'll give a good nod to the Arthurian influence in that regard, maybe take some notes from #Excalibur for the filming location)

Rafe Judkins

I would like the show to feel very different than other fantasy things we’ve seen before

Question

how do you plan to handle all the dream sequences? (I hope you are not planning to cut most of them)

Rafe Judkins

No! I love tel’aran’rhiod and want it to be on the show in a big way

Question

Are there any characters that will be left out, or any two characters combined into a single character?

Rafe Judkins

I will try to avoid this if I can. I think the bigness of the world adds so much.

Question

In an ideal world what real world locations would you use for the various settigns of the the first book?

Rafe Judkins

This’ll really depend on base of operations. But we hope to be going all over the world. Things that look different and fresh to me are important

Question

Many female villains getting raped or ending up in permanent bondage while males justdie, rigid Mars-Venus gender division etc- troubling aspects of books. Plans to update/improve these? WoT’s gr8 to discuss gender but it isn’t without problems.

Rafe Judkins

I’m a feminist and it’s very important to me that the show is feminist in today’s context. So a lot of those things will be changing

Question

who has been the hardest character for you to write for so far? And after Elayne, why is Mat is awesome?

Rafe Judkins

The hardest so far is Nynaeve.

Question

Hello Rafe, Do you anticipate Season 1 taking up eye of the world and season 2 being The Great Hunt?

Rafe Judkins

Yes and no

Question

Who are your favorite and least favorite characters from the series?

Rafe Judkins

Faile. But I promise she’ll be awesome on the show

Question

Will there be braid tugging and dress smoothing?

Rafe Judkins

Less than the books

Question

Are there any characters who you are writing with an actor in mind? Favourites? Dream Casting? Answer if you can! Otherwise keep up the good work!

Rafe Judkins

I try not to write with cast in mind!

Question

What scene/chapter are you most looking forward to bringing to the screen and why?

Rafe Judkins

I can’t wait to write Dumai’s Wells

Question

Do you (and your team) have freedom to make significant changes to the story or do you have to keep by the books?

Rafe Judkins

We have freedom to do what we want, but what I want is to stay true to the books

Question

do you have an image in your head for how many of the main cast look?

Rafe Judkins

I try not to

Question

How do you pull the historical lore of #WheelOfTime Into such a visual story?

Rafe Judkins

Lots of storytellers and cool visuals in the lore

Question

How will you show channeling/embracing the source

Rafe Judkins

That’ll be director dependent but hopefully using imagery as described in the books, weaving, etc

Question

before and after each book, there are snippets of prophecy or song or poetry or the like. would those be integrated into the show in some way, or left out?

Rafe Judkins

Some will be integrated!

Question

Who is your favorite female character in #WoT, and please explain why. With a cast of so many tremendous and powerful female characters, why does she especially resonate, or connect with you?

Rafe Judkins

I think Moiraine redefined the “guide” character in fantasy and will probably forever go down as one of the most important characters in the genre, regardless of gender

Question

Do you have access to RJ’s/BS’s notes, or are you working mainly from the published novels/short stories?

Rafe Judkins

I’m using everything I have access to!

Question

Are there any thoughts or plans around how long the episodes are going to be? Or is it too far away for those kind of decisions?

Rafe Judkins

Hour!

Question

which plot lines are you most looking forward to developing?

Rafe Judkins

I love seeing more of the inner workings of the AES Sedai and awardees

Question

which part of transferring the #WheelofTime world to screen has lost you most sleep? Conversely, what are you dying for people to see? Good luck!

Rafe Judkins

Getting the heart of the books across while telling a story that works in the medium of tv. That’s always my biggest concern

Question

there were modern references in Age of Legends and before (globulbs, jo-car, Materese, Lenn, Mosk/Merk, etc.). Will these be only subtle allusion, or will past ages (our age and your vision of our future) be more overtly referenced and used on screen?

Rafe Judkins

I’ll try to keep it subtle

Question

with as many characters and locations and the nature of the magic system how hard do you foresee it being to balance keeping a visually interesting show and one that keeps a reasonable budget?

Rafe Judkins

I think focusing on character is the way to make any budget work. Then doing the battles and magic when we have the budget to make it look amazing

Question

are egwenes dreamers dreams going to be shown or just talked about?

Rafe Judkins

Shown hopefully

Question

Which Characters do you most look forward to bringing to the Screen. I don't mean Casting. Just which characters from the series you are most excited to Translate to film.

Rafe Judkins

So many! Moiraine mostly though for what I think she can mean to young women

Question

what is something you have been told as the screenwriter that you think the fandom may not know?

Rafe Judkins

I think the fandom knows more than even Robert Jordan knew ha :)

Question

What difficult to translate part of the series are you most excited for the community to see and why?

Rafe Judkins

The relationships between the characters.

Question

Thank you so much for doing this!! Any chance you will be able to incorporate more LGBTQ characters than in the books?

Rafe Judkins

Yes!

Question

How do you envision the voices/memories in Matt’s and Rand’s head playing out onscreen?

Rafe Judkins

This'll be very director-dependent, but I think there's a few different ways it could be handled that would all be interesting

Question

Have you considered that actors aging is not an issue? (Like 10+seasons/years) Bc by the end of the books outlet characters look like adults because the weight that has been put on their shoulders. (Kings and Queens)

Rafe Judkins

Yeah! Actors aging is one of those beings you really can’t do anything about. So we must simply embrace it :)

Question

I know you mother is a serious fan of this series; do you think you will use her as an extra at some point?

Rafe Judkins

She can be a Wise One if she learns to use the right hashtags ;)

Some questions have been deleted, but Judkins' standalone responses are:

• "There will be lots of chopping and rejiggering to make the story as fluid as possible on TV."
• "I have been alerted that you have asked more than one question! SHAME. So I'll answer this one -- Trollocs will only be as sexualized as you make them on viewing."
• "My favorite moment is Rand and Tam in the Westwood. It’s so iconic to me and gives me the “this is happening” feels"
• "The latter, certainly. Always looking for story that serves character. That said, there are iconic moments in the book that simply need to exist and I will find ways to include them"
• "I want it to feel adult but accessible"
• "I think that flashbacks are a great way to learn more about a character"

Instagram March 2020

On March 22, 2020, Judkins answered various questions on Instagram, stating "I've been sick the last 2 weeks, but I'm better and answering WoT ?'s 😀"

Question 1 - Connection to Winter Dragon

Will the show have any connection to that abomination of a pilot that red eagle put out

Judkins

nope! :)

Question 2 - Books covered

What part of the books should you be caught up on for the first season?

Judkins

Depends on if you like to read something before you watch it or not.

Question 3 - Adaptation challenges

What are you finding most challenging about going from book to screen?

Judkins

The hardest thing is the physicality of production. In the first book alone they go to more than 20 villages and cities. To try to do that is physically impossible for the show, so most of the work we do in the room is geographical, figuring out how to condense the story and move it through places we can physically create.

Question 4 - Favorite chapter

Do you have a favourite chapter from the whole saga? Mine is Veins of Gold  (book spoilers!).

Judkins

So many. But Honey in the Tea  (book spoilers!) is one off the top of my head.

Question 6

Can't wait to see Elayne, Aviendha and Min 👁️👁️

Judkins

Me either. Three of my favorites.

Question 7 - Amazon fan engagement

Should Amazon do a better job of engaging fans love of theory & speculation. Pls embrace us!!

Judkins

I love theory and speculation! What can they do to better engage you? Send suggestions and I'll forward them along :)

Question 8 - Post-production

Has any post-production work begun or does that not start until filming is completed?

Judkins

Nope! We do it simultaneously. Before the corona hit, I was prepping 2 episodes, shooting 2 episodes, in post on 4 episodes and writing Season 2 simultaneously :-O

Question 9 - Music

Will there be a soundtrack? Who's the composer?

Judkins

Of course! David Buckley. Plus a few incredible musical guests we've already had.

Question 10

Are Min/Elayne in season 1?

Judkins

TWWaTWW

Note: TWWaTWW stands for "The Wheel Weaves as The Wheel Wills".

Question 11

Are you going to merge Min and Elayne?

Judkins

Hell no

Question 12

First moment you were speechless on set?

Judkins

First time walking into Emond's Field with my mom

Question 13 - Old tongue

Is mat fluent in the old tongue yet? 😝

Judkins

We've had a couple cast members speak in it already and they NAILED IT

Question 14 - Favorite costume

Which character has your favorite costume so far?

Judkins

Ooo this is tough. Probably Geofram Bornhald.

Question 15 - Pandemic

How is the cast and crew weathering the pandemic?

Judkins

Our team in Prague did an amazing job of getting everyone out and keeping them safe. And now everyone's home and we all live on Instagram.

Question 16 - Forsaken

Who is your favorite Forsaken??

Judkins

Ahhh. I love the ladies. Graendal, Lanfear, Moghedien. And Ishamael holds a special place in my heart the more time I spend with him

Question 17 - Shooting location

What's been your favorite shooting location so far?

Judkins

Slovenia! Spectacular stuff there

Question 18 - Painful cuts

Yes or no. Have you had to make any cuts be it a scene or chapter, that has been painful for you?

Judkins

Yes.

Question 19 - Showing the weaves

How are you planning to handle the visualization of the weaves? Any little tidbits?

Judkins

We are trying to stay as true to the books as possible. I've been giving a bunch of VFX folks long diatribes about channeling, weaves, threads, earth vs. air, etc and the early stuff has started coming in. It looks FUCKING AWESOME. I screamed when Rosamund started channeling

Question 20 - Iconic moments

Similar to Thom performing in an old Inn, what other iconic moments filmed stands out to u?

Judkins

Rand and Tam walking through the Westwood

Question 21 - Min in season 1

Blink twice if Min is in season 1.

Judkins

😉😉

Question 22

Will Jeff Probst be one of the Aiel? Can you make some calls?

Judkins

If he dies his hair red ;)

Note: Jeff Probst is the host of reality television series Survivor, on which Judkins previously participated.

Question 23

Which WOT book title best describes your self isolation experience?

Judkins

A Memory of Light...

Question 24 - Trailer

Can we expect a trailer for the show anytime soon?

Judkins

Probably not for a long while sadly.

Question 25

Can you guys do a big WoT Wed announcement during the hiatus to keep all us fans hyped instead of al

Judkins

Yeah! It would cheer us all up and we have some fun news

Question 26 - Lan

Is Lan going to be as much or an absolute stud in the show as he is in the books?

Judkins

You've seen @danielhenney right?

Question 27 - Ajah

If you were an Aes Sedai, what Ajah would you choose?

Judkins

Such a good question. They all have merits but GREEN for the win. If only to hang with @priyankabose20

Question 28 - Behind the scenes

Any funny behind the scenes stories?

Judkins

I once walked up to Rosamund's dummy to say hello and then pretended to check its makeup and told everyone they were doing great work

Question 29 - Aiel in season 1

Will we have to wait till season 2 to see any Aiel? (Other than Rand)

Judkins

Nope. And the one you see will shock you. Haha. Amazon shouldn't let me be on here when I've been cooped up for a week.

Question 30 - Handling internal thoughts

RJ writes a lot of internal headspace stuff. What's 1 hint on how the show will handle that?

Judkins

That's the biggest difficulty of any novel adaptation. Figuring out how to make the internal monologue come out clearly to the audience. A lot of the changes we make and stories we tell differently are designed to serves exactly that purpose — showing you what those characters internal monologues from the book are without them just saying it out loud in exposition

Question 31 - Aiel actor heights

Are you using taller actors to portray the Aiel, or camera trickery?

Judkins

Trying to get tall folks. But I'm less concerned with height and more concerned with acting ability.

Question 32

Since JordanCon was cancelled, can we maybe get an extra treat next month?

Judkins

Sure! What do you want?

Question 33 - Favorite wise one

Do you have a favorite Wise One?

Judkins

Avi

Question 34 - Joining the writing team

How many trollocs do I have to take out to become a writing assistant?

Judkins

Violence is never the answer

Question 35 - CGI vs practical

What would you say the CGI to practical ratio is going to be?

Judkins

Trying to do as much in camera as we possibly can!

Question 36 - Sword forms

How are you handling sword forms and their names?

Judkins

We have a for real sword master on the show who walks into every room and tests out everything as a weapon. He could most definitely kill me with any item in my office.

Question 37 - Horses on set

How are the horses on set? Is Mandarb spectacular?

Judkins

They are so great. Honestly I love our horses. Mandarb and Aldieb are downright sexy

Question 38 - Casting

When will we get more casting announcements to hold us over?

Judkins

I'll try to get them to put out something soon. A lot of folks in all departments are affected by the state of the world right now though, so I can't promise a timeline.

Question 39 - Prologue

Will we see the prologue from the Eye of the World on screen in season 1

Judkins

You will hear that phrase

Question 40 - Favorite set

What has been your favorite set so far?

Judkins

Fal Dara!

Question 41 - Narg

Please tell me you've cut Narg!!

Judkins

Never!!

Question 42 - Harriet McDougal's involvement

To what extent has Harriet McDougal been involved with the project?

Judkins

She's a consulting producer so she's been out to Prague to the sets and reads all the scripts and sends me her notes on them. She and Maria are hugely helpful for maintaining the truth of the series and always keep me honest when it comes to things that change too much

Question 43 - Pandemic

Is any aspect of the show still in development, or has it all stalled because of the virus?

Judkins

A lot can be done virtually! I'm still doing VFX, editing and the Season Two Virtual Writers Room! And I can do it all in pajamas

Question 45 - Combining characters

Will min, elayne, and aviendha have to be combined into a single character?

Judkins

Girl you crazy. I'm not going to combing huge characters like that. Maybe sometimes a minor character folded into a more major one to make better use of our cast but nothing nutso

Question 46 - New characters

RJ created 1000's of character. Given that did you feel the need to create new characters?

Judkins

Anyone "new" is inspired by characters in the books or a number of characters combined. If we paid to cast all speaking roles in the book we could only afford to have a radio play

Question 47 - Favorite prop

So far, what is your favorite prop in the show?

Judkins

Great Serpent Ring. We all want one.

Question 48 - Ogier

Will Loial portray the Ogier species, or will he be humanized for screen?

Judkins

He's an Ogier!

Question 49 - Brandon Sanderson's involvement

How involved, if involved at all, is Sanderson in the writers room?

Judkins

Brandon is hugely helpful. I talked to him before we started Season Two while he was in Prague to get advice and he reads all the scripts and gives notes. He's incredibly thoughtful and understands the process of adaptation and what's required from it. I feel so lucky to have him involved. I would have him do more if I could make him!

Question 50 - Afraid of cuts

What words of hope would you offer a fan afraid that the show will cut out a lot of content?

Judkins

I genuinely think we are cutting less than most people think. When I see people ask questions like "are you cutting Min?" it blows my mind. I don't know how you do an adaptation without some of these characters. I think it'll be more of the smaller stories you'll miss. We can't have Rand and [Mat] travel to many many inns on their travels across the countryside for instance. It's just not producible. So that will be more of what you miss, I think, and the books always exist to read for that :)

Question 51 - Bela

I think Bella is such an important character, will the same horse play bella through the series

Judkins

We've already had to have two Belas. It turns out a horse for riding on film is not the same as a horse for pulling a cart and SHE MUST DO BOTH

Question 52

Can you please make sure you do a great job? Book are so great

Judkins

This is a really good idea

Question 53

Now you've met them settle the score: who's better with women? Rand, Mat or Perrin?

Judkins

I think they'd all say it's the other

Question 54 - For non-book readers

Will the show be understandable for those who didn't read the books?

Judkins

That's the idea. If there are little things they don't get though, luckily google exists

Question 55 - Favorite Aes Sedai

Who is your favorite Aes Sedai in the books? And you can't say Moiraine/Siuan or the Wonder Girls

Judkins

So many rules. I honestly love all of them though (except Galina that bitch) Alanna Liandrin and Verin are probably my Top 3. And Siuan! There's too many I love. Sheriam! Pevara!

Question 56 - From Taylor Napier

How has it been to work with your incredibly talented cast? Also... dinner's ready

Judkins

Okay I have to go eat now. I think I did this right. Next time I'll use different colors. I don't know why it was pink and orange the whole time.

Production design

On December 2, 2020, Judkins answered questions about production design. The Q&A took place on Twitter, and corresponded with the release of the first look at Tam's heron-mark sword.

Question 1 - Weapons

Weapons and their individualistic characteristics are integrals to particular characters, especially with Mat, Rand, and Perrin. Will the show give a similar focus or will the weapons mostly just be *there*

Judkins

You can not even imagine the number of hours that goes into each person's weapon. I was in at least 20 meetings about the dagger that Egwene has, and that's not even a major weapon in the books. There's a whole team of people (and we have a few BIG book fans on the props team)...
... looking at every item held by an actor on the show. I'd be shocked if less than 10,000 woman/man hours were spent on the design and creation of the Heron Mark sword

Question 2 - Sword forms

How are the sword forms going to be presented? Is the style going to be pulled from a specific region of sword fighting, or are they going to be spread out over many regions?

Judkins

We have a fight time and swordmaster on the show who has built a fighting style unique to each weapon and culture. So, if you see a Borderlander fight with a heron mark blade it may feel different than a Seanchan. That's merely hypothetical of course ;)

Question 3 - Armor design

Since we are on the topic of swords, what are some of the inspirations for armor design? Is there quite a bit of variation between the Andorran and Shienrnian armor??

Judkins

Yes. Our costume team, lead by the amazing Isis Mussenden, started by building a map of the entire Wheel of Time world, carving out what each nation/culture looked like to make sure they're differentiated (and honoring what's in the books) and then diving back into Two Rivers

Question 4 - Two Rivers architecture

How is the set for the Two Rivers designed architecturally? It would seem easy to make it homely and Medieval, but because of it's location and history are there any other inspirations coming into play?

Judkins

When the books came out they felt so blazingly fresh and different and new, so we want that same thing to be true of the show, and if you see us leaning away from certain elements in the books, often times it's because audiences have now seen them before!
Unfortunately sometimes even in cases where the book-to-screen adaptations are from books that cribbed it from WoT! ha

Question 5 - Artistic changes

What balance are you striking between recreating what's in the books word for word and letting the artists have creativity?

Judkins

What's really important to me is that when we're diverging from the books, that we KNOW we're doing it. So, every piece of production design from shoes to swords to the White Tower itself begins with pages of quotes from the books about that place/thing...
The designer then takes it from there to build something that makes sense in our world, with our production concerns, our cast, our aesthetic, etc. But at the end of the day, it all stems from that first document and it's something we can always go back to

Question 6 - Clothing

What influences were used in designing the travel and daily wear for the EM5 but also Moiraine and Lan, considering how they are described while on the road but how they also appear when in a city setting? Rough hewn wools, linens, silk(s), leather (for the warders, etc.)

Judkins

In my mind, Moiraine and Lan have spent the better part of their time together on the road, and the EF5 grew up in a place where knowing how to survive in the wilds was a necessity, so they are all incredibly practical with what they wear and travel with...
... and when they’re in a city and not needing to leave soon, you could see different looks from them.

Question 7 - Moiraine's staff

Will Moiraine still have a staff at the outset? I know she says it helps her to "focus," but seeing as how she just tossed it aside after it was charred coming out of the Ways and she never replaced it, it doesn't really seem necessary.

Judkins

We're approaching this as an adaptation of the entire series, not just each book individually, so hopefully Season One will feel more like the entire book series of Wheel of Time than it does like Eye of the World. With that in mind -- no Moiraine staff. Let chaos ensue, ha.

Question 8 - Different sword styles

Will there be different styles of swords and heron marked swords? Or all of them will be in katana style?

Judkins

many, many different styles

Question 9 - Behind the scenes

Have you filmed any of the preproduction, design, manufacturing of props etc for a behind the scenes program. I have to say I really hope so!

Judkins

Of course! An amazing team has been picking up as much as they can of the process so that after the show's aired you can see all the work and love that went into creating these details large and small :)

Question 10 - Practical vs CGI

How do you decide what needs to be physically made (like the sword) and what's going to be effects?

Judkins

I want things to be as real as possible, so in any place that we possibly can, we've built things instead of trusting to effects. Our show could be all green screen, all CGI, but I think you'll be surprised by how much of it was actually built, and touched and held by our actors

Question 11 - Music

The music, how is that related to the show? Did we just get a glimpse of a theme?

Judkins

This is not music from the show itself. When it is, I'll make sure you know it, and it will hopefully feel very uniquely "Wheel of Time" :)

Question 12 - Calf exercises

Is everyone doing intense calf exercises? We need them well turned.

Judkins

This one had the most likes. So is the winner. Ha. I can officially confirm (journalists, get ready) that I do not, in fact, exercise my calves. But the actors, who are constantly training in all things WoT while they’re in Prague, do.

Changes from the books

On December 23, 2020, Judkins answered questions "specifically about changes from book to screen". The Q&A took place on Instagram, and corresponded with the release of the first look at Thom's guitar.

Question 1 - Invented characters

Who's the most significant S1 character you invented for the show?

Judkins

There's no one fully invented. Anyone "new" is either a character pulled from somewhere in the series and changed or a composite of groups or types of characters personified in one individual. Other than STEVE. Obviously.

Question 2 - Difficult character cuts

How difficult was it to change or leave out characters from the books for screen adaptation

Judkins

Sometimes very difficult, obviously. People who drive the story or shed light on our characters' back stories or the world of the show always will be more likely to make an appearance. But some people are there in glimpses or subtle nods just for our enjoyment. Some extras were named as characters and given things / looks from the books, so keep your eyes peeled

Question 3 - Writers' planned changes

How many times did i give you blank stares when discussing possible changes?

Judkins

This one is obviously from Sarah N. There were moments when a thrilled room full of writers would go "we've cracked it! It's amazing! But can 'insert book canon person/place/thing' be 'insert noncanon idea' instead?" And Sarah's resounding, withering stare would tell us to go back to the drawing board. RIP Perrin talking to a bear.

Question 4 - Wind

In the books we always enter the story on the wind, will that be a convention we see a lot?

Judkins

We've tackled the wind in the Pilot in, what I think at least, ha is an unexpected but rewarding way. Excited to see what you all think of it.

Question 5 - Character personality changes

Do you have to change character personalities for a screen adaption?

Judkins

We try not to. Most of our job is about making sure that we create a story and scenes that can tell the audience about character motivations and WHY they're doing something they're doing when we can't just drop into their head and say it like you can in a book. This often results in some of the biggest "changes", but they're ultimately put in to make sure that the character on screen is as emotionally true as possible

Question 6 - Changes from early drafts

Were there any changes in earlier drafts of scripts that were scrapped in final version?

Judkins

Yes, tons. We are never afraid to try something and see if it works. But then that has to also go through Sarah and Me (I drive the writers as crazy as anyone with sticking to the books). It also then goes to Brandon Sanderson, Harriet McDougal, and Maria Simons, who've been huge helps in checking us and helping us go back to the drawing board on changes (or many times, saying "that works" and giving us permission to release a tiny sigh of relief)

Question 6 - Major characters not appearing

Are there some major characters that appear in the first book that won't appear in the first season?

Judkins

Yes. And some of them are still slated to appear in later seasons (again, approaching the adaptation of the series, not just each book individually). A few of these characters I bet you already expect this for, and one, at least, I think will surprise you.

Question 7 - Cutting major locations

Have there been any major locations or cities you've had to cut for budget/time/logistics?

Judkins

This is perhaps the biggest source of changes for us. Even with the massive amount of money Amazon has kindly given us to bring this world to life, to go to as many unique cities/villages/locations as they do in the books is simply impossible. We have chosen to do a few places extremely well (both culturally and with production design) instead of doing dozens of places cheaply and badly. This results in many changes that have huge ripple effects (if you can't go to Baerlon, do you still meet Min? Do you still encounter the Whitecloaks? Do you still have dreams of Ba'alzamon? Etc). I'm betting that most things that feel the most unnecessarily changed to people from the books (even if they're hugely separated from that specific location) will be borne out of a location specific change.

Question 8 - Book dialogue

Do you attempt to keep book dialogue? Or start from scratch?

Judkins

Every writer receives a document when they begin their script put together by our book expert, Sarah, that breaks down every scene in the episode and gives specific dialogue and scene references from the books for it. Especially for scenes that aren't from the books at all, we will find scenes from the books with the same characters together or talking about the same thing thematically. That said, predictably, almost all the dialogue in the show is not from the books so as to sound as natural as possible with our locations/actors/scenes as they're played.

Question 9 - Repercussions to changes made

How far through the series did you consider when making changes (in terms of repercussions)?

Judkins

We have to consider it for the entire series. Which has led to many in room conversations/screaming matches where someone is like "The Yellow sister Healing someone in this scene CANNOT be Chesmal Emry. Are you kidding me? Do you know anything about Chesmal Emry. What did you just google a random Yellow sister name and pick one you liked? Fuck you and your yellow sister, it's not going to be fucking Chesmal Emry, I guarantee you that."

Question 10 - Difficult necessary changes

Have you made changes that hurt you/Sarah to make, but were necessary for the screen?

Judkins

The writers room floor is littered with my tears. Truly though, I don't want people to be unprepared for how different the show is to the books. To do a proper adaptation, it has to be. As a thought exercise, just imagine we can only do four of the cities from EoTW. So from Emonds Field, Taren Ferry, Baerlon, Shadar Logoth, Whitebridge, Four Kings, Breen's Spring, Caemlyn, Fal Dara, which do you choose? What are the knock-on effects for character and story from the ones you don't go to? Which characters haven't met each other now and how can you reconnect them? We have amazing writers and hugely helpful support in Brandon and Harriet to tackle these changes. But they're not small. Gird your loins, my friends.

Question 11 - Thom's instrument

What made you change Thom playing the lyre to a guitar?

Judkins

Thom is a good example of changes made for the show. For one, I want characters to appear when we have the time to spend to properly introduce them and get enough scenes for them to attract a great actor for the role. You will never see scenes on this show where four random people appear, say two lines, and then disappear for seasons. It just won't get you the caliber of actor you need and it doesn't properly intro that character to the audience. So for Thom, we wanted to give him a proper introduction, and we also wanted him to have a strong masculine energy that made a counterpoint to Moiraine. We saw actors of all ages, races, and vibes to play Thom but when Alex Willaume's tape came through we knew he was Thom and moved toward his vibe for the character which was younger and grittier than books Thom. The guitar looks much more fitting in his hands and with his voice than a lyre. When he stomps onto stage in the show, it's a MOMENT, and that's what we wanted for Thom. Never fear, multi colored cloak is still in existence, but different than you imagine. Isis (our costume designer) nailed it.

Question 12 - Creature design practical vs digital effects

How much of the monster / trolloc / fade / dragkhar design is being done practically, vs digital effects? Mostly makeup and prosthetics? And with that, how closely does the design match the text? (Totally smooth faces on fades, varieties of trollocs, etc.)

Judkins

We have worked hard to use as many practical effects and pieces as possible for Trollocs/Fades, but don't want to spoil all the secrets until you watch the BTS after the 1st Season :D

Moiraine March 2021

On March 17, 2021, Judkins answered questions about Moiraine. The Q&A took place on Instagram, and corresponded with the release of the first look at Moiraine Damodred. He answered a total of nine questions related to the series.

Judkins on Instagram

First peek of @mspike as Moiraine in @wotonprime ! Will answer 10 questions about Moiraine on here today... but likely none of the ones you really want :)

Question 1 - Moiraine's character (from actress Priyanka Bose who portrays Alanna Mosvani)

What’s makes moirain , moirain?

Judkins

what a great question, Priyanka. I would say above all else Moiraine is a woman who is driven to do what she believes is right, at any cost.

Question 2 - From actor Josha Stradowski who portrays Rand al'Thor

Can you tell her I'm on my way?

Judkins

tell her yourself

Question 3 - Most excited about

I know what I'm excited about, but what is our Great Lord Rafe most excited about?

Judkins

I’m not sure if you’re low key calling me out as a Darkfriend, but either way, I think the moment Moiraine first walks into the Winespring Inn was the moment that really made me feel that true fan part of me make unintelligible sounds

Question 4 - LGBT

Any lgbt rep in the show? 👀

Judkins

there’s rep in the books and the show! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Question 5 - Moiraine's forehead jewel / kesiera

Where’s her jewel?

Judkins

I can confirm here officially that the kesiera will appear in the show. I can also confirm I correctly spelled kesiera on my first try, but I did google it to double-check.

Question 6 - Audio in the Moiraine teaser

Is the audio disconnected from the scene of Moiraine? ;)

Judkins

yes, Rosamund actually recorded this audio for this teaser specifically, so you won’t hear this exact audio in the show

Question 7 - Promo clips

What all goes into the process of deciding which clips to use for these promo clips?

Judkins

we’ve got an amazing team at Amazon who do all that, thanks @wotonprime !

Question 8 - Direction for channeling

What direction Rosemund given about the facial expressions and body movements that she would use when channeling? Is this something that is universal through channelers or are body movements more organic for each channeler

Judkins

I really wanted the channeling to come from the women themselves, and have them really believe it. So Rosamund was instrumental in building the look of it for herself, and each woman has built something out of what makes sense for her and her character, so it gives something authentic to it. The most important thing is that when you look in the actors eyes you know they believe they have the power of the earth itself at their fingertips. And I promise you — Rosamund does.

Question 9 - Agelessness

That doesn’t look “ageless”. Is this something that is being “reworked”?

Judkins

VFX that require you to touch every frame that a character appears on screen are not great uses of money. So don’t expect to see CGI faces for all Aes Sedai

Season 1 wrap May 2021

On May 20, 2021, Judkins did a Q&A on Instagram to celebrate that season 1 filming had wrapped and that season 2 was officially confirmed.

Question 1 - Run time

What's the average running time of each episode?

Judkins

Amazon is great because each ep doesn't have to hit an exact time like you do in network TV. And these eps are epic, so we are clocking in between 50-65 minutes each

Question 2 - Trailer

Congratulations on S1 wrap!! Blink twice if a trailer is coming soon.....

Judkins

😳

Question 3 - Stunt doubles

Do EF5 actors perform stunts on their own or do they have stunt doubles?

Judkins

Everyone on the show has a stunt double, but most of our actors are really amazing with the physical stuff and doing their own stunts. I'm the only one who's always falling.

Question 4 - Season 1 wrap

How are you feeling having wrapped S1?

Judkins

To be totally honest, it hasn't fully hit me yet. There's still so much to be done to get the show ready to air and get S2 shooting, that while I was drinking my celebratory champagne after the last shot Tuesday, someone grabbed me to tackle three new problems that had come up and I had to leave ha

Question 5 - Season 2 characters

What character that didn't appear in S1 & does appear in S2 are you most excited about?

Judkins

Starts with an EL

Note: Likely referring to Elayne Trakand or Elaida a'Roihan  (book spoilers!)

Question 6 - Future seasons

Do you have the plot of all the seasons roughly mapped out?

Judkins

Yeah, between Season One and Two we made a rough map of how the series could break down into seasons. It can always change obviously, but important to know where we are going and how we are getting there so we build it right if @amazonprimevideo keeps us around for the long haul :)

Question 7 - Channeling

Will we see the actual weaves or just the end result of channeling?

Judkins

You're gonna see it all if you're a woman who can channel

Question 8 - The pandemic

Most difficult part of creating TWOT during a global pandemic.

Judkins

The human aspect. We've built a family here in Prague with cast and crew and keeping everyone safe has been top priority. Everyone's ability to adapt and meet the stresses of a time like this has been amazing to watch

Question 9 - Relation to the book series

How far should we get in the books if we don't want Season 1 to spoil things for us?

Judkins

This question is so cleverly worded to trick me that I have to respond to it out of sheer respect

Question 10 - POVs

How are you balancing the numerous POVs in the book vs focusing on Rand?

Judkins

As I've always said, we are adapting the whole series not just Eye of the World, and I really think this is an ensemble series, so the first season is as well

Question 11 - The Forsaken

Will we see forsaken in season 1?

Judkins

Some people see Forsaken everywhere

Question 12 - Narg

Will we see Narg? 🤞🏽

Judkins

Yep

Question 13 - Actors reading the series

Did any of the actors end up becoming fans of the book series after getting cast?

Judkins

I'm not going to spoil who, but two of the core cast are in a read off right now, and I think one of them may have finished the series

Question 14 - Trollocs

How many "brands" or trollocs did you create for the show?

Judkins

We leaned into the books and tried to have the trollocs have as much individual character as possible. My favorite is the one we call Betty

Question 15 - Season 2 locations

Will S2 take us to new locations? How big can the world get?

Judkins

Best thing about Wheel of Time is the world keeps getting bigger and deeper. And we've gotta deliver on that in the show

Question 16 - Extras

Please ask Amazon Prime if they'd do a sweepstakes for a fan to be an extra on the show.

Judkins

@amazonprimevideo and @thewheeloftime 🤔

Question 17 - Leaked footage

Loved the first look at the Trollocs! When are we getting more?

Judkins

Sadly there hasn't been a first look at the Trollocs yet. That was some accidentally leaked raw footage. We work so hard to make the show it's always a shame when you guys see stuff outside the way we have it planned. I'll tell you one thing, when I met with directors for S2 who'd seen the pilot, they all had one thing to say — "THOSE TROLLOCS!!! Why does instagram make the text so skinny. This is driving me crazy.

Question 18 - Madness

Excited to progressively spiral downwards into raving madness?

Judkins

It's so funny that you think I'm not already there

Question 19 - Show vs books

Are you planning a book per season or are there adaptations and inclusions from multiple?

Judkins

We have to combine. @madeleine_madden and @joshastadowski would be 45 when we finish otherwise

Question 20 - Warder cloaks

Will Lan's cool cloak be featured in the show?

Judkins

I love Lan's cloak in the show. But much like Aes Sedai agelessness, if it's an effect that's going to cost a fortune every time a character is on screen, it's a bad use of money. Unless you want to see all of S1 in the Winespring Inn. Then you can have color changing cloaks :)

Question 21 - Writing characters

Who has been the hardest character to write for so far?

Judkins

Perrin is the hardest. His interior monologue in the book is the biggest part of his character, so bringing him out in the show is always something we have to build really consciously. Luckily @marcus_rudda just exudes Perrin every minute so it makes our lives a lot easier And thank you @sarahenakamura for teaching me about the text slider. Just in time for the last question

Question 22 - Season 2 writing

Have you started writing S2?

Judkins

Yeah! The awesome S2 writers have been working throughout the year and we already have a bunch of great scripts ready to go.

August 2021

Judkins answered several questions on Twitter after the first stills of the show were published in Entertainment Weekly.

Question 1 - Forsaken

@rafejudkins can we expect to see any of the Forsaken in s1?

Judkins

It depends on how much you know about the Forsaken.

Question 2 - Late crew

@rafejudkins who is always late to set?

Judkins

Uh oh! Wish I hadn't randomly selected this one ha. Let me see. Maybe I'll just keep typing until I run out of characters and then it'll just be like whoops I couldn't really answer your question. Of course I WISH I COULD but it's just so tough with the character limit on Twi

Question 3 - Tel'aran'rhiod

Will The World of Dreams be in the show?

Judkins

How could you do the show without it?

Question 4 - Fandom

How are you feeling @rafejudkins? Feels good to see the fandom freaking out on a Wednesday?

Judkins

It's so nice! I'm glad people are liking what's out there. The more #TwitterOfTime can get people excited and engaging with these things the better it is for the show and the more people will get welcomed to this weird world :)

Question 5 - Mat's beard

Rafe, who's Idea was it to have Mat have a beard?

Judkins

We aged up the Emond's Field Five from the books because sometimes TV shows with a bunch of 17 year olds as leads feel more like YA and Wheel of Time isn't YA

Trailer September 2021 with Rosamund Pike

After the release of the first teaser trailer on September 2, 2021, Rafe Judkins and Rosamund Pike answered fan questions.

Question 1 - Fans working

How do you expect us to work today?

Judkins

Don't! If I'm your boss, you have the day off.

Pike

I expect you to focus, and do your best as always.
Sincerely, Headmistress.

Question 2 - VFX

How were you able to come up with how the weaving of the One Power looks?

Judkins

All of the VFX teams looking at the One Power were going off documents and descriptions of it pulled straight from the books, and used that as jumping off points.

Pike

I needed to feel that you would believe Moiraine had this power if there were no visual effects- the most important thing for me, was that I felt connected to something greater than myself. Robert Jordan is so eloquent about what it feels like to channel, the feeling of the one power filling your veins, the risk of it, the risk of drawing too much and the necessity of respecting it and being trained to use it.

Question 3 - Audience expectations

How excited are you to see your audiences responses after such a long wait?

Judkins

This is a complicated thing, because as a fan of many epic book series, seeing them brought to life is simultaneously thrilling and a little bit sad, as it changes forever a world that you saw in your own head while reading.

Pike

I love how warm and welcoming the Wheel of Time fan base have been. I hope we offer escape, excitement, mystery and something to keep people inspired through the end of the year.

Question 4 - Book content

How much will Season 1 cover? Book 1 or spread acrosss [sic] several? Looks amazing!!!

Judkins

Season One will cover Book One, plus some of Book Two and even Book Three. But also not all of Book One, as some of it is in Season Two. Cryptic enough?

Question 5 - Moiraine's powers

For Rosamund: how did you feel seeing Moiraine's powers visually for the 1st time?

Pike

I felt like a badass. I said to Rafe when I first saw it, "I need this video of me shooting fireballs to show to my sons again, and again."

Question 6 - Fade

How many nightmares did the flaming Fade give you?

Judkins

Not many, as I will always remember him as Dan, who was spinning in circles on his horse on a Slovenian mountain doubling the Westwood.

Pike

His very feminine lips, concealing rows and rows of teeth give me nightmares... And don't get me started on the skeleton mask his horse wears.

Question 7 - Favorites

What's your favorite aspect of the WoT series?.

Pike

My Warder.

Question 8 - Rating

What is the show going to be rated? Will people be able to watch it with their teenagers?

Judkins

People should certainly be able to watch with their teenagers.

Question 9 - Full version

Which parts of the trailer are you most excited for the fans to see the full version of in the show and why?

Judkins

I'm really thrilled for fans to see more of Winternight.

Pike

Shadar Logoth, the city where you really feel how the dark is a material substance that chases and consumes. The visual effects and the extremity of this sequence haunts me.

Question 10 - Practical effects

How much of the myrddraal is practical effects?

Judkins

The Myrddraal, like almost all elements in the show, is as much practical as we could manage, enhanced by VFX. I always think that gives a more disturbing and real-feeling quality than full VFX creatures.

Question 11 - High fantasy genre

For Rosamund - how different is acting in a high-fantasy TV show from your previous work?

Pike

The biggest most important challenge with fantasy is making the stakes your own, making the concepts and ideas that are so outside our own experience feel real and immediate.

Question 12 - CGI

For Rosamund: Is this your first time acting with CGI effects? Is it harder than expected?

Pike

It was great. I did a full body scan on day one and then I never had to show up!

Question 13 - Moiraine speeches

For Rosamund: What's your favorite Moiraine speech?

Pike

Moiraine can be very silent so when she speaks, we listen. In the books it's the "Weep for Manetheren speech". The idea that in the people of the Two Rivers, the "old blood runs deep"

Question 14 - Excitement

What excited you most about this series?

Pike

The amazing cast and the bond we all have!

Question 15 - Moiraine's favorites

My question is - What do you think Moiraine's favorite food is? (2) Does she prefer coffee or tea?

Pike

I don't think Moiraine cares too much about food. (Rafe thinks she likes buffalo wings). She eats to live. But don't worry, you will only ever see her drink tea.

Judkins

Buffalo wings.

Question 16 - Egwene's scene

Is the scene with Egwene in the water about her One-Power/ Wisdom testing?

Judkins

I can answer that question at the end of the Season.

Question 17 - Trailer production

How have you kept this trailer under wraps so long? Omg - it is perfect.

Pike

Thank you. The only thing we wanted was that it made people feel.

Question 18 - Release date

Can you bring the release date back a bit to like tomorrow or something?

Pike

Ask Rafe.

Judkins

Ask Amazon.

Question 19 - Story

For Rosamund: What was it about this story that spoke to you and made you want to play such an amazing female?

Pike

The way the women of the Aes Sedai harness the elements of the universe to unleash incredible power: that interested me a lot. Playing an amazing female is always better than playing a mediocre female.

Question 20 - Composer

Can we get some information on the composer or the score for the show? Thank you both so much for bringing this to life!

Judkins

If Amazon lets this answer go through, this is me proudly announcing that we have the most incredible composer working on the show by the name of Lorne Balfe. You've gotten a tiny hint of his music with the reveal of the Logo, and what he's doing is really special.

Question 21 - Final visuals

For both Rosamund and Rafe: How do the final visuals with completed visual effects align with what you had in mind when reading the script/filming on location?

Judkins

Making a TV show at its best is about collaboration, about seeing how your initial vision for something is lifted and changed and made better by the people around you. So my favorite visuals in the show are the ones that are far better than I'd ever imagined writing the scripts.

Pike

It's so important to have a living vivid world inside your imagination when you are shooting sequences that will be completed with CGI, and the production have always made sure that we had plenty of visual references for how things would look as we went along. We have never worked on a set on which at least a part of the world is not built. We have always had elements of the texture and atmosphere of the finished world to work with.

Question 22 - Second trailer

Will there be a second trailer?

Judkins

Yes! And longer! What's the thing you'd like to see most in it?

Question 23 - Filming locations

Which location was your favorite to film at? Specifically, in the show and in real life!

Pike

The world inside the walls of Shadar Logoth is particularly affecting and eerie. Our production designer created a powerful, sinister set for the abandoned desolate city.
But for me as an actor: the city of Tar Valon was so rich; it was built from the ground up with the most intricate detail. It is stunning.

Reddit November 2021

On November 24, 2021, Judkins had an AMA ("Ask Me Anything") on Reddit.

Question about pacing

One of the biggest complaints I've seen regarding the premier is the pacing of episode 1. It's been reported that you wanted/expected a 10 episode season and a 2 hr pilot, so it's understandable why it had to be so cram packed when cut down to only 1 hour. Is there any possibly of a JudkinsCut being released later on?

Rafe Judkins

Ha, I wish. But the JudkinsCut never really made it out of script form. And to Amazon's credit, a real focus in streaming nowadays for all of the networks is "pace" and "bingeability". Anecdotally (and apparently statistically now), tons of non-book fans made it through the first episode and right into the series without stopping down or turning it off. Maybe in the next turning of the Wheel, there'll be the two hour season premiere featuring unlimited scenes of smithing, Coplins, Congars, and more.

Question about swears

Why are you not using any of the WOT swears? Every time the characters use modern colloquialisms it completely throws me for a loop. Those phrases mean a lot to me.

Rafe Judkins

Blood and ashes, give us some time. It's coming. And just wait until you meet Uno...

Question about finding the extras

So, I love the bonus content, from the animated minis, to the interviews, the preview with Logain today, but why under the light are they so flaming hard to locate? Please just have Amazon put everything under a separate tab so the masses can see this content and appreciate it like it deserves!

Further questions: any chance of more episodes than 8 in the upcoming seasons? And how about deleted scenes? I like what you’ve done so far as a book reader, honestly I just want more!

The one critique I have is that there’s.. too much.. going on, With the white threads when Moiraine is channeling. I think it detracts

Rafe Judkins

It's so great! I don't even know how to watch it. I make them send it to me in my email. Ha. Big shoutout to Rammy Park and Mike Weber who put those together with Jakub Chilzuk in our VFX Department!!

Question about pranks

We heard from Marcus Rutherford on Inside The Wheel of Time that you are a prankster. Any favourite pranks committed (by you or others) during the show that you would like to share with us?

Rafe Judkins

A true prankster never gives up his secrets.

Question about JordonCon

are we going to see you at JordanCon?

Rafe Judkins

I was supposed to come this year, but then covid. So hopefully nothing gets in the way next year!

Question about sword forms

The swordfighting in WoT was one of my favorite parts of the series, particularly with the named sword forms that left a lot to interpretation and gave it a feel of being dance like. What was your approach to incorporating sword fighting and Sword Forms into the series considering how important it is to the plot (sheathing the sword, cat crosses the courtyard etc)?

And as a follow up, have you seen the YouTube/Instagram channel Way of the Heron? They've brought loads of them to life and would be great to see that type of interpretation there. They were on the Dusty Wheel a few months ago and it was really interesting to hear their take on it. Link below if anyone else is interested!

https://youtu.be/BGxftS0gbo8

Rafe Judkins

I haven't seen Way of the Heron, but you should send it to our stunt coordinator Jan Petrina. We have an actual swordmaster working on the show developing the different sword styles as well. And you get to see a few of them named on screen as well in S2!

Question about episode 4

I've heard episode 4 is when things really kick into gear. What are you most excited for us to see this Friday?

Rafe Judkins

There's A LOT coming on Friday. Personally, for me, I think it's just amazing to see the Aes Sedai actually coming to life on screen. Kate Fleetwood and Priyanka Bose are going to blow your minds. And don't get me started on the Warders...

Question about characters singing

I love the use of characters singing so far. Are there plans to continue that beyond Thom performing?

Rafe Judkins

Yeah, song and recited poetry played such a big part in the books, we really like finding ways to weave it into the show too

Question about playing a role

If you had to play the role of any smaller minor Wheel of Time character who would you choose and why?

Rafe Judkins

I would be a Maiden of the Spear who doesn't get yeeted

Question about dream filming location

So far the series has shown a lot of beautiful cinematography, with the landscapes of Slovenia, Czechia and Croatia beautifully depicting West Andor. If you had no budget/logistical constraints, what's a location you dream shooting The Wheel of Time at?

Rafe Judkins

LOFOTEN ISLANDS. Take me to Tremalking.

Question about deleted scenes

My Q - it looks like you did a lot more filming in the Two Rivers than we saw in episode 1. Assuming we won't see that content in future episode flashbacks, are there any thoughts/plans to release some of that footage as bonus content at some date TBD?

Rafe Judkins

Yes! I think there are a few deleted scenes headed your way in the coming weeks

Question about Steve

When will we learn the identity of the beloved "Steve" (aka Phil Snowden)?

Rafe Judkins

THIS IS ALL I CARE ABOUT AND I WISH I COULD TELL YOU THE TRUTH

Question about rumors of ta'veren

How can there possibly be "rumors of four Ta'veren in the Two Rivers?"

Rafe Judkins

You question Moiraine's "eyes and ears" network? Watch your back my friend.

Question about what he's looking forward to adapting

With as little spoilers as possible, do you have a particular moment in the series that you're looking forward to the most to adapt?

Rafe Judkins

The end. If I can somehow navigate us there, that would be the dream.

Question about the Aiel in a cage

As his presence is important to Perrins balance later in the series, tell me that was not Gaul in the cage.

Rafe Judkins

ANNOUNCED HERE, SORRY AMAZON SPOILER TEAM -- it was not Gaul.

Question about Rosamund Pike

This show is exceeding my wildest dreams, and so is Moiraine specifically!!! Please use this space to gush about how incredible Rosamund Pike is, and tell us what your favorite part of working with her is!

Rafe Judkins

THERE IS NO SPACE LARGE ENOUGH FOR THAT TASK. She's truly an incredible actress, producer, partner, friend, she's everything you could ask for in a Number One on the callsheet and above all else, she's the Moiraine we all wished we could have.

Question about changes

What is your opinion on a book to series adaptation taking too many liberties in regards to story? Can a book be too closely followed, or is that what the fans really want, to see their book come to life on screen, just like most of them pictured it?

Rafe Judkins

You can never make something that's like "most" of them pictured it. That's the beauty of books, we all have our own personal vision of it in our heads, and it gets broken down a bit by watching it adapted. For me, though, I prefer an adaptation that tries to utilize its medium to tell the story best. Like, I prefer Azkaban to the first couple Potters.

Question about mapping out the series

My question is about mapping out the series. Do you have an overall structure to the series envisioned in terms of number of seasons and which books will overlap in which season? Totally understand if you can’t get into specifics, I am just fascinated by the process and would love to hear more about it!

Rafe Judkins

Yeah, I have an overall idea, but that's affected in a big way by a couple key things -- 1. episode number per season and 2. actor availability. A lot of the changes we've had to make to my initial plan for the show have been based on those two things.

Question about a scene to film exactly as written

If you had to choose one scene from the first book to film almost exactly how Jordan wrote it. Which one would you choose?

Rafe Judkins

If it were just me making the show for myself, I'd honestly do the whole Perrin/Egwene ravens/stedding/Elyas sequence. That really hooked me to the books for the first time.

Question about skipping Shadar Logoth scenes

Do you think you missed a chance to make a really iconic episode set in Shadar Logoth? It's my favorite section of EOTW and I felt it shouldn't have been rushed over as you skipped Mordeth, the mydraal forcing the trollocs inside and maybe even padan fain's experience there as an epilogue. Instead, it felt rushed and disappointing all around.

Rafe Judkins

Did we skip all those things?

Question about the Forsaken

Are you including multiple forsaken in the series?!

Rafe Judkins

yep

Question on moving things to later

When you decide something can't make it into the show where it was in the books how do you approach bringing it to the show later in some form?

Rafe Judkins

There's actually a bunch of stuff in Book 1 that we hit in Season 2 already, and things from Books 2 and 3 that we have plans to hit later if we're lucky enough to get there. I think when you're adapting it as a series and have so many production/budgetary constraints, you have to be prepped to remix things a little. It's sadly rare that we can do a scene from the books with the same characters in the same place saying the same lines at the same moment in the books. Often one of those things has to be swapped out

Question about wearing costumes

Which outfit would you be most excited about taking home with you? Are there secret photos somewhere of you rocking the body of a Trolloc and Moiraine's kesiera?

Rafe Judkins

I'm not gonna lie. I was Rand Al'Thor for Halloween in 2019. And I was so much skinnier then that I actually FIT in Josha's costume.

Question about the ruby-hilted dagger

I am curious as to why the ruby was moved from the pommel to the crossguard on the dagger. There have been several changes, almost all of which I can understand why, but that one I've not been able to put my finger on a particular reason.

Rafe Judkins

We tried it there actually at first, a whole bunch of different versions, but it was never reading on camera. So we just wanted to make sure people could see it.

Question about favorite book scene to put onscreen

What is your favorite scene in the books, the one you're most looking forward to putting on camera?

Rafe Judkins

Dumai's Wells

Question about channeling changes

Good day, Rafe. I highly appreciate your devotion and the commitment for doing this AMA. I’ve got two questions for you.

Can you please tell us what was the motivation to change the book-lore of channeling being linked with the soul?

As we are seeing a Saidar channeler being a potential Dragon, do you think it won’t have a massive butterfly effect on the story going forward?

Rafe Judkins

WAFO

Question about favorite society or culture

What society or culture are you most excited to depict on screen?

Rafe Judkins

I just adore the Aiel.

Question about Tam's fever dream

Is there a particular reason you chose to exclude what Tam says to Rand during his fever dream? Or why you didn't show Rand traveling back to town from their farm after the attack?

Rafe Judkins

Did we?

Question

Who is playing Selene?

Rafe Judkins

Lanfear

Question about Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson has said you and him have agreed on most of the changes to the show except one. Can you tell us what that is?

Rafe Judkins

I think there's more than that! Ha. But Brandon's been amazing through this whole process. He's such a great collaborator, and I will be dead honest when I say that I do more of his notes percentage wise than any other single human being involved with the show.

Question about Steve

Where is Steve? Will we see him in season 1?

Rafe Judkins

There is not a Steve question I won't respond to.

Question about Perrin

How are you thinking of showing the range of emotions and other things that Perrin is able to smell? Does Marcus have a special nose acting coach?

Rafe Judkins

He actually, genuinely does. Ha. And he's doing great with it.

Question about working with Zoë Robins

What is it like to work with the white ninja steel power ranger Zoe Robins?

Rafe Judkins

Zoe is incredible. Her emotional and physical commitment on set are just INSANE. She steps onto set and she just IS Nynaeve. It's incredible to watch.

Question about favorite book character arc

Do you have a favorite character arc in the books, and have you begun that arc in the show?

Rafe Judkins

Egwene breaking the tower from within. Can I say that? Did we do a spoiler alert? I'm not gonna lie, I'm not 100% sure how AMAs work. But yes, this.

Question about relating to characters

Which character or characters did you most immediately relate to or appreciate when you first read the book series? For me, it was Egwene and Perrin, and I'm really loving how they're being portrayed by Madeleine and Marcus!

Rafe Judkins

SAME! Those were the chapters I was always checking forward to to see when they came up next.

Question about the budget

Are you able to share what the budget for season 1 was?

Rafe Judkins

YES. After much secrecy, Amazon has decided that I can reveal it here, in question 2746 of my Reddit AMA. No, sadly, ha. But I can say it's big, but not big enough. The money always runs out eventually. It's the nature of TV, ha

Question about the prologue

What was the rationale behind not having the cold open of the first episode be the original EotW Prologue? Thanks for doing this!

Rafe Judkins

Ha, we had a lot of different versions of how to start the show always, but my personal opinion was that we shouldn't really see this Cold Open until Lews Therin was ready to play a more significant role in the show.

Question about adapting

2 questions:

1. did you know right when you got the showrunner job that there was going to be these drastic changes to characters and settings? Or did they develop through a committee?
2. a lot of folks who are fans of the book series were expecting a true adaptation of the books to film. And yet said fans got something totally different than the books. Why was it not stated upfront that this would be a retelling of the tale and stating that this was another turning of the wheel? Fans would have been more accepting of this had it been known upfront that these changes would occur if you and others in the know had addressed this up front. The turning of the wheel, differences between the turns of the wheel are set into the actual story, and would have actually supported these changes had they been addressed up front.

Rafe Judkins

We may have said 1000 times that this is not a 1-for-1 adaptation and another turning of the Wheel. It simply is. I hope that you still enjoy though, or that if you don't, you can go back to the books and read again. They make for a great re-read.

Question about CGI

Why CGI went up and down? Will be they fixed in the next episodes?

Rafe Judkins

COVID was actually very tough on our VFX department because they couldn't review things as they normally would.

Question about the time between seasons

Hey, you guys started shooting season 2 months before the first season premiere, so I would expect a short turn around, but after that, do you expect that if the show gets a third season green lit, it will have a big gap between it and the release of season 2?

Rafe Judkins

We are trying to always keep the gap between seasons reasonable. It's a big priority at Amazon and internally on the show.

Question about ad-kipped scenes

Was there any ad-libbed scene that made it into the final cut? Something that was just too good to leave out?

Rafe Judkins

Yes! We have one in Episode 107.

Question about Aviendha

Have you cast Aviendha yet?

Rafe Judkins

Yes.

Question about Logain's role

Hi Rafe. Would like to know why you gave Logain an increase role in the show? He is my favourite character so this is my favourite change so far

Rafe Judkins

I think it's great to really see in real time what it means to be a man who can channel, as it ends up being quite relevant to the show. Trying to approach these mythology things with character as much as we can.

Question about the Dragon possibly being a woman

Hi Rafe as I am sure you have seen a lot of fans of the books have had concerns about some changes, as I am sure you would have expected. However, a main one seems to be that a woman can be the dragon. Why was this change made if the Dragon is going to be the same anyway as it changes a lot in the world Jordan created e.g. the dragon if a woman can be trained by other woman in the tower etc, or touch Callandor.

Rafe Judkins

The change we made was not just with the fact that a woman could be the Dragon, the core change we made was that people are NOT 100% convinced that these 3000 year old prophecies are 100% accurate. I think it feels a little bit more true to the world, and you see the characters questioning the prophecies of the Dragon and the details of it much more in the show than in the books (although there are some scenes in the books that show this as well, we've just expanded on that). It seems quite trusting for the Aes Sedai, who trust no one, and especially Moiraine, who trusts less than no one, to believe with 100% certainty ANYTHING that was written thousands of years ago

Question about Perrin's marriage

Whose idea was it to have Perrin be married in the first episode? I think the choice was a smart one, but I’m curious as to how that decision came about.

Rafe Judkins

Well, firstly in the longer version of the script I'd had Perrin being the apprentice to the town blacksmith, who he then accidentally killed during the Trolloc attack. It really was important to me that he have an iconic moment of violence in the first episode that would underpin his long term journey with violence and whether he'd choose the axe or the hammer. So I'd made that blacksmith his mom. But as we had to trim a bunch of page length down in the scripts, it became a simpler story to tell it as his wife, and also felt natural that if these characters were in their early 20s in a small mountain village, that one of them likely would be married. There's a scene in the books where Perrin talks about if he'd stayed in the Two Rivers he might've married Laila Dearn, and voila, Laila was born. My only sadness is we couldn't have seen more of her. Helena Westerman who played her was AMAZING

Question about Bran al'Vere

A couple tongue-in-cheek questions. I love your adaptation. I get the changes you made. Except one. Did Abell Cauthon dirty? Fine. Perrin is married? Sure. But Bran is skinny!!! How can you sleep with yourself, he is an inn keeper!

Rafe Judkins

Bran is skinny will always be a regret. But Michael Tuahine was just too much Egwene's dad to not choose him.

Question about the writing team

How did you assemble the writing team for this show? What qualities about these writers let you know that they were the perfect fit?

Rafe Judkins

Tried to find a group of diverse thinkers for it -- people who've read all the books, people who read some of the books but dropped out eventually, people who loved fantasy but not Wot, people who don't even know fantasy at all. Also, people who write differently than me, sot aht they could strengthen the overall scripts. It's such a great group, I'd go to war for any of them.

Question about favorite episode

What is your favorite episode?

Rafe Judkins

It's in S2.

Question about costs

Alot of talk has been about the level of investment per episode. What ended up being the most unexpected expensive thing about production or post?

Rafe Judkins

The hidden costs are the worst ones. Wig fixes. The millions of dollars that go to wig fixes make me cry at night.

Question about favorite episode in season 1

What is your favorite episode of the season?

Rafe Judkins

Genuinely as we wrapped each one, I felt like it became my favorite. So right now it's 108.

Question about the Forsaken

How did you come up with your designs for the Forsaken? Fan art, book descriptions or just your own personal depiction on how they should look and feel?

Rafe Judkins

All of the above.

Question about favorite Wheel of Time book

What's your favorite Wheel of Time book, and what other fantasy series are you a fan of?

Rafe Judkins

TSR. I love so many series -- LoTR, ASoIaF, Earthsea, right now I'm reading Malazan and Divine Cities.

Question about Loial

My question is about Loial. We’ve seen several of the leaked images that are way different from the book descriptions. Personally, I’m into the changes. I’ve also heard that Hammed brings the character to life. Can you talk about the process of bringing this beloved character to the screen?

Rafe Judkins

Hammed is INCREDIBLE. For his physical appearance, we really tried to find ways to do a nod to what is in the books while making him a character that doesn't require VFX for us. We just can't afford at our budget level to do a fully VFX core character well. So it would mean that he ends up getting cut from scenes so that we don't have to spend on him, and I didn't want that, as I love Loial and I love Hammed.

Question about keeping scenes

I recently read the article where you speak on how much you had to fight to keep the Weep for Manetheren scene in. Are there any other scenes with a similar weight of significance you fought for? Vague details are fine.

Rafe Judkins

There's a Nynaeve/Lan scene that I fought literally every human being on the show and at the network for, so I hope book fans like it, hahaha.

Question about balancing feedback

I want to ask how you're balancing all the feedback you're getting with your own vision. Was reading Brandon Sanderson how he has given a lot of feedback, and while not all of it was incorporated, he always felt heard and that you had valid reasons for not listening to some of it. From the outside, it looks like you're balancing it really well, but curious on your insight.

Rafe Judkins

I think the worst showrunners are either insecure or oversecure. You'll either not listen to anything at all or you listen to absolutely everything. I feel relatively secure, so I try to really listen to and value the people around me and their artistic input, but then also stick true to what I believe is the right way to pull this off long term.

Question about Verin

Will we get to see my other favorite character, Verin?

Rafe Judkins

You will. I swear it until the last hour of my life.

Question on foreshadowing and easter eggs

I sense a lot of foreshadowing in the show so far. Are there things that we are missing and should we be paying closer attention?

Also, very well done surprising book readers with Dana!

I know you won't answer this one but was can you officially confirm that Nynaeve kept the trolloc blade to threaten Lan? It is a very Nynaeve move and I fully support it.

Rafe Judkins

Yeah, I'm actually surprised how many little easter eggs a lot of the hardcore fans have still missed. Although, I don't have visibility into a lot of the boards, so I'm sure people somewhere have found them. She obviously used that Trolloc blade on Lan. You can see it matches.

Question about the One Power

I am wondering about the way the Weaves of the pattern look. Was there a conscious decision made to strip away the colors of the Weaves? Was it too difficult from a CGI standpoint, or are you simplifying the way the One Power works so there isn't as much elemental focus? I did pick up on the way Moiraine drew from the fire in the battle at the end of the first episode so I assume the elemental forces are still in play, so I'm just wondering why they are not differentiated from one another. I've heard some people claim that the show is doing away with the concept of Saidar and Saidin altogether. Can you speak on that as well?

Rafe Judkins

You'll hear the word saidin this season.

Question about Whitecloaks

My biggest question so far is how the Whitecloaks have been so effective against the Aes Sedai, when in the books they were usually more of an annoyance rather than a true threat to women who can channel. Are ways to incapacitate channelers that show up later in the books being employed by the Whitecloaks?

Rafe Judkins

You'll find out more about this in Season One, and then even more in Season Three if we get there.

Question about the process of making changes

Can you talk a little about the processes you use to figure out how current changes will affect future seasons?

I'd also love to hear some of your thoughts about making the Emmond's fielders a little older.

Thanks for all your effort with the show. I admit that I'm not in love with every aspect of it (soundtrack, some minor changes), but I'm still having a good time and am optimistic about future episodes, as long as the show keeps being funded.

Rafe Judkins

I have Sarah Nakamura (our incredible WoT goddess) talk me through the long-term ramifications of any changes so that we know what's going to happen. Sometimes to drive her crazy I will send a casual email that's just like -- "Hey, can you work up a long-term ramifications list for if we kill Thom?". And just keep going like it's a totally normal day as she collapses as a human being. Then tell her we're not going to kill him. I think it helps keep her on her toes, but she probably disagrees, haha.

Question about Bela's arc

Thank you so much for including a Bela name drop in episode 2. Can we assume that you, as a proper fan boy, will be keeping her entire story arc in place as the creator's avatar on Randland?

Rafe Judkins

Literally, everyone in horse department knows everything about Bela. There are many elderly czech men who have an eye on Bela's long-term arc in the show and they don't even know what the Wheel of Time is.

Question about pacing

My biggest concern for the series is that it will move too fast just how GoT season 8 did. Do you have a plan to make sure that the seasons will feel fully fleshed out by the time they end and not rushed? Also by the time the series end do you have an idea of how to end it in a fulfilling way? Thank you and i am loving the show so far with just this one concern.

Rafe Judkins

Yeah, it was certainly a worry of mine that the show moves too fast, but I think that hopefully that will help give momentum to non-readers as they get through some of the stuff that is more similar to other fantasy projects and start to get to dip into the really unique WoT stuff. Throughout S1 as well, we do always try to find times to stop down and check in with the characters emotionally, as that's the most important thing to understanding the show.

Question about accessibility

Hey there! I have lots of questions about the actual plot that people are probably already asking, so I'm going to skip that in favor of this:

Are there plans to provide closed captions/subtitles for the bonus content, specifically the animated shorts? The three that have been released so far is some of my favorite WoT lore and history, however the audio quality and the way it was mixed, it was legitimately impossible for me to actually understand the Warder video in particular.

I know bonus content doesn't usually get subtitles for Reasons™, but it would be great to be able to get all of the deep dive content and have it be accessible to those like me who don't have perfect hearing.

Rafe Judkins

Yeah, I'll let Amazon know if you don't have that as they're usually really good about accessibility stuff, thanks for flagging it!

Question about CGI and Daise Conger

Hi Rafe, is the CGI we saw while Moiraine was channeling how it’s going to stay through the whole series, or will it change and progress with time?

Also, Daise Congar was perfect, and I haven’t seen enough comments about that.

Thanks for making this a reality for so many of us.

Rafe Judkins

THANK YOU FOR NOTICING DAISE. We have to use the One Power to do all kinds of things on the show, so you'll see it progress and change in how it's used throughout.

Question about critical feedback

Question on the critical feedback from reviewers :

Are you aware of the large amount of negative reviews from top critics, and what their main critiques are? What have you learned from them and what are you doing to resolve these complaints for future seasons?

Putting aside the ones who are comparing it to game of thrones or just hate fantasy, many of them complain about pacing being too fast, packed with too many plot points in each episode, and most importantly, the character development is lacking and viewers are not invested in them (making key events less impactful).

Rafe Judkins

Yeah, I think it's always important to hear people as they take in the show and comment on it, but not be chasing approval. If you try to make a show that EVERYONE likes, you'll have an actual pile of trash at the end. Better to make a show that some people truly love (even if others think it's a pile of trash ha). In terms of pacing, it's a balance you have to strike. We as creatives are always wanting more time to intro the characters, spend time with them, understand their emotions, etc. And the network will want the show to be brisk and pace-y so that no one ever has a chance to turn it off. Both things are valuable, and maybe Amazon was right about pace as the first three episodes of WoT have one of their highest completion-rates in history, which is perhaps the most important single piece of data on a tv show today.

Question about songs

We’ve seen the show present two songs so far that are original to the show, but present some history. Are we going to get any of the more common songs like “I’m Down At The Bottom of the Well?” And are you familiar with Reflections of Sound Music, who wrote music and lyrics for many of the songs mentioned in the books?

Rafe Judkins

I don't know them, but flag them to Lorne Balfe, our amazing composer, he's been great about trying to include fans in the music