The Next Lord of the Rings? Wheel of Time Fans Hope So!
August 13th, 2008 Christina
Sci Fi Wire reported today that Universal Pictures has acquired the film right to The Wheel of Time. The film adaptations will start with The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan’s first book in the series.
The Sci Fi Wire announcement waters down the conflict in the series to seem pretty dull, but WoT fans know better. The series is about a lot more than just the eternal struggle of good - Rand al’Thor as the Dragon Reborn - and evil -the Dark One. (Sci Fi Wire named the Dark One, something I will not do here!)
Some fans worry that a movie adaptation can’t possibly capture the beauty of the series as well as their imaginations, but many are excited. The announcement does not mention whether the films will be live action or animated; computer generated animation seems to be the popular hope among fans, as it would ease fears about what channeling the One Power will look like, and addresses the problem of cast members aging. The Harry Potter films are one example of the actors aging faster than their characters, and less time passes in the Wheel of Time universe over the span of more books, comparatively.
Of course, I would be lying if I didn’t say I would be thrilled if Universal Pictures based any of their casting on the WoT Fan Cast I’ve complied here.
The best we fans can hope for is that Universal Pictures does the same justice for The Wheel of Time as the Lord of the Rings film trilogy did for Tolkien’s books.
Tags: Wheel of Time links, Wheel of Time news