First up was a clip from the first episode, Leavetaking. This is a dramatisation of the scene where Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) and Lan (Daniel Henney) arrive at the Winespring Inn in the village of Emond's Field. In the novel, this scene takes place off-page and is told to Rand al'Thor (Josha Stradowski) later on. For the more time-pressed TV series, Rand has simply been included in the scene to view it firsthand. Another change is that Moiraine's identity as an Aes Sedai is made clear from the start, whilst in the book she tries to hide her status until becomes clear later on.
Secondly was an excerpt from the musical score. "Al'Naito" is composed by Lorne Balfe with a title that translates from the Old Tongue (a fictional language in the Wheel of Time setting) roughly as "For the Flame." The song has lyrics that also appear to be in the Old Tongue.
Rounding things off is a number of new casting announcements for Season 2 of the show, currently shooting in the Czech Republic.
British newcomer Ceara Coveney will play the role of Elayne Trakand, the Daughter-Heir to the Kingdom of Andor and a novice Aes Sedai. As the first heir to a throne to be trained as Aes Sedai in almost fifteen centuries, Elayne is a potentially powerful player in the politics of the Aes Sedai and the Westlands themselves.
Natasha O'Keeffe is a British actress best-known for playing Lizzie Shelby in Peaky Blinders, Emilia Ricoletti in Sherlock and Abbey in Misfits. What role she is playing in Wheel of Time is unknown, save that it is "one of the most important" roles in the series. Based on her looks, it is possible she is playing Lanfear, one of the most powerful Forsaken, the servants of the Dark One who have been imprisoned alongside that entity for almost three and a half thousand years and released as its prison weakens. It is also possible she might be playing Elaida, an antagonistic Aes Sedai, or possibly Suroth, an important political and military commander among the Seanchan. Lanfear seems to be the most popular guess at present.
Rounding off the new arrivals is veteran British writer, comedian, actress and singer Meera Syal. A hugely-respected actress with a formidable body of work behind her (including comedy series Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 42 and a huge array of British dramas, including Doctor Who and Broadchurch), Syal's role is also said to be crucial to the Wheel of Time mythos. The smart money would be on the role of Verin Mathwin, an Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah, who becomes a key ally of the adventurers from the Two Rivers.
The Wheel of Time debuts on Amazon Prime on 19 November this year.
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