WHEEL OF TIME Season 2 finally gets an airdate

The much-delayed second season of Amazon's Wheel of Time adaptation has finally got an airdate. The season will debut on 1 September this year.

The first season of The Wheel of Time debuted in late 2021 and was a successful launch for the streamer, who were keen to find their own big-budget fantasy epic to compete with the likes of Netflix's The Witcher and HBO's expanded Game of Thrones universe. The show attracted middling reviews and scorn from some fans for its large-scale alterations to the source material's story and characterisation.

Although production of the second season wrapped up last year, scheduling issues saw the season repeatedly delayed to make room for other Amazon launches, including the first season of The Rings of Power and the second season of Carnival Row. Amazon had hoped to use Wheel of Time as a test run of greenlighting multiple seasons of a show at once to shrink the gaps between them to just a year or so. Ironically, the wait for the second season of WoT will be close to two years by the time it finally launches, not great news for trying to hold onto casual viewers.

The second season draws on elements from the second and third novels in the fourteen-book series, The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn, and will introduce some fan-favourite characters from the novels, including Aiel warrior Aviendha (Ayoola Smart) and bookish Aes Sedai Verin (Meera Syal). The new season also sees some recasting, with Dónal Finn taking up the role of Mat Cauthon after original actor Barney Harris declined to return from the first year.

The third season of the show has already started production in the Czech Republic and other locations in Europe.

RIP Ray Stevenson

News has sadly broken that actor Ray Stevenson has passed away, at the far too-young age of 58.

Stevenson was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland in 1964. He moved to Newcastle with his family at the age of eight, and developed an interest in acting after attending the theatre as a youngster. He studied at the Old Vic and made his screen debut in the film The Theory of Flight (1998).

He got his big break in 2005 when he appeared as Legionary Titus Pullo in HBO's Rome. One of the two series leads, he played alongside Kevin McKidd as Lucius Vorenus, Pullo's superior officer who initially despises Pullo for his uncouth ways. However, Vorenus eventually comes to appreciate Pullo's bravery, his indomitability in combat and his past-the-point-of-lunacy sense of friendship and loyalty, in short supply during the waning days of the Roman Republic. The double-act of McKidd and Stevenson helped make Rome a key (if often underappreciated) part of the HBO Golden Era.

Stevenson secured his reputation for playing honourable, warrior types by playing Dagonest, a Knight of the Round Table, in the film King Arthur (2004). His first lead role was in the Scottish horror movie Outpost (2008), followed up quickly by playing the role of Frank Castle aka The Punisher in Punisher: War Zone (2008). Stevenson sent up his tough guy persona in the comedy The Other Guys (2010).

In 2011 he debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Volstagg, one of the Warriors Three, in Thor. He reprised the role in Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Thor: Ragnarok (2017). He followed that up with roles in The Three Musketeers (2011) and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), and all three films of the Divergent Trilogy (2014-16).

His other television credits include Isaak Sirko in nine episodes of Dexter (2012) and the major role of Edward Teach/Blackbeard in Starz's Black Sails, appearing in the last two seasons (2016-17). He voiced Gar Saxon in two episodes of Star Wars: Rebels in 2016 and 2017 (returning to the role in two episodes of The Clone Wars in 2020), and played Ferdinand I of Naples in two episodes of Medici (2019), as well as James IV of Scotland in The Spanish Princess (2020). He played Ohthere in the sixth season of Vikings in 2020 and Commander Jack Swinburne in the new version of Das Boot (2022).

Stevenson played the antagonist of the massive Indian smash hit movie RRR (2022). At the time of his passing he had completed shooting the film 1242: Gateway to the West and his role as Baylan Skol, a villain in Star Wars: Ahsoka, due to air in August this year.

The cause of Stevenson's passing has not been disclosed, only that he had been hospitalised whilst shooting the movie Cassino in Ischia. Stevenson played the lead in the film, starring as a disgraced action star looking to get his career back on track.

Stevenson was an accomplished actor, combining his impressive physicality with an everyman approachability and emotional vulnerability in his performances. His breakthrough in Rome may have led to slight typecasting as badass warriors and soldiers, but he always brought humanity and depth to his performances, no matter how slight (such as when being massively underused in the Marvel movies).

A charismatic performer, he will most certainly be missed.

WARLORD CHRONICLES TV series to air in August

The Winter King, the TV adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's acclaimed Warlord Chronicles trilogy, will start airing on August 20th this year.

The show was only commissioned last September and was put into rapid turn-around, with Bad Wolf Productions (A Discovery of Witches, His Dark Materials, Doctor Who) prioritising the project which they'd been developing since 2015.

The novels take the form of a historically-inspired take on the legend of Arthur, with armour, weapons and military tactics based on real 5th/6th century sources. The books are narrated by Derfel Cadarn, a relatively junior member of the Knights of the Round Table. In the novels, Arthur is not a king but a warlord, a mercenary commander who is chosen to act as regent for the true heir to the throne, Prince Mordred. Britain at this time is a seething morass of competing religious, political and cultural influences, divided between the Roman occupiers whose time is fading, the native Britons and the invading Saxons. Arthur has the unenviable task of forging these forces into a coalition to ensure peace in the islands, aided by Merlin, in this version of the story a lecherous high priest.

The series stars Eddie Marsan (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell) as King Uther, Iain de Caestecker (Agents of SHIELD) as Arthur, Ellie James (I May Destroy You) as Nimue, Nathaniel Martello-White (I Hate Suzie) as Merlin, Stuart Campbell (Rogue Heroes) as Derfel, Daniel Ings (The Crown) as Owain, Valene Kane (Gangs of London) as Morgan, Jordan Alexandra (Mammals) as Guinevere and Simon Merrells (Knightfall) as Gundleus.

The series is produced by Bad Wolf and parent company Sony Television, and will air on MGM+ in the United States and ITVX in the United Kingdom.

Final WARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW novel gets a release date

The long, long-awaited final novel in Janny Wurts' Wars of Light and Shadow series now has a release date. Song of the Mysteries will be published in May 2024.

The Wars of Light and Shadow series details the conflict between two half-brothers who rise to positions of power, but then face a supernatural threat to the whole world. The series consists of eleven novels divided into five distinct sub-arcs, as follows:

Arc I

• Curse of the Mistwraith (1993)

Arc II

• Ships of Merior (1994)
• Warhost of Vastmark (1995)

Arc III: Alliance of Light

• Fugitive Prince (1995)
• Grand Conspiracy (1999)
• Peril's Gate (2001)
• Traitor's Knot (2004)
• Stormed Fortress (2007)

Arc IV: Sword of the Canon

• Initiate's Trial (2011)
• Destiny's Conflict (2017)

Arc V

• Song of the Mysteries (2024)

The first novel was published in 1993, just three years after the first Wheel of Time novel and three years before A Game of Thrones, making this one of the longest-gestating fantasy series that was still incomplete. However, Wurts began thinking about and planning the series in 1972, making this an ending fifty years in the making.

DOCTOR WHO gets 60th anniversary episode titles and new trailer

The BBC has unveiled a short trailer for its upcoming Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials. The BBC will air three special episodes in November to commemorate the anniversary, and now we know what they're called.

The first episode is called The Star Beast and sees the newly-regenerated Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) arriving on contemporary Earth, confused as hell as to why his new incarnation looks identical to his tenth. The Doctor is drawn into a conflict between the cute Beep the Meep and the monstrous Wrarth Warriors, who are pursuing the fluffball for reasons unknown. Also involved is the Doctor's former companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), her daughter Rose (Yasmin Finney) and grandfather Wilfred Mott (the late Bernard Cribbins, in his final Doctor Who appearance).

The second episode is called Wild Blue Yonder and sees the Doctor and Donna confront a mysterious showman (Neil Patrick Harris).

The third episode is called The Giggle and nobody is talking about that one. It's presumed that this episode will explain why the Fourteenth Doctor resembles the Tenth, and will see his regeneration into the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa).

All three episodes are written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Rachel Talalay, Tom Kingsley and Chanya Button respectively.

We won't have to wait too long for more Doctor Who, either. The Fifteenth Doctor will get his first full outing in the Doctor Who Christmas Special (the first since 2017), presumed to be aired on Christmas Day this year, and then Series 14 proper, consisting of eight episodes, will follow in early 2024 and see the Fifteenth Doctor joined by new companion Ruby Sunday, to be played by Millie Gibson.

BABYLON 5: THE ROAD HOME gets cast list and release window

The Babylon 5 animated film announced last week now has a name, synopsis and cast list.

The animated film will be called Babylon 5: The Road Home and its synopsis is as follows:

"Travel across the galaxy with John Sheridan as he unexpectedly finds himself transported through multiple timelines and alternate realities in a quest to find his way back home. Along the way he reunites with some familiar faces, while discovering cosmic new revelations about the history, purpose, and meaning of the Universe."

The film's cast consists of:

• Bruce Boxleitner as John Sheridan
• Claudia Christian as Susan Ivanova
• Peter Jurasik as Londo Mollari
• Bill Mumy as Lennier
• Tracy Scoggins as Elizabeth Lochley
• Patricia Tallman as Lyta Alexander
• Paul Guyet as Zathras and Jeffrey Sinclair
• Anthony Hansen as Michael Garibaldi
• Phil LaMarr as Dr. Stephen Franklin
• Andrew Morgado as G'Kar
• Rebecca Riedy as Delenn
• Piotr Michael as David Sheridan
• Mara Junot as Reporter/Computer Voice

Boxleitner, Christian, Jurasik, Mumy, Scoggins and Tallman reprise their roles from the original television series. The roles of Zathras, Sinclair, Garibaldi, Franklin, G'Kar and Delenn have been recast as, unfortunately, their original actors are no longer with us (Babylon 5's cast has been noted for an unusually high attrition rate since the show ended in 1998).

Original writer/creator J. Michael Straczynski writes and executive produces, with Matt Peters as director and Rick Morales as supervising producer and Sam Register as Executive Producer.

The film has been produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and will be released this summer. A precise date and release venue has not been announced yet.

The new animated film takes place in the same continuity as the original live-action series, which aired five TV movies and 110 episodes across five seasons, from 1993 to 1998. The show spawned a 13-episode spin-off series, Crusade, and two further TV movies in 2002 and 2007. The show has also generated a substantial amount of spin-off material, including two tabletop roleplaying games, a couple dozen novels, a wargame, spacecraft miniature kits and action figures. The series was noted for its pioneering use of CGI and pre-planned serialised story arcs at a time when most television shows still relied on an episodic model.

In addition to this animated project, Straczynski has written a pilot script for a possible reboot of the premise in live action, in a new continuity. This new script was in development at the CW for some time, but recent rumours have suggested that Warner Brothers are developing it directly for a different venue.

DUNE: PART TWO unveils first trailer

The first trailer for Dune: Part Two has dropped.

The film, again directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Jon Spaihts, completes the story begun in 2021's well-received Dune: Part One. Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling and Javier Bardem return from the first film. Joining them will be Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Léa Seydoux.

The two films together adapt Frank Herbert's classic 1965 novel Dune in its entirety. Villeneuve has expressed interest in adapting the first of Herbert's five sequels to the original novel, Dune Messiah, to complete a film trilogy (although the narrative arcs of the first book actually conclude in the following novel, Children of Dune).

Surprise BABYLON 5 animated movie announced

Warner Brothers have confirmed that they have produced a Babylon 5 animated film, written and produced by original creator J. Michael Straczynski.

Straczynski had been hyping up a new B5 announcement for a few weeks, although cautioning this had nothing to do with the mooted live-action reboot of the show (previously in development at the CW but recently moved to Warner Brothers directly). Speculation had been rife over audio dramas, video games or comics, but an animated feature film is something of a surprise.

The setting, cast, release date and even the title of the film will remain under wraps for another week or so, with further information to follow. However, Straczynski indicated that the film is already complete and in the can, and the release date will be "very soon," presumably indicating this year.

Although the cast remains a matter of speculation, Straczynski had previously confirmed he had spoken to Bruce Boxleitner about the project, hinting at a return for Captain/President John Sheridan (or, possibly, Boxleitner voicing another character in a cameo).

More information will follow next week.

Blogging Roundup: 1 January to 30 April 2022

 

The Wertzone

News

• Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel film gets 2025 release date 
• HBO greenlights second Game of Thrones spin-off show, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 
• Lucasfilm and Disney announce three new Star Wars films 
• First trailer for Star Wars: Ahsoka name-drops Heir to the Empire, introduces Rebels cast to live action 
• HBO eyeing a Game of Thrones movie and TV series about Aegon the Conqueror 
• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy greenlit at Paramount+ 
• RUMOUR: Babylon 5 reboot dead at CW, still in development at Warner Brothers 
• House of the Dragon to get shorter seasons moving forwards 
• Star Trek shows get new seasons and airdates 
• Game of Thrones veteran to play iconic Forgotten Realms villain in D&D movie 
• Red Dwarf rights split between original creators 
• Starfield acquires (probably) final release date 
• New Alien movie starts shooting next week 
• Star Trek: Discovery to end with fifth season in 2024 
• Embracer Group strikes new deal with Warner Brothers to make new Lord of the Rings movies 
• Babylon 5 celebrates its 30th anniversary 
• The CW will not develop any pilots for 2023-24, likely ending Babylon 5 reboot development 
• The Simpsons renewed for two more episodes, to bring it to over 800 episodes aired 
• The Last of Us renewed for a second season at HBO 
• Wizards of the Coast scrap plans to revamp the OGL and moves D&D to a Creative Commons licence 
• New Dungeons & Dragons rules to use a Creative Commons licence 
• Stephen Colbert to develop Chronicles of Amber TV series 
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remake targets 2025 release date 
• New MechWarrior video game in development 
• Scott Lynch releases excerpt from a new Locke Lamora story 
• Tabletop RPG industry in uproar over leaked changes to the Open Game Licence 
• Dungeons & Dragons TV series greenlit for Paramount+ 
• BattleTech reclaims its place as one of the biggest SFF wargames in the world 

Reviews

• TV: Star Trek: Picard, Season 3 
• Video Game: Far Cry 6 
• Film: Avatar: The Way of Water 
• TV: Shadow and Bone, Season 2 
• Film: Dungeons and Dragons - Honor Among Thieves 
• TV: Reservation Dogs, Season 2 
• TV: Atlanta, Season 3 
• Video Game: Death Stranding (Director's Cut) 
• TV: Halo, Season 1 

Articles

• RIP Klaus Teuber, the creator of Catan 
• RIP Eric Brown 
• RIP Lance Reddick 

Atlas of Ice and Fire

• Historical Maps of the Forgotten Realms 03: The First Flowering 
• Historical Maps of the Forgotten Realms 02: The Dawn Age 
• Historical Maps of the Forgotten Realms 01: The Days of Thunder 

Thank you for reading The Wertzone. To help me provide better content, please consider contributing to my Patreon page and other funding methods.

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER sequel film gets 2025 release date

Paramount have revealed a first look at the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel film. The new animated film will be released on 10 October 2025.

The new film is set some years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender but still decades before the events of spin-off show The Legend of Korra. Based on the still, Aang and the gang are maybe 10-15 years older than in the original show.

Avatar co-creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko previously explored the years immediately after the events of the original show in a series of comic books and graphic novels, which explored the aftermath of the devastating war against the Fire Lord and the fate of the Fire Kingdom's colonies on the mainland, which the other kingdoms wanted removed despite some of them having been there for a century. The conflict over these lands eventually leads to the creation of a new, neutral kingdom which we know will eventually transform into The Legend of Korra's Republic City.

The Legend of Korra, which takes place 70 years after the events of Avatar, previously featured the characters of Katara, Zuko and Toph in their old age (Sokka having died off-screen and Aang, of course, having died to allow Korra to be born). That show featured several brief flashbacks to a time period when Aang and the gang were in their 30s and 40s, which left fans eager to see more.

The new film is in production at Flying Bark Productions, with DiMartino and Konietzko on board as producers, with Eric Coleman and Lauren Montgomery directing. It's not been confirmed yet if the original voice cast is returning. Nickelodeon, Paramount and Avatar Studios are collaborating on the project.

The new Avatar film is the first of several new projects in the setting coming up. Nickelodeon and Paramount are also developing a new animated series and two further films, although nothing about their setting or characters have been confirmed, despite speculation that the second film would focus on Zuko and the third on the next Avatar after Korra.

Netflix also wrapped up filming of a live-action remake of the first season of Avatar some months ago. That series is expected to debut later in 2023.