Wheel Of Time’s Best Future Was Quietly Revealed By Prime Video 5 Years Ago

3 hours ago 6

Rand and Lan practicing swordfighting in The Wheel of Time season 3

Published Jul 1, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Prime Video's The Wheel of Time adaptation may be over, but the franchise's best future was quietly revealed all the way back when the series began. Based on the fantasy book series by the late Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time's story follows an ensemble cast of characters as they try to save the world from the Dark One, with one party member, Rand al'Thor, being the extremely powerful Dragon Reborn, destined to either destroy the Dark One, or join him.

While the series has 14 books in total, Prime Video canceled the show after just three seasons. This meant The Wheel of Time season 3 ended the show on a premature cliffhanger, leaving a number of key storylines unresolved after laying the groundwork for a much bigger conflict.

However, it's not over for the franchise just yet. According to a March 2026 report, The Wheel of Time will continue through a multitude of new mediums, which will bring the book series to life in different ways. While one of these is an ambitious video game project, another is animated movies and TV shows. This, in particular, would be the perfect way for the fantasy series to continue onscreen.

The Wheel of Time is no stranger to animation, either. In 2021, during the release of season 1, a series of six animated shorts were released, detailing aspects of the fantasy franchise's world, particularly locations or events that appeared prominently throughout the show. This existing animation connection makes it the perfect medium for the series' next chapter.

The Wheel Of Time's High Fantasy Elements Are Perfect For Animation

The Wheel of Time's characters and events are ripe for an animated adaptation, something the shorts already proved. Prime Video was able to provide succinct yet detailed information about the series' world and lore through these shorts, something that could be translated to a larger animated series. While they're not involved in the upcoming animated project, which comes from iwot Studios, their work lays a strong foundation for what the franchise could become.

Animated fantasy shows with complex lore have already proven themselves successful in recent years, too. Prime Video's ongoing The Legend of Vox Machina takes inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons, depicting a high fantasy world with complex characters and compelling narratives. This later led to a successful spinoff, The Mighty Nein.

Translating The Wheel of Time into an animated setting would allow it to stand alongside these other shows, providing a faithful story in a completely new medium.

Even outside of Prime Video, large-scale animated fantasy TV shows have become staples for streaming. Netflix's Arcane is revered as a stellar adaptation of the world of League of Legends, while HBO Max's short-lived Scavengers Reign earned critical praise, including an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program.

The high fantasy elements seen in recent Japanese anime, such as the acclaimed Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, also prove how well animation works for the genre. Translating The Wheel of Time into an animated setting would allow it to stand alongside these other shows, providing a faithful story in a completely new medium.

Animation Could Give The Wheel Of Time More Storytelling Freedom

One of the biggest benefits animation can give The Wheel of Time is more freedom to explore the larger world on which it's based. While the live-action series offered plenty of lore tidbits while focusing on its large-scale story, animation can help elevate these aspects by giving them a proper stage to stand on. This would allow for a further deep dive into Jordan's universe beyond the limited aspects of live-action.

While animation itself can still be expensive, The Wheel of Time was canceled partially because of just how high a budget it needed in order to operate. If it were animated, however, the show wouldn't need as big a budget, since it wouldn't need to worry about large-scale CGI fight sequences or finding accurate, real-world locations. It would all be crafted in favor of Jordan's original vision for the series.

Although it seems like The Wheel of Time's animated debut won't be anytime soon, the franchise's use of complex lore elements, high fantasy fight sequences, and ensemble storytelling make it perfect for the medium. As more information about the series gets revealed, it will likely reflect why animation is the strongest medium for the franchise moving forward.