The second season of The Wheel of Time, which filmed in Prague and locations throughout the Czech Republic last year, premiered on Amazon Prime Video over the weekend, with the first three episodes of the season now available. Additional episodes of the eight-episode season will drop each Friday through October 6.
The Wheel of Time stars Rosamund Pike as Moirane Damodred, a member of the powerful coven of magic-wielders known as the Aes Sedai, who believes that the Dark One (played by Fares Fares) is emerging after generations and a the world will face a fight for survival.
During the first season of The Wheel of Time, Moirane and her trusted guardian Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney) sought the Dragon Reborn who could save the world, narrowing their identity to five young candidates: blacksmith Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford), sheep farmer Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski), Mat Cauthon (Barney Harris), Egwene Al’Vere (Madeleine Madden), and Nynaeve al’Meara (Zoë Robins).
Season 2 picks up with the primary cast members and other characters, including Trader Padan Fain (Johann Myers), false prophet Logain (Álvaro Morte), and Min (Kae Alexander), largely on separate journeys, with the Dark One presumed defeated. As the show’s cold open reveals, however, that is not the case.
The Wheel of Time‘s first season received generally positive reviews, racking up a 78 percent score from critics and 74 percent from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Reactions were more consistent than Amazon’s other big fantasy show, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which garnered an 83 percent score from critics but just 38 percent from audiences on the platform.
While the first season of The Wheel of Time saw lengthy production delays in the Czech Republic due to the pandemic, filming for season 2 went more smoothly last summer. The production of season 3 had been threatened due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, but has reportedly continued filming.
In Prague, production of The Wheel of Time has primarily taken place at Jordan Studios, named after the series author Robert Jordan. The location was specifically created for the production of the series in a converted truck factory in Letňany. Some studio filming also took place at Prague’s Barrandov Studio.
Exterior filming for the second season of The Wheel of Time also took place in rural locations in Tetín, Vojkovice, Koněprusy, Vinařice, and Dolní Beřkovice in the Czech Republic’s Central Bohemian region, Chotěšov in the Plzeň region, Kestřany in South Bohemia, and Doksy and Hrubá Skála in the Liberec region.
Natural landmarks by the Ledčice and Kosov Quarries (both of which were also used in Amazon’s Carnival Row) and the Panská Skála rock formation in the Liberec region were also utuilized in the production of The Wheel of Time‘s second season.
“For us shooting here in the Czech Republic was the only choice,” The Wheel of Time Executive Producer Marigo Kehoe told the Czech Film Commission during the production of the second season. “Fantastic crews and great locations set in the heart of Europe”.
According to showrunner Rafe Judkins, a total of eight seasons are planned for The Wheel of Time. Star Rosamund Pike and her family have settled down in Prague for good, or at least as long as the show continues to film.
