The Wheel Of Time Showrunner Teases Two Major Book Characters In Season 2 [Exclusive]

The first season of "The Wheel of Time" premieres on November 19, but season 2 of the show is already in production.

Showrunner Rafe Judkins talked with /Film before the first season's release and shared several things about making the on-screen adaptation of Robert Jordan's fantasy book series. We'll post that complete interview shortly, but one piece of news Judkins shared about the second season will be especially exciting to fans of the books. During our conversation, Judkins teased that there will be two major characters in season 2 that fans will be excited to see: 

There's two characters that are in the first book that everyone loves that will not be in the first season of the show, and they both have big and heavy appearances in season 2. And they both start with the letters, "E. L."

Intriguing! Read on for our take on who those two characters might be. 

"The Wheel of Time" book series has thousands of characters in them. And there are more than a few characters in the first book, "The Eye of the World," whose names begin with the letters "E. L."

/Film's interview with Judkins took place before New York Comic Con, and during the show's panel there, Judkins announced that there will be at least three new cast members in season 2, one of whom will be Elayne Trakand, played by actor Ceara Coveney.

Elyane is a young Aes Sedai, one of the women who can wield the One Power, and is also in line to become the ruler of the kingdom of Andor. She establishes strong connections with many from the group who came to the Two Rivers including Egwene (Madeleine Madden), Nynaeve (Zoë Robins), and Rand (Josha Stradowski). She is also undoubtedly one of the characters Judkins had in mind, so check the box off next to her name for one of the characters Judkins was likely referencing. 

The other significant and popular character from the first book who hasn't shown up in at least the first six episodes of season 1 is Elyas Machera. Elyas is a Warder who has a special lupine-esque connection with Perrin (Marcus Rutherford). He's something of a loner and prefers living in the woods with the wolves rather than being around a lot of people.

Who would play Elyas, if I'm right? The two other cast announcements at New York Comic Con — Natasha O'Keeffe and Meera Syal — don't fit Elyas' character description very well. There have been unverified rumors, however, that actor Phil Snowden is part of "The Wheel of Time" cast as a character named "Steve," undoubtedly a code name for his true role. Snowden gives off some Elyas-like vibes to me, so it's certainly a possibility.

Elyas plays a major part in the second half of "The Eye of the World" and is a fan-favorite. If I had to place bets, I would put my money on Elyas being the other character Judkins promised would have a "big and heavy" appearance in season 2.

Another option, however, is Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan, a powerful Aes Sedai who plays a crucial role in White Tower politics. Syal or O'Keeffe could potentially be playing this role, but the reason I think Elyas is a more likely candidate is because she is not a character that everyone loves (quite the opposite, actually).

While we don't know for sure who the second character will be, we do know that the first season of "The Wheel of Time" premieres on Amazon Prime Video on November 19, 2021. No news yet on when the second season will make its way to the streaming platform.