Filming in South Africa

If you’ve been following our production news on season 3 of The Wheel of Time, you’ll recall that the season started filming in the Czech Republic in mid-April 2023, where it continued except for a scheduled break prior to the release of season 2. Filming in the Czech Republic is scheduled to wrap in roughly a month. Following that, the production is anticipated to move to South Africa.

A number of season 3 crew have visited South Africa, including director Marta Cunningham, who visited both the city of Cape Town and the North Cape region, and first assistant director Michael S Chandler. Additionally, a construction supervisor for South African filming has been attached to episodes 303 and 304. Cunningham is the director for episodes 305 and 306, and Chandler is the first assistant director for Ciaran Donnelly, who is directing four episodes. As a result, it’s likely filming in South Africa will be for a variety of scenes throughout the season, similar to how Morocco was utilized in the last four episodes of season 2.

We do not know how long filming in South Africa is scheduled to last at this time, but we will continue to report on filming updates as we learn of them. In addition to filming in the Czech Republic, The Wheel of Time recently returned to Slovenia for filming. Prior locations for seasons 1 and 2 include the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Spain, Italy, and Morocco.

New York Comic Con 2023 Panel

This news about South Africa may shed some light on a comment Rafe made this weekend during a panel at New York Comic Con 2023. On Saturday, October 14, The Wheel of Time shared the spotlight with three other Prime Video shows during a 2-hour panel, “Prime Video Presents: The Power of Prime.” First, executive producer Marigo Kehoe, VHX Supervisor Andy Scrase, and VFX Producer Brian Shows were interviewed about their experiences making season 2, and then showrunner Rafe Judkins was brought out to share his own stories for season 2. Excitingly, Rafe also was able to tease some tidbits for season 3. We’ve transcribed the questions and answers for the next season below.

Season Three Answers

Q: You’re already working on season 3, yes? What can you tell us about what’s coming up and maybe what books we might want to dip back into?
Rafe: I mean, one nice thing about season 3 is that we really get to focus on one book this season, which is book four, which is one of the best books in the entire series. So I’m glad that we get to really spend a whole season doing it. And I just flew back about 36 hours through 3 continents and arrived here today ’cause I was standing in Rhuidean and then I flew here. So that is one thing that fans will get to see for sure in season three: the Aiel Waste.
Q: The reaction to this season was so positive and so overwhelming. Are there any theories that you saw throughout the season that kind of surprised you, like “Oh! you’re closer to what I didn’t expect them to be close to.”
Rafe: I mean one thing I love to look at is theories about the Forsaken. We really felt like the Forsaken are such an incredible part of the books, and we wanted to bring them to the forefront in season 2 kind of earlier than they really are forefronted in the books. And so I’ve seen some very serious commentary online about the Forsaken and who or who may not be in the show. And I can — I mean, it’s not really even a confirmation — but I can confirm that we have cast and put on set a Forsaken you have not seen in the show as of yet… you would know them from the books.
Q: So other than that, any other teases you can give us?
Rafe: I think one of the other cool things that we get to explore is the Aiel culture. They’re these incredible warriors in the Wheel of Time world, and we get to go really meet them and see them go to where they’re from, and we also get to explore with some of our characters the World of Dreams and Dreamwalking with these Aiel. I think that’s a really cool thing to get to do in season 3 because it is one of those unique elements in Wheel of Time that no other book series really has. So, we really explore that world in season 3.
Q: [In the season 2 finale] Liandrin is nowhere to be seen, which means she’s somewhere doing something. And you promised that we will know, right?
A: You will know right up top, season three, what Liandrin’s been up to.

More Information from Rafe Judkins

Following a screening of the season 2 finale held by Amazon on Sunday, Rafe Judkins revealed more hints about what fans can expect to see in season 3. In addition to returning to old locations, the city of Tanchico was specified as a new location the characters would visit in addition to the previously mentioned Aiel Waste and Rhuidean. The Sea Folk — a culture that was name-dropped in episode one of season 2 — will also be showcased in the upcoming season. Additionally, Rand and Perrin’s stories receive more focus.

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter prior to Saturday’s panel, Marigo Kehoe revealed that all eight scripts for season 3 were finished before the filming of season 3, and that production was unaffected by the strikes due to the production using Equity contracts.

Editorial Note

WoTSeries.com is a news site by fans, for fans, and is not affiliated with any paid sponsors or brands. We stand in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA and the WGA and encourage donations to the Entertainment Community Fund to support those affected during the work stoppage.

(Note: A previous version of this article stated that the screening of the finale was held at NYCC. This has been corrected!)

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Lover of fantasy and other geeky goodness.