Less than a year after Prime Video pulled the plug on its live-action Wheel of Time series, Robert Jordan’s beloved fantasy saga is already finding new life — and this time, it’s coming from multiple directions at once.
According to a report from Variety, Thomas Vu — the producer behind the critically acclaimed animated series Arcane — and iwot Studios are now officially developing new adaptations of the Wheel of Time novels. The slate includes an animated series, animated feature films, and a new video game. For fans who watched Prime Video’s cancellation with a mix of disappointment and resignation, this announcement lands as a genuine surprise.
The speed of the turnaround is striking. Cancellations of major fantasy productions often leave intellectual properties in limbo for years. Here, the rights appear to have found a new creative home remarkably quickly, and with a team that has real credentials in the animated space.
What Exactly Is Being Developed
The new Wheel of Time projects are being shepherded by Thomas Vu alongside Anthony Borquez of Initiate Entertainment and the team at iwot Studios. The development slate, as confirmed by Variety, currently includes three distinct types of projects.
- An animated Wheel of Time series — a full episodic animated adaptation of the novels
- Animated feature films — movie-length animated productions set in the Wheel of Time world
- A new video game — a game adaptation of Robert Jordan’s universe
The involvement of Thomas Vu is the detail that will matter most to fans paying close attention. Vu’s work on Arcane — the animated series based on the League of Legends universe — earned widespread critical praise and demonstrated that animation could handle dense, complex fantasy and science fiction storytelling with the same weight and ambition as live-action productions. Bringing that pedigree to the Wheel of Time is a meaningful signal about the creative direction being pursued here.
Why Prime Video’s Cancellation Hurt — And Why This Matters
Prime Video’s live-action Wheel of Time series ran for multiple seasons and drew a devoted audience, but it also generated ongoing debate among the fanbase about how faithfully it captured Robert Jordan’s source material. The cancellation, which came roughly a year before this new announcement, left millions of fans without a clear path forward for one of fantasy literature’s most expansive universes.
Jordan’s original Wheel of Time series spans 14 novels, with a 15th prequel novel, and covers one of the most intricate world-building projects in the genre. Adapting it has always been considered an enormous undertaking — which makes the decision to pursue animation particularly interesting. Animation allows for visual storytelling that live-action budgets often struggle to sustain, and it removes some of the logistical constraints that can derail large-scale fantasy productions.
The addition of a video game component also signals an intent to build the Wheel of Time into a broader entertainment franchise rather than a single adaptation.
The Projects at a Glance
| Project Type | Format | Key Figures Involved | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animated Series | Episodic television | Thomas Vu, iwot Studios, Anthony Borquez | In development |
| Animated Feature Films | Movie-length animation | Thomas Vu, iwot Studios, Anthony Borquez | In development |
| Video Game | Interactive / gaming | iwot Studios | In development |
All three projects are currently in development, meaning release dates, platforms, and full cast or production details have not yet been confirmed publicly.
What This Means for Wheel of Time Fans
For the Wheel of Time fanbase, this news carries a particular weight. These are readers and viewers who have spent decades with Robert Jordan’s world — and, after Jordan’s passing, with Brandon Sanderson’s completion of the series. The Prime Video cancellation stung not just because a show ended, but because it felt like the window for a definitive screen adaptation might be closing.
This announcement reopens that window, and does so with a creative team that has a proven track record in animated storytelling. The Arcane comparison will be made frequently in the coming months, and for good reason — that series showed that animation tied to an existing fan universe could win over both longtime devotees and newcomers who had never engaged with
The video game development also matters to a segment of the audience that has long wanted an interactive Wheel of Time experience. The world Jordan built — with its complex magic system, political factions, and sprawling geography — is well-suited to the kind of deep exploration that games allow.
Whether any of these projects will fully satisfy the portion of the fanbase that wanted a faithful live-action continuation remains an open question. But the sheer ambition of developing an animated series, animated films, and a game simultaneously suggests that iwot Studios and their partners are thinking about this as a long-term franchise investment, not a quick pivot.
What Happens Next
All three projects are in early development as of the Variety report published in March 2026. No release windows, streaming platforms, or distribution partners have been officially announced for the animated series or films. The video game is similarly in its early stages.
Given how early this announcement is, fans should expect a longer road before any of these projects reaches screens or storefronts. Development timelines for animated series and films typically run several years from announcement to release, and video game production cycles can be even longer.
What is clear is that the Wheel of Time is not going away. The property has found new hands, and those hands belong to a team with genuine experience turning complex fictional universes into compelling visual stories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is developing the new Wheel of Time projects?
Thomas Vu, known for producing Arcane, is leading development alongside Anthony Borquez of Initiate Entertainment and iwot Studios.
What kinds of Wheel of Time projects are in development?
Three types of projects are currently in development: an animated series, animated feature films, and a video game.
Why was the Prime Video Wheel of Time series canceled?
The specific reasons for Prime Video’s cancellation have not been detailed in this reporting. The cancellation occurred roughly a year before this new development announcement.
Will the new Wheel of Time projects be live-action or animated?
Based on what has been confirmed, the new screen adaptations will be animated rather than live-action.
When will the new Wheel of Time animated series or films be released?
No release dates or distribution platforms have been confirmed yet, as all projects are currently in early development.
Is the new Wheel of Time video game connected to the animated series?
Both are being developed under the same team at iwot Studios, but specific details about how the projects connect have not yet been confirmed.
Leave a Reply