The television and film plans for The Wheel of Time continues to expand. Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Kari Skogland, who recently helmed The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ series for Marvel Studios, has signed on to helm a prequel film for The Wheel of Time fantasy saga that tells how The Dark One first managed to touch the world.
The film will reportedly be titled The Age of Legends.
The site goes on to add that the film will be the first installment in a planned trilogy. Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class) has already written the script.
While readers of the book series will recall that the struggle between the Dragon and the Dark One has gone on for seemingly as long as "the wheel first began to spin", details for The Age of Legends cement that the film trilogy will serve as something of an origin for The Forsaken and recount how they fell from the side of the Light and undertook the action that led to The Bore- a hole in the prison that the Creator placed the Dark One in at the time of the world's creation.
A Press Release for the project provides an official synopsis: "Utopia was lost with the emergence of the Dark One, and the world descended into darkness and war. The film will delve into the corrosive nature of power and pride, as seen through the tragic tales of the Forsaken – once honored leaders who fell victim to the Dark One's seduction, each personifying distinct elements of human weakness and ambition.”
In that same Press Release, Skogland added, "Directing The Age of Legends is a remarkable opportunity to bring a beloved universe to life and delve into the rich lore that has long-captivated the hearts of millions of book readers around the world. My vision is to honor the worldbuilding of Jordan’s masterwork, while peeling back the layers of legend and myth to reveal the flesh-and-blood characters underneath — flawed heroes and villains alike — ordinary people forced to make extraordinary choices as their world unravels.”
While there have been many references to the events described above throughout the 14 main entries, a prequel novel and 3 companion books that currently make up the fantasy series, there is not a single book or novella that focuses on the creation of The Bore or the subsequent War of Power, meaning that the film will be diving into original territory.
The film will join the successful live-action television series currently streaming on Amazon's Prime Video starring Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowsk, Zoë Robins, Daniel Henney, Marcus Rutherford, and Dònal Finn. Two seasons have been released with a third season currently shooting on location.
There is also an animated prequel film in development that was also written by Stentz and will be directed by Jay Oliva.
It's currently unknown at this time whether the live-action prequel film or the animated prequel film will be connected to the ongoing television adaptation.