Amazon Prime Video has been making an increasing impact with its drama series in recent years, with 2024’s hit game adaptation Fallout proving a bona fide hit, following on from the huge success of The Wheel Of Time. Debuting in 2021, the latter is adapted from the fantasy book series by the late American author Robert Jordan, and stars Rosamund Pike in the central role of Moiraine Damodred.

The leader of the powerful Aes Sedai organisation, Moiraine’s quest sees her travel to the secluded village the Two Rivers. Here, she looks for the man believed to be the reincarnation of the Dragon, an extremely powerful male channeller, prophesied to potentially save the world from a primordial evil known as the Dark One (think Liverpool’s attempts to break Man City’s stranglehold on the Premier League and you’re getting there).

The new third season of The Wheel Of Time sees Pike – the English actress who first shot to stardom with a memorable performance in David Fincher’s Gone Girl – delivering another bravura turn, as Moiraine finds herself caught up in more adventure with the Dragon Reborn, aka Rand Al’Thor (played by Josha Stradowski).

“It’s a season we’re immensely proud of,” enthuses Pike of the show’s return. “We’ve wanted to grow the show season by season – we delivered a second season that was better than the first, which is always the hope. It’s disappointing if season two leaves people feeling that you fell off the cliff a bit. We really solidified what we did first time out, and now season three is maybe four times as good as our last one! We’ve intensified all the relationships and jeopardy.

“We know that the seat of power in the White Tower is crumbling – we know from very early on that some institution we thought was sacrosanct has a mutiny at its core. And if the most stable thing in the world seems to be crumbling, then where on earth is the world going?

“Moiraine is still banished from the White Tower, but she has of course found the Dragon Reborn. But now the world knows who the dragon reborn is, and news is spreading fast.”

As Pike notes, in the new season, different dynamics are at play with the Dragon Reborn.

“There are other people who want to take control and influence him, and perhaps kill him,” she resumes. “That is what she is up against as she continues to try and fulfil her mission, which is to deliver him to the last battle and prepare him for it. But that is becoming more problematic, because Rand is gaining agency. He is answering back to her; he’s reading the prophecies and looking to make his own decisions.

“He needs to – he doesn’t want to feel like a puppet on a string, which is something he’s mentioned before. And while Moiraine wants him to go to Tear and take Callandor – which is a sword only he can only remove from its stone – Rand wants to go against what Moiraine wants and go to the Aiel Waste. He knows that’s where his people come from, and a lot of our season is set in that very forbidding, dangerous terrain.”

Another complication, meanwhile, comes from the attitudes of the Aiel people themselves.

“They’re very hostile and suspicious of outsiders,” explains Pike. “They have a very closed community of ruthless, highly trained killers. But within that, they have a very spiritual dimension as well. The have elders, these women – The Wise Ones – who are very akin to the Aes Sedai. So Maraine does travel with Rand and Egwene into the Aiel Waste, and they have a life-changing journey together.”

Completed by author Brandon Sanderson following Jordan’s untimely death in 2007, The Wheel Of Time debuted in 1990 and spanned 14 volumes before it ultimately concluded in 2013 with A Memory Of Light. Eventually becoming a multimedia phenomenon, the saga has sold over 90 million copies, making it one of the bestselling fantasy series since The Lord Of The Rings.

With Pike also serving as executive producer on the Amazon series, she has certainly had a deep involvement in the adaptation process.

“I have immersed myself in The Wheel Of Time in the last five years,” she reflects. “Since first signing on to play Moiraine Damodred in March 2019, my knowledge of Robert Jordan’s world has deepened. I’ve read four books on audiobook, which has consumed hundreds and hundreds of hours. That involves prepping and creating voices for all the characters, and trying to represent the characters who appear on our show as authentically as I can.

“In terms of developing the show, you’re thinking of casting ideas, and how we can keep being bold in our choice of cast members. You’re asking, ‘Who’s going to be most exciting for the fans?’ I’m also working on Moiraine’s skillsets, whether that’s her movement when it comes to channelling, or riding, or any of the things she needs to do. At one point, for example, she has a brief knife fight with an antagonist.

“I’m still reading the books and making notes, and it’s so dense you have to re-read it to get the nuance. We’re exploring big new concepts this season – the Aiel culture is fantastic. There’s this beautiful thing these desert people – who live in a hostile wasteland – do when they greet each other. They say, ‘May you always find water and shade’, which is the most beautiful idea.”

What are some of the biggest challenges in making the series?

“With anything in fantasy, it’s making a world that’s so different from ours feel incredibly relatable,” says Pike. “And that’s our job, to make these big statements, these dangers that don’t relate to our world, feel relatable. I remember in season one, I had to say, ‘The Dark is starting to move Trollocs through The Ways.’ Now, that is something that means nothing to people who don’t know anything about The Wheel Of Time.

“But the stakes have got to feel like North Korea is making moves to deploy the atomic bomb. You have to find something in our life to relate it to, in order to make the stakes understandable. And then when you deliver those lines, they carry meaning, weight and an intensity that feels real.”

Pike further considers the work that goes into creating The Wheel Of Time.

“We’re a world building show,” she notes. “This is a book series that has lived in the imagination of fans for years. And Robert Jordan is very detailed. He builds worlds in people’s imaginations, and we have to honour those worlds. And that means building not just sets, but cities. We’re lucky to have many inspiring creatives working on the show, from movement to costume to VFX, set design, and acting and directing. So many wonderful people collaborate to make this thing happen.”

Finally, what does the actress think fan reaction will be to season three?

“I think they’re going to love it,” says Pike. “We’ve elevated the show and gone into beautiful, panoramic widescreen. We go to new worlds and meet new cultures – the politics and emotional stakes are getting super interesting. I suppose you could say we’ve reinvented the wheel and taken ownership of the story in a new way.”

• The Wheel Of Time season three is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.