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Brandon Sanderson has reflected on the cancellation of Amazon's The Wheel of Time series in a recent interview with IGN, describing the show's abrupt ending as "a tragedy" while reiterating his frustrations with some of the changes made to Robert Jordan's books.
The Wheel of Time was cancelled by Prime Video in May 2025 after three seasons, bringing the adaptation to an end just as its third season had seemingly started to win back some of the fans who had been critical of its earlier departures from Jordan's novels.
At the time, Sanderson was openly critical of how the cancellation was handled. He said he had learned about it from the news after going two months without hearing anything from the production, and argued that the show's fanbase deserved better after what he considered its strongest season.
More than a year later, Sanderson's feelings haven't changed much, although his latest comments put more emphasis on the people left behind by the cancellation.
"It's a tragedy," Sanderson said when asked how he now reflects on the show. "In part for the cast and crew, whom I knew worked extremely hard, only to have their story end up unfinished."
Sanderson, who completed The Wheel of Time after Jordan's death using material and notes left by the original author, also singled out Rosamund Pike's performance as Moiraine as something he believes would be difficult to replace in another adaptation.
"I don't know if it would ever be possible to get a better Moiraine than Rosamund, for example," he said.
But while Sanderson has sympathy for the people who worked on the show, he still has significant reservations about the creative decisions made during its three-season run.
"At the same time, I wish I'd been able to persuade them to stick to the books in a few key aspects," he said.
That doesn't mean Sanderson believes adaptations have to follow their source material religiously. In fact, he was careful to make clear that he isn't opposed to changes when moving a story from one medium to another.
"I'm not one who thinks nothing can ever change in an adaptation," he said. "But there were alterations made here that led to an ever-widening gulf between Robert Jordan's vision and the show."
Sanderson believes there was ultimately a way for Amazon to make the changes it wanted while retaining more of what made Jordan's books distinctive.
"I feel there was a way to do what Amazon wanted and what the fans wanted, and maintain a little more clarity as to the themes of the books," he said.
Would Brandon Sanderson Return for Another Wheel of Time Adaptation?
Despite his frustrations with the Prime Video series, Sanderson hasn't ruled out working on another adaptation of The Wheel of Time in the future.
"If they want me!" he said when asked whether he would still be interested in being involved with future adaptations.
There is, however, an obvious caveat.
"They might not, as I was kind of loud behind the scenes about my dislike of some of these changes," he added.
Sanderson's involvement with the Amazon series was never as extensive as some fans might have hoped. While he was consulted during the show's development and production, he has previously spoken about feeling that his input was not meaningfully incorporated into the adaptation.
His relationship with the people who control the television and film rights is now effectively separate from his ongoing work with The Wheel of Time itself.
"I have an excellent relationship with Harriet and her team," Sanderson said, referring to Harriet McDougal, Jordan's widow and one of the key figures overseeing his literary legacy.
"I'm publishing Wheel of Time leatherbound editions right now, and worked extensively with Harriet and Maria on perfecting those."
As for the television and film rights holders, Sanderson said: "I have not spoken to the tv/film rights holders in many years."
For now, there is no official indication that The Wheel of Time will return in another television or film adaptation. The Prime Video series concluded with its third season, and reports following its cancellation indicated that the show was not being actively shopped to another streaming service.
That leaves Sanderson's comments as something of a postmortem on an adaptation that came to an end before it could tell the complete story of Jordan's sprawling fantasy saga.
For fans, there is at least the possibility that The Wheel of Time could eventually get another chance on screen. Sanderson's comments suggest that, if it does, he would still be willing to have a seat at the table, provided someone actually wants him there.
You can read more of the big Brandon Sanderson interview here on IGN, where we've discussed the Games of Thrones, potential video game adaptations of his work, and progress on the Mistborn movie.
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