Amazon Adds Ayoola Smart for Season 2 Role

Image: Prime Video Amazon’s live action adaptation of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time novels adaptation premiered late last year to a solid reception. With a second season already locked in, fans of the books are looking forward to what characters and story elements from the novels the show will bring in, and another of the show’s new additions has been revealed.
During the show’s virtual JordanCon panel, the yearly celebration of Jordan’s many books, showrunner Rafe Judkins announced that Ayoola Smart would be joining the cast in a recurring role. She’ll be playing Aviendha, a character that Judkins called his personal favorite from the many in Jordan’s novels. Introduced in the third book, 1991’s The Dragon Reborn, Aviendha is a Wise One, one of the three matriarchal leaders of the Aiel. Throughout the novels, she eventually becomes a main love interest of Rand al’Thor, played in the show by Joshua Stradowski. Judkins made the video in Morocco near where a fight scene involving Smart was being filmed, and he had nothing but praise for her portrayal of health the character. “Start Googling her now!” Judkins teased. “This woman is gonna make you excited to see more of the world of the Aiel.” In the books, Rand has a multitude of romances, another of which—Elayne Trakand (played by Ceara Coveney)—will also be showing up in Wheel’s sophomore season. The current outlier, at least at time of writing, is Min Fashaw. Given the show’s been openly taking creative liberties with its source material, there’s sure to be some surprises in how it handles Aviendha and Elayne, both in relation to Rand, and outside of their connection to him.
The second season for The Wheel of Time is said to be arriving “soon,” per Judkins’ words. [via Collider ] Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power .