'Not a grimdark replacement': Brandon Sanderson's unease with 'The Wheel Of Time' adaptation shifts

"A New Turning of the Wheel": Brandon Sanderson's Critique of 'The Wheel Of Time' Changes

Author and consultant for Amazon's adaptation of 'The Wheel Of Time', Brandon Sanderson, is famed for his fantasy series like 'Mistborn' and 'Stormlight Archive'. A little over a decade since he took over Robert Jordan's saga, he has now voiced his disagreements with some controversial changes to the onscreen adaptation, as reported by Forbes.

"Doing Luhhan Dirty" - Sanderson on Perrin's Backstory

In the adaptation, one of the major divergences from the original series revolves around Perrin (Marcus Rutherford). The show makes a dramatic twist to his character, involving the accidental killing of his wife during a battle. However, this alteration did not sit well with many fans, and it seems, not with Sanderson either.

Addressing this on Reddit, Sanderson lamented, "Biggest thing he and I disagreed on was Perrin's wife...I think the trauma of having killed your wife is so huge, the story this is telling can't realistically deal with it in a way that is responsible."

He also suggested an alternative to this, "I suggested instead that he kill Master Luhhan...Killing Perrin's wife felt edgy just to be edgy.”

"Not a Grimdark Replacement" - Sanderson's Take on the Adaptation

Another area of concern for Sanderson was the general "grimdark" tone of the series, reminiscent of 'Game Of Thrones'. He emphasized, "I don't want to lean into the "Grimdark" ideas."

However, Sanderson's perspective on these changes has an interesting twist. He believes that the show is not simply an adaptation of the books, but more like an adaptation of the "NEXT time these people are living this story.”

Sanderson also brought attention to the realities of adapting a book to screen. From casting to location challenges to pacing the narrative differently for TV - everything plays a role. Even though some changes may not sit well with the readers, a more "faithful" adaptation doesn't necessarily mean it's better.

In a nutshell, despite his disagreements, Sanderson demonstrates a remarkable understanding of the changes made in the adaptation, even if they didn't align with his views. He says, “It's not an adaptation of the books to me; it's an adaptation of the NEXT time these people are living this story.”

This fresh perspective just adds another layer of depth to the 'Wheel of Time' saga, don't you think?

(Several parts of the text in this article, including the title, were generated with the help of an AI tool.)