‘The Wheel Of Time’ Adds Shohreh Aghdashloo To Season 3 Cast

Denise Petski
·3-min read

Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated actor Shohreh Aghdashloo has joined the Season 3 cast of Prime Video’s fantasy epic series The Wheel of Time, starring Rosamund Pike, Madeleine Madden and Josha Stradowski.

Aghdashloo will portray Elaida do Avriny a’Roihan, a highly anticipated character from Robert Jordan’s eponymous and epic fantasy book series on which the show is based. The character is one of the powerful Aes Sedai – a group of women with the ability to channel the One Power who are part of an elite sisterhood. Elaida is a ruthlessly powerful Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah, as proficient in politicking as she is in channeling.  She has a deep history with Moiraine (Pike) and Siuan (Sophie Okonedo), and scores to settle with both of them when she returns to the White Tower.  Elaida is someone who believes in ends over means, and is willing to do anything to achieve what she envisions to be the greater good.

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The Wheel of Time, set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists but only women can use it, is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television and comes from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Chuck writer Rafe Judkins, who is showrunner and exec producer.

The show is based on Jordan’s best-selling fantasy book series The Wheel of Time, in which a humble farm boy, Rand al’Thor, learns he is The Dragon Reborn—a dangerous figure from history destined to save the world … or break it. The Wheel of Time turns, and the Last Battle approaches.

At the end of Season 2, after defeating Ishamael, Rand reunites with his friends at Falme and is declared the Dragon Reborn. But in Season Three, the threats against the Light are multiplying: the White Tower stands divided, the Black Ajah run free, old enemies return to the Two Rivers, and the remaining Forsaken are in hot pursuit of the Dragon… including Lanfear, whose relationship with Rand will mark a crucial choice between Light and Dark for them both. As the ties to his past begin to unravel, and his corrupted power grows stronger, Rand becomes increasingly unrecognizable to his closest allies, Moiraine and Egwene. These powerful women, who started the series as teacher and student, must now work together to prevent the Dragon from turning to the Dark…no matter the cost.

In addition to Pike, Stradowski and Madden, Daniel Henney stars as al’Lan Mandragoran, Zoë Robins as Nynaeve al’Meara, Marcus Rutherford as Perrin Aybara, Dónal Finn as Mat Cauthon, Ceara Coveney as Elayne Trakand, Kate Fleetwood as Leandrin Guirale, Natasha O’Keeffe as Lanfear, Ayoola Smart and Kae Alexander as Min Farshaw.

Judkins adapted The Wheel of Time for television and executive produces with Pike, along with Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon of iwot productions (Winter Dragon), Ted Field of Radar Pictures (Jumanji: The Next Level, Winter Dragon), Mike Weber (Jumanji: The Next Level, Beirut), Marigo Kehoe (Outlander, The Crown), Ciaran Donnelly (Kin), Justine Juel Gillmer (The Survivor, Halo) and Dave Hill (Game of Thrones).

Aghdashloo is best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in House of Sand and Fog and her Emmy-winning role in HBO’s acclaimed miniseries House of Saddam. Her recent work includes a voice role in Netlfix film Damsel and the video game Assassin’s Creed Mirage, as well as a role in the animated series Arcane. Her additional notable television credits include 24, The Expanse (as Chrisjen Avasarala), and The Punisher, among others.

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