Dragon's blog

As I follow the discussion on the various Wheel of Time message boards, I am reminded just how much I always seem to learn from you guys.

In my view, in order for a theatrical film to work, we need to first recognize that a watching a movie is an entirely different way to experience a story than reading the written word. In my role as a producer of the movie, it is not my goal to replace the experience of reading RJ's books, but rather, I intend to honor his masterwork by bringing to life the characters and settings of The Wheel of Time as an entirely new multimedia experience.

We decided long ago, that a episodic television or mini-series would have required too many limitations in budget, production quality, and would probably suffer from a myopic and overbearing focus on network ratings. Accordingly, from the beginning we set our sights on bringing forth RJ's epic story to life bejeweled with all of the assets that are unique to a big screen production. We are truly fortunate to have partnered with Universal in making this picture; they are excited about this project and want to make a picture that will both meet the expectations of existing WOT fans while reaching a broad, new global audience who may never have had the pleasure of reading RJ's work.

I would like to add one more thing. I am working closely with the members of the fan community to test out ideas for the picture and to gain deeper insights into RJ's work. I immensely enjoyed meeting many of you at the recent JordanCon event held in Atlanta. And for the record, I should also add that I consider myself a major WOT fan as well.

I'll continue to lurk about and post whenever I have something to add to the discussion.

All the best,

Larry Mondragon

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and suggestions on our movie and video game projects. We love the creative thinking and diversity of opinion that everyone brings to the dialogue.

I would like to contribute a couple of my own comments to the discussion. First, while we all can find parallels in The Wheel of Time to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, I believe that a film adapted from Robert Jordan's epic will justifiably stand on its own. While in LOTR, Frodo ends his quest with the destruction of ring in the fires of Mount Doom, in The Wheel of Time, our heroes end their quest at The Eye of the World; but that is just where Jordan's story really begins. In The Wheel of Time, the reader is presented with a world fixed both in our future and our past, where mankind has nearly been annihilated several times in the prior millennia, and where new civilizations have risen from the ashes that co-exist alongside the relics of our distant future. Toss in the One Power, an ensemble cast of uncertain heroes and villains, and a cadre of bad-ass Forsaken, and you have mental picture of a world that I believe is without peer in the fantasy genre. With all this (and much, much more) to work with, if we make a motion picture than anyone could possibly confuse with Lord of the Rings, shame on us.

Yes, we will have our fair share of challenges in making a movie based upon The Wheel of Time. Much has been said about the possibilities for visualizing channeling, given the fundamental gender differences men and women have in wielding Saidin and Saidar (Aran'gar notwithstanding), and certainly we would want our Fades, Trollocs, Ogier and Nym to look striking and unique from prior films in the fantasy genre. But, while we recognize the care with which we will need to handle each of these aspects of the film, we are yet a long way off from beginning production. As for now, all of our thoughts and energy are being invested into how we can adapt RJ’s work into a screenplay that is truly magical. For me, this is where the real fun starts in making a picture based upon The Wheel of Time.

Finally, in my view, way too much is being said about how many movies might be made, or even whether a television series may be in the future. In a nutshell, all possibilities are on the table, but no one involved with the production can look any farther than the first film release. If we do the story justice in the adaptation to a screenplay, deliver on the expectations of MOST fans of the series (O.K., even Peter Jackson didn't please everyone), and capture the hearts and minds of a global audience who may (cough, cough!!) have never before heard of Robert Jordan and The Wheel of Time, I think we stand a good chance of being able to do it all over again. But for now we will remain focused like a beam of balefire on this first movie project only, to the exclusion of anything else further down the road. After the first film is released, we’ll have to see what happens….

After all, “the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills.”

Best to all,

Larry Mondragon

P.S. I had a wonderful time at the recent inaugural JordanCon event held in Atlanta. I want to give a shout-out to Jennifer and all of the other organizers of this remarkable gathering. I plan on coming again next year, so I hope to see some of you there!

We have received some questions about our whether we plan on being an exhibitor at the upcoming E3 Expo in Los Angeles. Although we have a series of business meetings with companies in attendance, Red Eagle Games will not formally attend this year's convention. It is still far too early in our product cycle. At this stage, we have some great concepts and early artwork for our first console/PC titles, but things are still too much in flux to fairly represent either the functional design or visuals for our initial game products. That being said, it is our intention to share our progress with the online Wheel of Time and gaming communities. We plan on conducting focus group research, beta testing programs and sharing some of our game artwork as we move forward. Just keep following our message boards and keep the suggestions coming!

Regards,

Larry Mondragon

I am sorry for not posting here for a while, as we’ve been very busy with the launch of Red Eagle Games. Please remember that we continue to follow the discussion on the Wheel of Time message boards, even if we can’t post as often as we like.

I know that some of you are very protective of Robert Jordan’s creative legacy. Accordingly, these sentiments are reflected in strong and unwavering opinions that mirror deep and intense feelings for The Wheel of Time. And as someone who shares your passion for Jordan’s work, I cannot fault anyone else for acting to protect something in which they have found so much meaning and enjoyment. The beautiful thing is that everyone in The Wheel of Time community will get a chance to vote on the quality of our movie and video game projects once completed. All that we ask is that you judge our finished work with a fair and open mind.

Over the past week, we have completed (finally!) all of the necessary contractual arrangements for making the WOT picture. Although the handshakes took place long ago, the actual task of "papering" the transaction took a little more than one year. In the process of closing our deal with Universal, I have learned that making a movie has much in common with the making of sausage. (While the finished product may taste good, no one much enjoys the experience of seeing first-hand exactly how it gets made).

At long last, we are now ready to begin the creative process of adapting the story to a screenplay. All of the other work that lies ahead (e.g. developing a production budget, selecting shooting locations, casting, selection of a director, etc.) is secondary to preparing a script that is truly magical.

We are fortunate that the development executive at Universal who responsible for this project is a devout fan of the WOT series. Everyone should be happy to hear that his creative views are shaped by a deep understanding of the characters, themes and storylines of Jordan’s work. In addition, our good luck continues, as we have found an exceptionally talented screenwriter having an equal knowledge and passion for the source material. It’s going to be hard work, but I am very much looking forward to the creative collaboration involved in lifting the story from the printed page and adapting it to fill the contours of the big screen. There won’t be much to report in the months ahead as we focus our attention on working with the writer to complete the screenplay, but I believe that this first step will be the most important part of making a great picture.

All the best,

Larry Mondragon