The Wheel of Time series includes 14 books, so adapting it into a TV series comes with inevitable changes. Naturally, fans who plan to watch the series are seeking clues about what those changes might be. Sanderson himself has confirmed that fans will notice some deviations from the source material, and that while he's happy with the creative new directions that the writers have explored, some fans might not share his opinion.
"As the alterations go, I'd say they fall in line with positive changes made in bringing LOTR to the big screen – things that were altered in order to make the films work for the medium," Sanderson explained in a Reddit comment. He continued, "I'm certain there will be polarizing decisions made by the team, but the changes are coming from a good place, and I really like most of them." For instance, seeing Alexandre Willaume as Thom Merrilin playing the guitar might be a welcome change for some fans and an unwanted switch for others!
Sanderson also stated that the episodes will not be scene-by-scene recreations of the events in the books. But as long as they have Sanderson's seal of approval, these changes will likely be received well by most fans.
