Amazon’s epic fantasy “The Wheel of Time” is being heralded as the next “Game of Thrones,” but there’s an important distinction, showrunner Rafe Judkins saidR

Now streaming its first three episodes (with additional episodes out on Fridays) and based on a 14 book series first published in 1990, “The Wheel of Time” follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”), a member of a powerful all-female magic organization as she arrives in a village and, aided by the warrior Lan (Daniel Henney), embarks on a journey with a handful of young men and women, including Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski), Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden), Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford) and Mat Cauthon (Barney Harris).

“The book series itself is sort of the pillar that connects ‘Lord of the Rings’ to ‘Game of Thrones’ so we also did take a lot of inspiration from how ‘Lord of the Rings’ approached things — not just from a production perspective, but also storytelling and the way they built their landscapes.”

“The Wheel of Time” has already been renewed for a Season 2

Judkins doesn’t anticipate having one season per book, since filming 14 seasons would put the younger actors “deep into their 40s” in the end

“One of the things that makes ‘Wheel of Time’ so special is that the book series is famous for having a great ending, and not all book series are famous for that,” he said.