- Warning: Spoilers ahead for "The Wheel of Time."
- Lead character Mat Cauthon has been recast for the second season of the fantasy show.
"The Wheel of Time" has a new Mat Cauthon for season two.
Mat is one of the lead characters in the hit fantasy Amazon Prime Video series, based on the book series of the same name, about a group of villagers who are forced to save the world.
In the second season, which is available now on Prime Video, Mat is played by Dońal Finn instead of original actor Barney Harris.
In September 2021, Deadline reported Finn would be taking over as Mat in season two, two months before the first season even premiered. The series had already been renewed for a second season at the time.
Here's what you need to know about Harris' departure, and how Finn was cast in the role.
Barney Harris filmed the first six episodes of the show but reportedly left when production resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic
While Harris and the show's producers have yet to give an official reason for the recasting, Radio Times reported that the actor left after filming the first six episodes of season one.
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in production on season one stopping, and when the cast and crew returned to set, Harris was not among them, said the report. Representatives for Harris did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
This could explain why Mat was mostly absent in the last two episodes of season one.
Instead, old footage was used in the finale to show that Mat had returned to Shadar Logoth, a dangerous city that had corrupted him earlier in the season.
Who is Dońal Finn and how did he land the role of Mat?
Dońal Finn is an Irish actor who has previously appeared in Netflix's "Cursed," "The Witcher," and the "Harry Potter" movie "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore."
In November 2021, "Wheel of Time" creator Rafe Judkins told Deadline that the transition from Harris to Finn would feel "seamless."
"I have seen him up on set doing his scenes now and they're incredible and they fully capture the character," said Judkins.
In an interview with Insider ahead of season two, "Wheel of Time" director Thomas Napper said: "There was an exhaustive search for Mat Cauthon."
"He's a huge character within the show, a series regular, and Rand's best friend in the stories through all of the books. So he's a very major character, and Dońal Finn came into the show, and what a beautiful actor to come into the show," added Napper.
Napper went on to praise Finn for his portrayal of Mat.
"He has a real lightness of touch. He's a really, really wonderful spirit and a great sort of team player. So he just was like a duck to water," Napper said.
Napper added that Finn had brilliant chemistry with his first scene partner, Kae Alexander, who plays Min Farshaw, a character who was already introduced in season one, but whom Mat meets early in season two.
"The Wheel of Time" season two airs weekly on Prime Video.