Why certain pieces of movie memorabilia sell for huge amounts of money is one of the big mysteries of the entertainment world. Although it is arguably a fantastic movie and one of the best legacy sequels to an 80s classic, Blade Runner 2049 costumes selling for prices that props from decades-old films like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars is a baffling concept. During PropStore’s exclusive Blade Runner 2049 auction earlier this week, weapon props, costumes, clapper boards, and scripts from Denis Villeneuve’s follow up to Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult classic hit the auction block for the first time. The lots included one of Ryan Gosling’s key costumes as Agent K, which sold for over $200,000, ten times more than its original low-end estimated value of $20,000. Now, fans of a highly-praised by sadly canceled-too-soon Prime Video fantasy saga could buy all 272 items listed in its catalog for less than that one Blade Runner 2049 costume.
At the end of the month, many of the props and costumes used across three seasons of Amazon’s adaptation of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time will go under the hammer, just three years after the show was unexpectedly canceled. Prime Video’s heavy investment in costly fantasy and sci-fi shows like The Rings of Power, Fallout, and Carnival Row have produced as many disappointments as success stories, which unfortunately means that not all of them are going to make it to the end of their stories. The Wheel of Time began with big ambitions of becoming a worthy alternating viewing companion to Amazon’s $700M Tolkien adaptation. Yet, just five years after its premiere, the series has ground to a halt and the high-end costumes and props that were built exclusively to bring Jordan’s version of Earth to life are now all being auctioned off by PropStore, with many items currently bidding at less than $250.
The mere talk of a prop auction can make wallets and bank balances quake at the thought of the number of zeroes they are going to have part with to even think about joining the bidding room on sites like PropStore and Heritage Auctions. Yet for every $200,000 sale of a futuristic Ryan Gosling costume, there is a luxury dress or distressed soldier’s uniform that, in the grand scheme of things, will likely sell for not much more than a luxury outfit bought at an upmarket high street store. That is currently true of the vast majority of costumes and props from The Wheel of Time, that were worn or used by the likes of Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Madeline Madden, and Marcus Rutherford in their high fantasy roles of the epic series.
Whether fans will want to own a reminder of the series is another matter, as it was The Wheel of Time was derailed by behind the scenes drama from its first season and it never really recovered. The initial run saw the unexpected departure of Barney Harris, leading to his central character of Mat Cauthon having to be rewritten then recast for Season 2, and multiple expensive COVID-19 delays during filming. Despite the high production values of the series, the content became just another bone of contention with many fans and even author Brandon Sanderson – who completed the novels following the death of Jordan in 2007 – distancing themselves from the series over big changes and deviations from the source material. Season 3 launched with a low viewership and within just a few weeks had completely dropped out of the Nielsen streaming charts, at which point Amazon decided it was time to cut their losses and focus on other projects. For those missing the show, a slew of new animated projects based on The Wheel of Time are coming to try and right the wrongs of Amazon’s series in the near future.
What did you think of The Wheel of Time? Would you want to own a piece of the production if they prices stay on the low side? Let us know in the comments.
