After months of secrecy, Amazon now shows us characters and photos of upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Series.
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Series takes place during Second Age of Middle-earth, over a thousand years before the events of The Lords of the Rings.
The story focuses on the creation of the legendary Rings of Power.
It is only often referenced in Tolkien’s books but not really a novel of its own.
Vanity Fair gave us the first look at the series characters and backstory.
Showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne took the task of creating the story.
The story is based on the appendices of the original trilogy.
McKay says the show will delve into the creation of the rings and how they affected the bearers.
It’s the story of the creation of all those powers, where they came from, and what they did to each of those races
The series will also take us to different places and regions of Tolkien’s world.
The story features the dwarf mines of Misty Mountains, the elven kingdom of Lindon and the island Numenor.
Everything We Know About Amazon’s Lord Of The Rings Series
Image: Amazon
McKay further muses:
Can we come up with the novel Tolkien never wrote and do it as the mega-event series that could only happen now? …to make a show for everyone, for kids who are 11, 12, and 13, even though sometimes they might have to pull the blanket up over their eyes if it’s a little too scary. We talked about the tone in Tolkien’s books. This is material that is sometimes scary—and sometimes very intense, sometimes quite political, sometimes quite sophisticated—but it’s also heartwarming and life-affirming and optimistic. It’s about friendship and it’s about brotherhood and underdogs overcoming great darkness.
Filmmaker J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) directed the first two episodes, which set the tone of the series. She says:
From the very beginning, I trusted these guys. I knew what they were going through and they knew what I was going through also, because can you imagine going back to such a beloved world and [facing] the high bar of the Peter Jackson movies? We were, all the time, very aware of the massive expectations.
Executive producer of the series, Lindsey Weber shares:
It felt only natural to us that an adaptation of Tolkien’s work would reflect what the world actually looks like. Tolkien is for everyone. His stories are about his fictional races doing their best work when they leave the isolation of their own cultures and come together.
Character Names and Information From Amazon’s Lord Of The Rings
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Morfydd Clark is a thousand years younger Galadriel who even in her early years, is a commander in war who feels there is an evil force coming.
Robert Aramayo is Elrond also younger than his age in Lord of the Rings.
Owain Arthur is The Dwarf Prince Durin IV. He is part of the family that rules the subterranean realm of Khazad-dûm. He is also featured in The Lord of the Rings Online game.
Sophia Nomvete is Princess Disa.
Ismael Cruz Córdova is the Silvan Elf Arondir.
Sir Lenny Henry plays a harfoot elder belonging to the race where hobbits descend from.
Nazanin Boniadi is the human village healer Bronwyn.
Charlie Vickers is Halbrand, the mysterious fugitive trying to escape his past.
Charles Edwards is the elven smith Celebrimbor whose skill with metals and magic lead to the forging of the rings.
Maxim Baldry is the sailor turned warrior Isildur who cuts the soul-corrupting ring off Sauron’s hand. He then falls victim to its powers himself.
Amazon Reveals Information About Upcoming Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Series
Image: Amazon
There is a most notable shift that the showrunners made from the original text.
And that is the compression of events into a single period in time.
This decision was made in order to feature a set of characters and storylines within the intended number of seasons.
From those who have seen the initial episodes, the series seems to deliver what it promises to be.
The mission to be as true to the writings of Tolkien as possible is evident in the production.
Painstaking care is observed in design, style as the series is highly aware of the pressures of expectation.
Previous productions of Lord of the Rings give a tall order to live up to.
The well-loved films of Peter Jackson, in particular, are award winning masterpieces.
However, the novelty of the journey is very intriguing.
It is because that in a way, they are filling some blanks.
Definitely, Tolkien fans have high at the same time hopeful expectations.
It has been years since his works turned into a film.
Perhaps Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series is the something old and something new sort.
Nevertheless, we’ll find out when Amazon Prime premieres it on September 2, 2022.
