The debut of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Prime Video is in many ways a new age of Middle-earth adaptation. Set firmly in the Second Age, thousands of years before the events of the The Hobbit, this TV series sets out to explore the the age of settlements in Middle-earth when the civilizations of elves, men and dwarves were at their peak.
It’s an era many Tolkien fans never expected to see on screen, as J.R.R. Tolkien had only bullet-pointed the big things that end up relating to the events of the Fellowship. So how did a TV series based on the appendices, or notes at the end of The Return of the King, end up with a billion dollar budget?
Must be in production within two years (to avoid development issues like what happened with The Hobbit films)
Cannot retell what’s been told on screen
Tolkien Estate or family must be involved
Additional rights to characters and stories may be available on a case-by-case basis
$1 billion budget for Season 1 (including the rights purchase price)
Illustration by: Tim Peacock / THR
How does this differ from the rights Peter Jackson used to win all those Oscars? J.R.R. Tolkien had sold the film rights to United Artists (founded by Charlie Chaplin) back in 1968 to help his family cover any death & estate taxes that were to come upon his passing. Later he claimed it was his own naivety that these rights were sold in perpetuity — basically for all time. The film rights would never again revert back to the Tolkien family for total control, and Saul Zaentz bought those rights from UA in 1976, immediately making animated films from Rankin & Bass and Ralph Bakshi, then later working with Peter Jackson. Saul Zaentz died in 2014, his LOTR rights were sold to Embracer Group in 2022, and Amazon acquired United Artists/MGM in 2022.
The only thing not included in those forever rights were to a TV series “over 8 episodes long”, and the family realized TV production may actually be able to tell some stories at quality and scale. They requested pitches from all of Hollywood, and it was Jeff Bezos personally who shared his love for the books and offered an amount showing that passion: $250 million. It was perfect timing as the streaming wars were just heating up, and Amazon had just created a department called “Amazon Studios” which had been searching for a major franchise to use as the tentpole and foundation for their video experiment.
November 2017
Christopher Tolkien announces he is handing over management of Middle-earth to the next generation. His life-long focus on the expansion of Middle-earth was primarily through book form. With his oversight, the deal with Amazon was done, creating a canvas for the next generations of Tolkien family to make their mark on the Legendarium. Christopher Tolkien would pass on to greener shores three years later in January 2020, at the age of 95.
May 2018
After receiving Spy Reports, TheOneRing.net reports that Amazon’s massive TV series will be about YOUNG ARAGORN. The single-sourced news breaks the internet and trends above the royal baby’s birth, but is never confirmed by the studio. Four years later, ESQUIRE confirms the early rumors as one of many pitched to the studio.
[BREAKING] We have confirmed from multiple sources that @AmazonStudios new billion-dollar #LOTR series will open its first season centered on a young Aragorn.
Dream job confirmed! Writers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay announced as the showrunners for the Lord of the Rings TV series. While unknown to any fan, and with an empty IMDb credits page except for an unproduced Star Trek script, these guys were well known to Hollywood insiders as insanely talented script doctors (a job that never gets credited) and Tolkien uber-geeks. They couldn’t help but be compared to another big fantasy show with two unknown showrunners: Game of Thrones.
Patrick McKay (who no longer wears glasses in press photos) with writing partner J.D. Payne (who always has glasses)
March 2019
After nearly a year of of silence, innuendo and discourse, LOTR on Prime springs to life with a single tweet: Welcome to the Second Age. A map is revealed showing Númenor, a place fans never thought they would ever see.
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) March 7, 2019
July 2019
Who’s in charge of LOTR? Amazon drops a surprise creative team video introducing showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay, along with an all-star team of peak TV writers, legendary Tolkien artist John Howe, and Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey.
The inclusion of Tom Shippey allows fans to breathe a sigh of relief as a trusted name in Tolkien scholarship is on board to make sure the lore is managed fairly. Amazon later chooses to abandon this LOTR youtube channel and posts all future content on the broader Prime Video channel.
We needed to find somewhere majestic, with pristine coasts, forests, and mountains, that also is a home to world-class sets, studios, and highly skilled and experienced craftspeople and other staff. And we’re happy that we are now able to officially confirm New Zealand as our home for our series.
Patrick McKay & JD Payne, Showrunners
Another sigh of relief from fans! New Zealand IS Middle-earth! Rumors started flying that Amazon really was “getting the band back together” with Weta Workshop, Weta FX and the Oscar-winning teams jumping on board. These rumors were never confirmed by the studio and the rumors persist three years later. In the end, Rings of Power involved 1,500 digital artists around the world with over a dozen VFX studios.
Other TORn Spy Reports start getting picked up by mainstream media as Deadline confirms Howard Shore involved with the new LOTR show. TORn-folk knew about this six months prior!
January 2020
Production begins in New Zealand as Amazon finally announces the cast of of what NZ locals called “Untitled Amazon Project.”
April 2020
COVID-19 takes the world by storm. Production is shut down as the entire island nation of New Zealand goes into lockdown. Nobody is allowed into the country.
Summer (or NZ Winter) 2020
Production resumes in NZ under new pandemic protocols, one of the first countries in the world to get back to work. Tons of movies & TV shows try to film in NZ but find that LOTR is so large it has hired nearly all the best entertainment people in the entire country. The country’s covid-zero policy limits who can fly into the country on a very selective basis with long hotel quarantines. This in effect leaves the LOTR creative team to film the show they want with minimal studio involvement (Amazon Studios are based in Los Angeles). It also limits what marketing can do, as there are no press set-visits due to lockdown. The entire show basically becomes a big dark secret and leaks are few and far between.
October 2020
Reports of nudity in Amazon’s LOTR show reach fever pitch. Based on casting descriptions for background extras “comfortable with sheer clothing” and the hiring of an “intimacy coordinator” the fan reaction was loud and swift. Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway eloquently laid out the responsibility to the lore here on TORn.
January 2021
Show synopsis leaks to the TheOneRing.net as this site begins to receive bits of information from people excited about the work they are doing on the production.
April 2021
TORn reports that Tom Shippey is off the project, later confirmed by Dr. Corey Olsen (The Tolkien Professor), beginning a long and tense conversation between fans and studio. In the absence of official releases, incomplete information will continue to fill the air for the next year and a half.
In the weeks after we reported several other high-profile departures include lead designer Rick Heinrichs, the pause or possible disbanding of the writers room, and an unsubstantiated narrative began taking form of a troubled production playing loose with lore.
Whereas we had a constant trickle of information and leaks during Peter Jackson’s productions, this was an explosion of information on the secretive show — and a method of delivery that Amazon would employ for official releases going forward.
August 2021
Aug 2 – Untitled Amazon Project (UAP) wraps production in New Zealand with a massive party for the large crew & cast. NZ is still in lockdown with strict restrictions on travel into the country.
Aug 3 – First OFFICIAL image from the LOTR show is released featuring… the light of the Two Trees before the First Age! No context is provided of who the foreground character is or what we are looking at, only that it is a still from the opening of the first episode. Fans debated what is going on as this is clearly not the Second Age, not Numenor, not even in the Middle-earth map they had released earlier. Does Amazon have rights to this era? What story are they telling? Without any context, an all-star fan group spent hours analyzing every pixel.
Aug 12 – Amazon Studios in Los Angeles announce Season Two production is moving to the UK – allegedly to the surprise of all involved including actors, producers, vendors, workshops and even the NZ government who had offered a generous tax break on the basis of a production keeping kiwis employed for multiple seasons.
December 2021
An unmarked package arrives at TORn HQ — a wooden box with a copy of the complete LOTR saga — and leather bookmark at the first page of the Appendices. We confirm for the first time that Amazon’s rights begin and end within the pages of that one book — The Lord of the Rings (and any Second Age references they might glean from The Hobbit) — but every single word is up for expansion. For example , the two-sentence mention of Harfoots in Chapter One begat an entire storyline for a set of TV show characters.
January 2022
The title of the show, after nearly 5 years of mystery, is revealed to be The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
February 2022
Amazon reawakens with a new name — Prime Video — and launches a deluge of official releases
Feb 3 – 22 character posters given to 22 influencer and media outlets (without context of who the torsos belong to) keep fans guessing who and what we are looking at.
Feb 10 – Vanity Fair publishes a FIRST LOOK with photos from the production, interviews with the showrunners, and a complete overview of the billion dollar mysterious show. TORn chatted with the co-writer of the article for even more details.
Feb 13 – Super Bowl trailer. FINALLY some footage! We spent 6 hours analyzing the trailer!
Feb 15 – The infamous “Superfans” video
While TORn parterned with some of the best voices in fandom for an epic 6-hour trailer review livestream featuring Ph.Ds, tiktokers, studio and media execs, stan twitter and lore YouTubers, Prime forged in secret another Super Bowl trailer review. Flying out dozens of fans to the Spanish island Mallorca to an old castle ruins in the middle of the night, they showed them the trailer, then filmed an hour long discussion about the excitement of the trailer. But the final edit posted to YouTube was three minutes of cringe with very little discussion about Tolkien or Middle-earth, instead focused on inclusion and diversity. Participants in the video were shocked how it was edited. While nearly all fans agree that representation matters, the video was tone deaf for the time and place and target audience. Given the frustrations of a near-blackout of information for three years combined with a series of no-context releases, it was a stunningly bad effort that was quickly deleted. They do know that what matters to Tolkien fans is… Tolkien. Right?
Online discourse really heated up in the wake of this monster drop of releases. A lot of the old, tired voices of hate and bigotry — some of the same ones that took issue with Ian Mckellen playing Gandalf because he was gay — now started criticizing the idea of diverse cultures in Middle-earth. To be clear, Tolkien rarely describes skin color, and he made a conscious effort to write stories that everyone around the world could see themselves in. This would come to dominate social media chatter about the show for the next six months, but cooler minds knew better than to focus on it.
May 2022
Prime Video flies out Tolkien influencers from around the world to London for a preview of the show. The “London 30” represented nearly 10 million core followers from eight different countries, with over a dozen published books on Tolkien between them. This second effort at working with Tolkien fans went much better, with an intimate setting and controlled environment. Some got more enthusiastic about the show, but more importantly most everyone came away with confidence in the creative leadership — a vacuum that had existed since the Tom Shippey news a year earlier.
The Rings of Power debuts a full proper trailer online while San Diego Comic-Con fans get an extended look at some extra footage, plus a giant Hall H panel with the showrunners and actors hosted by Stephen Colbert. Fandom seems united in positive impressions! They have a balrog! Prime Video also collaborated with TheOneRing.net for an SDCC party which the entire cast attended. It was the first time fans really got to see and know who is doing this next LOTR thing, and it was the first time many in the cast had interactions with the fandom. Everyone had a great time as the conversation turned very positive.
Separate from Amazon and Tolkien Estate, the film rights to LOTR long-held by Saul Zaentz are sold to video game publisher Embracer Group for a rumored $2 billion. Everyone expected Amazon and Jeff Bezos to win the auction for the rights — after all, they had already spent $250 million just for TV rights, half a billion dollars producing one season, and $8 billion for MGM which included some Hobbit rights. Spinoff movies and games are going to happen no doubt, independent of the TV show.
The screenings of power! Prime begins previewing the first two episodes to fans around the world. LA, Mexico City, NYC, Mumbai and London all got big preview event screenings, which fans were invited to.
Then on August 31, Prime Video rented hundreds cinemas in eight countries for free screenings of the two-part pilot directed by J.A. Bayona.
September 2022
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuts on Prime Video streaming service at 9pm ET Thursday Sept 1, before settling into its weekly release of 11:59pm ET every Thursday night.
Since that first announcement in November 2017, this five-year journey to TV screens, full of rumors, leaks, fan events and a pandemic, has been an incredible experience for all involved — but especially the hard working cast and crew that have grown closer together through all the trials and tribulations. We can’t help but see many parallels to the Peter Jackson films, where that cast formed lifelong bonds of family and friendship. This new cast of LOTR really feels like a family as we journey into the next five seasons of this Middle-earth adaptation. Congrats to all for a well-reviewed start to the show!
It’s been a long wait for Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” — a test of patience doggedly undertaken by eager fans of J.R.R. Tolkien; fraught with slow leaks of information and faceless posters. For the artists and creators making this new series it was much more of an arduous journey, I’m sure. All roads must lead to the television set this Labor Day weekend as we finally arrive at this grand moment: we all get to return to Middle-earth.
Television? It might as well be a huge silver screen, for these sumptuous first two episodes are filled with director J.A. Bayona’s painterly and vivid images; awash (sometimes literally) with cinematic scale one cannot deny.
Lindon Under Moonlight, the Kingdom of Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor
Just letting these glorious images rise and crest over you is an experience in itself. Bayona immerses the senses with a sure hand while story beats gently move along.
After being away from any new adaptation of Middle-earth for a decade the audience is beckoned to rediscover insanely lush Elven forests and Dwarven Halls at the pinnacle of their glory. I remember seeing various things in Peter Jackson’s LOTR — like decayed statues appearing subtly behind Frodo’s shoulder in the odd scene. In this Second Age timeframe Rings of Power is the ultimate way-back machine (we are talking thousands of years) to when those freshly-hewn statues still resonated from the original sculptor’s determined chisel. Likewise we sense the determination of showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne — building visual hints and connections to our existing ideas of what Middle-earth looks like while employing unique brushstrokes of their own. Bear McCreary shines with a luminous score. The opening theme crafted by Oscar-winner Howard Shore is surprisingly understated yet filled with omen (it is not heard in the opening episode, just the following 2-8).
Details and Grand Scale in Middle-earth
Production Design, Costumes, VFX and Tech Departments are firing on all cylinders here, mesmerizing you with rich details barely on screen for a scant few seconds before moving on to the next wondrous reveal. They’ll need to buy a big trophy case for all the Emmys. Trust.
It is satisfying to see such care put into everything. The scale of Tolkien’s Secondary World deserves it; and indeed these early episodes work hard to establish context to this newly envisioned world we Tolkien fans know as Arda. Newbies and casual viewers will not be at a loss, which is saying something considering the further reaches we are exploring. I particularly liked the ingenious use of Tolkien’s maps. They are ubiquitous (to the delight of every nerd in the house). The editors use clever cross-dissolves that sweep the audience across both a map and spectacular arial shots of New Zealand. Geographical names shine with golden letters as the map fades away — the letters have now become a convenient “lower-3rd” establishing our location. Such thoughtful touches deepen the immersion.
Remember when Amazon started their marketing campaign with just a blank map?
Actually, we are gifted with visits to places in Arda frequently discussed by academics and fans alike yet have NEVER been revealed on-screen. To me it is quite interesting, even thrilling to see these places!
Striking far afield from any other Tolkien adaptation, we are no longer confined to the geography of Bilbo’s journey or the events of the War of the Ring. Even though we won’t get to Númenor until Episode 3, a vivid series of gorgeous locales are at the forefront here: Lindon on the western shores of Middle-earth, the Southlands where Men dwell (which is indeed the far Southeast of Núrn before it was Mordor), Rhovanion where the Harfoots migrate, and above Eregion right up to Khazad-dûm’s unassuming western door. Another future gate to be built there will be significant and familiar. Striking deep into the Wilderlands, the Sundering Seas, the frozen wastes of Forodwaith, Rings of Power satisfies that wanderlust to see strange and distant lands from the pages of Tolkien.
And yes, everything I saw in the first two episodes feels very much like Tolkien, albeit with a sprinkling of new characters and plotlines he never penned.
Licensing Governs What We Witness Here
If you’re like me, you’ve certainly heard quite enough hand-wringing from folks worried that “The Appendices” of LOTR are barely enough to sustain a series. Look, the Tolkien Estate went ahead and licensed the 2nd Age stories as a complete package deal, with the intent that new creators could crystallize an epic story from them. Way back in time John Boorman had a chance at LOTR and it failed to manifest (thank heavens); then suddenly Ralph Bakshi created a remarkable first feature film adaptation of it. Also on television rights side there was the animation classic that won the Peabody Award — Arthur Rankin Jr. & Jules Bass’ The Hobbit. Later indie New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson would helm a worldwide 3-year juggernaut of cinema. Will you look at that! Such an evolution of different adaptations have appeared since Professor Tolkien himself sold the rights. I’m highly intrigued now to have five seasons of deeply artful portrayals of Middle-earth and that is an encouraging thought.
I’m looking forward to talking at the Thanksgiving table with family and dropping stuff about of The Fall of Númenor — yet this time everyone will get it.
Khazad-dûm at its glorious height.
Granted, whether they stray too far from lore is yet to be seen, but I’m open minded. All signs here point to a careful foundation being built; meant to support epicness yet to come. Certainly we shall revisit this entire Season One after it’s completely available.
I am not envious of the Rings of Power writer’s room having such a unique challenge. They are not adapting, I sense, but rather it seems like a distillation. An alchemy of mixing ingredients guided by the Appendices. They are trying to distill the essence from the ancient fibers of pages that Tolkien insisted on inclusion in the 1955 publication of “The Return of the King,” much to his Publisher’s displeasure at the delay. He wanted the Appendices available to support his wider Legendarium. Of course, deviations and constricting of time are just going to happen, as they do in any adaptation requiring different idioms of delivering a well-told story. I would point to Miyazaki’s remarkable deviations from Diana Wynne Jones’ “Howl’s Moving Castle.” I see his adaptation as a blissful, rich distillation of her work. Though clearly not the novel, it stands as a unique, moving piece of art.
Is there A Prologue?
Yes, and it’s a doozy. This all-too-brief Prologue includes the shadow of Morgoth over the Two Trees and a gasp-inducing shot from The War of Wrath. Was that really Ancalagon the Black we just saw taking down a giant Eagle or was that some Fell Beast of Morgoth? Saruon appears in a stunning tableaux invoking a Frazetta painting dripping with evil — it is but a fleeting moment. This setup provides the context between the First and Second Ages that a general audience would need. Deep readers of Tolkien will not find “The Silmarillion” levels of detail in this highly-condensed opener. Galadriel narrates, naturally. She is but a child at this time, living in Tirion, conversing with her brother Finrod. No other siblings; so don’t expect First Age minutiae not included in the license. Emotions pure enough to fuel an Elven memory are Bayona’s main concern here. A few critical points of history are established and then we swiftly move on. Beleriand by name is not mentioned. We have Lindon and Eregion now as the centers of Elven life in Middle-earth.
But that brief moment in Valinor is genuinely lovely in the most Tolkienesque way.
The Strength of a Great Cast
To the show’s credit the many appealing characters played by a winning cast handle things flawlessly. Hands down, casting was crucial as it has been in previous adaptations. Note the scene where two Elves look each other in the eye and discuss metaphysical things in earnest. How refreshing a narrative placement for these ideas to live and breathe. Even if Tolkien didn’t specifically write them, I’m glad to see it in this type of television.
The grand design of these character’s arcs are only hinted at during the establishing efforts of Episodes 1 and 2 but the larger supporting legs of this giant table are already apparent:
I know there’s supposed to be a 5th leg supporting the table — the rise of Sauron — but in these opening episodes he is nowhere to be seen, that we know of, either as Sauron or Annatar.
All of the secrecy in the world is piled up to shroud Sauron’s true identity from audience and characters alike. This is also true of The Stranger. As far as deliberate mysteries, I find these are the biggest two. We are all looking for signs of Annatar — the fair form Sauron could take to fool others. Fan theories are rampant. If we are playing a “Where’s Waldo” among characters looking for Annatar, well, I’d say I cannot even tell who Waldo is yet. A new human character from the Southlands named Halbrand has opening dialogue which makes me alert: “Looks can be deceiving.”
My current favorite theories about The Stranger (bracingly portrayed by Daniel Weyman) include him being one of the Istari, the Wizards of the Third Age, or even better being the Maiar Eönwë himself, arriving in a meteor to suss out the presence of Sauron. Let the guessing games continue with hearty speculation! Will fortune favor this bold choice by the writers? I’m very curious indeed.
It’s quite an interesting dance the showrunners have found themselves waltzing. From interviews with McKay and Payne we know things will get squishy with a very condensed timeline. Yes, two Durin’s are alive at the same time, I know, but let us see where this goes…
The Height of Dwarven Might
My favorite thing of this whole endeavor, so far, is the realization of Khazad-dûm — the mightiest Kingdom of the Dwarves under the Misty Mountains. Destined to be found when the first forefather of all Durins looked into the Kheled-zâram, the Mirrormere, and beheld the crown of stars above his head. A location forever cemented in our minds as a ruined, Balrog-infested nightmare; but here how things are so different, so fresh, so alive!
We get the dynamic interplay between Robert Aramayo’s elegant Elrond and his dear friend Prince Durin IV, a cinderous Owain Arthur. Against the backdrop of the a truly extraordinary, verdant Dwarven Kingdom these two bicker and fight and test and forgive and reconcile all within this one episode and I’m immediately drawn in. I just loved this stuff and how it represents Tolkien’s dynamic relationships between Elves and Dwarves. The vibrant Sophia Nomvete brings life to Disa, the better half of the fiery Dwarf Prince, and her energy uplifts everything.
Fans are going to ship hard for Durin IV and Elrond, mark my words.
Celebrimbor is ready to steal the show at any minute, you can catch magnificent glimpses from Charles Edwards. You can tell he is the lightning about to strike somewhere in the distance. Yet after his character is tantalizingly introduced he then stays offstage, waiting outside the door (literally at one point).
Durin IV and Disa
What Else is Good?
The Harfoots are amazing. Suddenly everyone will press “Pause” to freeze frame a closer inspection of those props and items. Great credit to the Property Masters and Art Department — what they came up with is grand. It is delicious to see how the Harfoots keep themselves hidden yet immediately can be set adrift to migrate to other places where fields and weather might be more kind, as generations demand over time. Thus continue traditions of the finest agrarian ingenuity deserving of early Hobbits.
A most satisfying portrayal of the Southlanders bears a dynamic worth exploring. Descendants of Men known to have worshipped Morgoth have immediate tension between them and Sylvan Elves who watch over their lifelong settlements. Sharply-observant Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) walks into the Public House and is glared down by all the patrons. I’m sure there are few who can smolder onscreen the way Cruz Cordova can smolder. He is mesmerizing to watch. As a fiery healer, Nazanin Boniadi is a good counterpoint to him. She and her son Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) have a future part to play in much greater things, methinks, especially with that weird Sauron-infested blade Theo seems to have kept hidden away for no reason. After seeing these segments with the Southlanders you’ll never see Mordor the same way again. It’s rather, shall we say, lovely.
Playing a Bit Outside the Box with Lore
There’s a huge moment that might be way too SPOILERY for you but here we go, stop reading for two paragraphs then continue — it’s in the 1st Episode and we need to talk about this rather binary choice that was given to Galadriel. I don’t want to say, just yet, that any one leg of this table is a little wee bit wobbly — but if there were such a thing, this is it. This early serving of Galadriel’s motivations and actions are in many ways resonant and beautiful, but at one point when Gil-galad offers her to access the Gift of the Valar and return to the Undying Lands (what’s that about), there was a story-point I really had to get my head around. I worked too hard for it, actually.
I wondered why such a powerful character would just jump from the ship right before it enters Valinor, leaving the most powerful Noldorin Elf adrift in the empty waves: no rations, no fresh water, no plan, nowhere to go. I thought for a moment, have they written themselves into a corner here? Then after sharing some thoughtful conversation with Tolkien Professor Corey Olsen and Matt Nerd of the Rings we figured this was maybe a lore-moment that would raise a few eyebrows.
Maybe it seemed really “out there” but it’s a binary choice ultimately to dramatize what Valinor looks like — as a place, as as destination for the sprit and body and soul. It occurred to me this huge set-piece is here for television audience’s sake. So a few Seasons moving on, when Ar-Pharazon seeks out this same place, audiences will recognize what is at stake. This is where books adapted into TV can vary the most wildly, folks, where big attempts at dramatizing the metaphysical can be, well, dictated buy the visual economy of televised storytelling. I daresay her standing on the shore and politely saying “No,” and refusing to even get on the boat would be rather dull in the end.
Me quibbling that aside, the ferocity and wisdom in Morfydd Clark’s eyes is compelling. She delivers a great performance as Galadriel, glints in her eyes of great tragedy and also light. Halbrand, played with a studied glare by Charlie Vickers, has a strange pouch around his neck bearing a strange sigil, and how quickly he hides it.
Being teased by strange mysteries hidden within a newly visualized Middle-earth is where this series is headed, and I’m glad to take the ride.
Once we get past this entire First Season’s run of 8 full episodes we shall have a better grasp, certainly, of how they manage to keep these plates spinning. One wonders, dimly, what changes we will see between this and future Seasons. The many riches on display in this first Season were produced solely in New Zealand — everything going forward will be new Heads of Departments, new crew, new studios, and perhaps a difference in approach and energy. That remains to be seen yet I am most curious.
An Overall Rating, But Only So Far
Giving an overall rating should really wait till then: but if we are all insisting then I’ll give these two Episodes a solid 8.5 out of 10, where things are yet to be resolved, this number will certainly change.
The Rings of Power is eager to please, as I said on Twitter. There is wonderment and a strong undercurrent of greatness that could be a real knock-out, if the stars align, or the Meteor Man arrives. One need not be afraid to enter gamely into Lore discussions (“Why is there even a Meteor Man?”) because from those open-handed chats we all learn and appreciate more about Tolkien — and what we love about him. Again, pass or fail, The Rings of Power surely will bring new readers with a healthy curiosity. And so in the end we get to engage and encourage an ongoing fandom.
While McCreary has crafted Season One’s score, Shore’s contribution to the show is the title theme. Shore has won three Academy Awards for his music for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit feature film trilogies. McCreary is an Emmy and BAFTA winner for his music scores on Outlander and God of War.
In this new segment, two of our Discord regulars, Reading Room Moderator DrNosy and composer Mike T, debate the show’s title theme and whether it is ‘musically’ suited to the score of The Rings of Power.
DRNOSY
The French horns.
It is that instrument that I closely relate to the music of The Lord of the Rings, particularly in the soundtrack Prologue: One Ring to Rule Them All. Hearing them again, in the first second of the Main Title, I was immediately pulled back towards the story and events that launched the Third Age — Sauron with the One Ring in hand laying waste to the armies of the Last Alliance of Men and Elves.
However, as I keep listening to the track, I start to feel something is off. This music sounds like a watered-down version of that track from The Lord of the Rings. A “lite” version of The Lord of the Rings is absolutely not what the Second Age should sound like. It is also almost completely at odds with the rest of the themes in the album.
Listening to the entire album, it is clear that McCreary (following in Shore’s footsteps with the film tracks) has created a succinct soundscape for the Second Age, complete with themes for each character and narrative arcs for the events of Season One. Shore’s theme does not seem to fit with any of McCreary’s tracks.
MIKE T
I think this might be the biggest thing driving negative reactions to Main Title, as well as the opposing negative reactions that favor the theme over the score, and it’s definitely a misstep on the part of the people behind the show, but is it a problem with the music itself?
Not from where I stand: both composers have done what they were tasked with, and done it well.
If there is a question to ask, it’s this: why wasn’t part of that task, for either of them, to strive for more musical unity with each other. For now, it seems pointless to speculate on that.
Perhaps we’ll get more insight into the circumstances of the composition eventually, or maybe we’ll even have a situation where Bear does start to weave some of Shore’s ideas in. In any case, some of us just seem more willing to “bridge the gap” ourselves, and to take Shore’s theme as a welcome bit of torch-passing that will nicely frame each episode of the series.
DRNOSY
While I take your point about “bridging the gap” between the films and the show, I simply do not see how or why they should be linked in Main Title itself.
Main Title’s fairy-esque tones simply do not fit with the characterization of the factionalized, bloodied, and catastrophic ending of the many races of Middle-earth in the Second Age. Not to mention how it completely seems to miss the themes and leitmotifs of the other peoples of Middle-earth, i.e., the Dwarves, Harfoots, Númenor, and Orcs.
I appreciate Shore’s use of the musical leitmotif representing Galadriel (ethereal ‘Elven’ feminine vocals at 0:35), but that moment also rings along the lines of a ‘fairy lady in the woods singing to the birds’, which is closely followed by ‘evil has come to the woods and it threatens the lady and her birds’ (0:53). It is the ultimate mischaracterization of the Galadriel of the Second Age, especially as the Galadriel we meet in The Rings of Power is an Elf at war with herself.
Why is it that we don’t hear that conflict in Shore’s theme?
MIKE T
As you noted at the outset, from the very first notes heard it is clear, from both the voicing of the chord and the way it is orchestrated, where this music is supposed to take us. It follows exactly the rhetorical and stylistic precedents Shore first set over 20 years ago. And yes, his writing is indeed always committed to very tightly-woven leitmotivic processes. His Main Theme does in fact seem to make reference to a number of musical structures that are present in his previous Middle-earth music, related to the various story elements you mention.
Whether this is explicit enough for every listener, I certainly can’t decree… but there is an argument to be made for their presence (the specifics of which I will not bore readers with here!).
As for your feeling that the theme mischaracterizes Galadriel, I would simply argue that the vocal element in question is not meant to represent Galadriel in the first place. It sounds to me more like an incidental orchestration choice by the composer, rather than being intended as a direct evocation of anything or anyone previously associated with that specific color, and likewise, the darker turn you mention is a more abstract musical turn to represent the overall tumult of the events of the Second Age, not anything specific to Galadriel’s arc.
The whole piece in fact centers around this dramatic “triptych” structure, in which we are introduced to familiar-sounding material which begins confidently but then takes a darker turn, and is briefly restated in a more pure way before ending in a quite unresolved place.
This feels like an apt encapsulation of what we’re going to see play out here, a sort of grand overview of events rather than a focused musical commentary on specific characters. Does it do so in weighty enough tones for what we will experience in the substance of the show?
Again, I can’t decide that for everyone, I can only explain the possible thinking behind things.
DRNOSY
I see Galadriel as the main protagonist of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings Of Power.
If the feminine vocal element isn’t Galadriel, it would seem that Main Title doesn’t weave any element of McCreary’s sounds for the Second Age, which is curious to say the least. I was also disappointed how Main Title drastically falls short of iconic sounding title themes we hear in other fantasy/epic shows such as A Game of Thrones, The Wheel of Time, The Witcher, Westworld, His Dark Materials, The Sandman, and others.
The whole purpose of title music is to leave a lasting impact or memory of the show on the audience every single time they tune in to watch. I still remember how I binged the entire glorious Season One of The Crown in one night. At that time, I did not dare to skip the titles (even to save time) because of my need to let the music (and title sequence) wash over me as I savored and reflected on the episodes I’d watched previously. I did the same with The Witcher, His Dark Materials, and The Wheel of Time.
It is hard to ignore the impact of ‘good’ and ‘catchy’-sounding theme music, especially because its sole purpose is to transition the audience from the opening events of the episode (or even the previous episode) into the central story arc.
I find myself forgetting Shore’s title track music even after having listened to it about 20 times now.
MIKE T
It’s true, there are ways to open with a bang and to set up a musical hook that will immediately grab the audience. It may simply be that Shore’s approach as a composer tends more towards subtlety than the expectations formed by the examples you mention, for better or worse.
There are surely important musical structures in Shore’s prologue to “The Fellowship of the Ring” which, if not for the subsequent hours of music building on them, might not be clear to us as meaningful, and which would not grab us by the heart, so to speak, without that reinforcement.
I think we have a situation similar to that hypothetical here. Nothing of Howard’s new theme is, at least based on what we’ve heard so far, built on in Bear’s score.
Those elemental structures are not reinforced. We go right from an echo of the Middle-earth sound that we know, to a younger and more vibrant Middle-earth, with no real bridge between that and the grand but poignant “civilization in decline” soundworld we’re used to.
The power of familiarity shouldn’t be underestimated though. Given what I’ve seen happen with some other scores’ themes over the years, I’m willing to bet that quite a few of those who are currently unimpressed by and unattached to this one will feel differently once they’ve heard it fifty or so times accompanying each episode, when this new journey reaches its end.
About our chat participants
DrNosy is a scientist (physical science), scholar, and Tolkien enthusiast. Her primary interests lie in review and analysis of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. She is an active contributor and Reading Room Moderator on TheOneRing.net Discord where she also hosts live open-forum panel discussions on The Rings of Power, The Silmarillion, and a variety of Tolkien-related topics. You can reach her on Twitter.
Mike T is a composer and near-lifelong Tolkien aficionado. After obsessively relying on TORn for spoiler reports during the early 2000s, and pursuing a musical life in large part due to the experience of hearing Howard Shore’s scores in darkened theaters dozens of times, he is delighted to find himself back amongst the TORn community for this new journey through Middle-Earth. You can listen to his music at https://michaeltrapasso.bandcamp.com and reach out to him on Twitter.
Editor’s Note:we reported in September last year that McCreary was being brought onboard to work with Shore on scoring the series. It was rumored at the time that Shore didn’t “necessarily want to compose the whole series”. We now know that Shore and McCreary ended up composing the music separately.
It’s here! If you’re anything like me, listening to the music of The Lord of the Rings is a great way to relax at the end of a stressful day. Now we can add the music from the new series to our playlists.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season One Soundtrack
Amazon has two additional Amazon exclusive releases, “Find the Light” and “The Promised King”. I’ve already listened to “Find the Light” and personally I love it, I found it to be quite moving and beautiful, very emotive.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season One: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack)
Score composed by Bear McCreary,this soundtrack features “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Main Title” by composer Howard Shore available on Amazon Music
CULVER CITY, California – August 19, 2022—Today, Amazon Studios released The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season One: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack). Available worldwide across all streaming services, the full episodic score for the highly anticipated Amazon Original series was composed by Emmy-winner Bear McCreary and also features “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Main Title,” composed by Academy Award-winner Howard Shore. Amazon Music listeners will also have access to two exclusive songs from the soundtrack: “Find the Light” and “The Promised King.” CLICK HERE to listen to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season One: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack). Physical CDs can be pre-ordered HERE and the LP can be pre-ordered HERE. An Amazon Exclusive vinyl variant is available for advance purchase HERE.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will debut worldwide on Prime Video on September 2, 2022. Following each episode, Amazon Music will release a weekly soundtrack album containing the entirety of the score for each episode, plus additional bonus tracks only available on Amazon Music.
The Season One: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack includes two performances by The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power actors—Sophia Nomvete (Princess Disa) on the track “A Plea to the Rocks” and “This Wandering Day,” sung by Megan Richards (Poppy Proudfellow).
Bear McCreary, known for his incomparable world-building and use of innovative musical approaches in the worlds of television, film, and video games, will guide audiences through the major events of the Second Age of Middle-earth, as seen in the forthcoming series. Working out of the iconic Abbey Road Studios as well as AIR Studios and Synchron Stage in Vienna, he has recorded and composed hours of music for the score, weaving together his original themes into a sonic tapestry for a full symphonic orchestra, alongside vibrant folk instruments and choral singers.
“J.R.R. Tolkien’s stunning novels and their film adaptations have had a profound impact on my imagination for nearly my entire life,” McCreary said. “I am honored to compose the music that will help guide audiences through the major events of the Second Age of Middle-earth.”
“This soundtrack is a stunning companion to the series’ exploration of the Second Age of Middle-earth” said Bob Bowen, worldwide head of music for Amazon Studios. “With two weeks to go till the debut of Season One, we’re excited to give fans a further glimpse into the epic series.”
Legendary composer Howard Shore has composed scores for some of the most memorable and world-renowned film and television series. Globally respected for his passion for J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, he is perhaps best known for his work on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history, set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings stories. Led by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay, the series begins in a time of relative peace, following an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil to Middle-earth.
Additional executive producers are Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, J.A. Bayona, Belén Atienza, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Bruce Richmond, and Sharon Tal Yguado, and producers Ron Ames and Christopher Newman. Wayne Che Yip is co-executive producer and directs, along with Bayona and Charlotte Brändström.
The multi-season drama will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world in multiple languages on Friday, September 1-2 (time zone dependent), with new episodes available weekly.
TRACK LISTING:
01) “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Main Title” (by Howard Shore)
02) “Galadriel”
03) “Khazad-dûm”
04) “Nori Brandyfoot”
05) “The Stranger”
06) “Númenor”
07) “Sauron”
08) “Valinor”
09) “In the Beginning”
10) “Elrond Half-Elven”
11) “Durin IV”
12) “Harfoot Life”
13) “Bronwyn and Arondir”
14) “Halbrand”
15) “The Boat”
16) “Sundering Seas”
17) “Nobody Goes Off Trail”
18) “Elendil and Isildur”
19) “White Leaves”
20) “The Secrets of the Mountain”
21) “Nolwa Mahtar”
22) “Nampat”
23) “A Plea to the Rocks” (feat. Sophia Nomvete)
24) “This Wandering Day” (feat. Megan Richards)
25) “Scherzo for Violin and Swords”
26) “Sailing into Dawn”
27) “Find the Light” (Amazon Music Exclusive)
28) “For the Southlands”
29) “Cavalry”
30) “The Promised King” (Amazon Music Exclusive)
31) “Water and Flame”
32) “In the Mines”
33) “The Veil of Smoke”
34) “The Mystics”
35) “Perilous Whisperings”
36) “The Broken Line”
37) “Wise One”
38) “True Creation Requires Sacrifice”
39) “Where the Shadows Lie” (Instrumental)
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About Bear McCreary:
Emmy and BAFTA award-winning composer Bear McCreary began his career as a protégé of legendary film composer Elmer Bernstein, before bursting onto the scene scoring the influential and revered series Battlestar Galactica in 2004. Since then, McCreary has been a four-time Emmy nominee and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme for Da Vinci’s Demons, a musical palindrome that sounds the same forwards and backwards. His recent projects include Foundation for Apple TV+, the Sony and Starz international hit series Outlander, Netflix’s Academy Award nominated documentary Crip Camp, produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Films’ 10 Cloverfield Lane, AMC’s global phenomenon The Walking Dead, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the video game Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge for Disney; and Sony PlayStation’s massive video game God of War, and its highly anticipated sequel.
About Howard Shore:
Shore is one of today’s premier composers whose music is performed in concert halls around the world by the most prestigious orchestras and is heard in cinemas across the globe. Shore’s musical interpretation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginative world of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, as portrayed in the films directed by Peter Jackson, have enthralled people of all generations for years. This work stands as his most acclaimed composition to date awarding him with three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes as well as numerous critic’s and festival awards. He is an Officier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la France, the recipient of Canada’s Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and is an officer of the Order of Canada. The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures honored Howard Shore with an award for Career Achievement for Music Composition, the City of Vienna bestowed him with the Max Steiner Award and in 2017 he received the Wojciech Kilar Award established by the mayors of Krakow and Katowice. Shore has received numerous other awards for his career achievements. Shore has been invited to speak at many prestigious institutions, including La Fémis in Paris with Michel Hazanavicius. Other notable talks have been at Oxford Union, Royal Conservatory, Yale, NYU, Julliard, UCLA, University of Toronto, Berklee School of Music, Berlinale, Cinémathèque in Paris, and at Trinity College Dublin where he received the Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage.
It appears that some, uh, overly enterprising leakers thought they could make a quick buck by posting the full OST of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power to YouTube.
It was quickly caught and deleted. But, in the meantime, we were able discover a little over half of the track titles — and they provide interesting hints of what’s soon to come. Of the 37 tracks on the OST, the title theme is composed by Howard Shore, while the other 36 are by Bear McCreary.
Below are the titles of the first 19:
01. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Main Title
02. Galadriel
03. Khazad-dûm
04. Nori Brandyfoot
05. The Stranger
06. Númenor
07. Sauron
08. Valinor
09. In the Beginning
10. Elrond Half-elven
11. Durin IV
12. Harfoot Life
13. Bronwyn and Arondir
14. Halbrand
15. The Boat
16. Sundering Seas
17. Nobody Goes Off Trail
18. Elendil and Isildur
19. White Leaves
We can also now add the remaining track titles
20. The Secrets of the Mountain
21. Nolwa Mahtar
22. Nampat
23. A Plea to the Rocks
24. This Wandering Day
25. Scherzo for Violin and Swords
26. Sailing into the Dawn
27. For the Southlands
28. Cavalry
29. Water and Flame
30. In the Mines
31. The Veil of Smoke
32. The Mystics
33. Perilous Whisperings
34. The Broken Line
35. Wise One
36. True Creation Requires Sacrifice
37. Where the Shadows Lie
TORn does not condone piracy. Remember that the official release is around the corner, folks. You’ll very soon be able to stream the music to your heart’s delight via your favourite service, or even pick up a copy on physical media.
The Rings of Power at San Diego Comic-Con created a tsunami of cast interviews, video snippets and press write-ups. Unfortunately, they’re scatered all across the internet.
So some of the fine folks on our Discord server have been working assiduously to collate everything for easy reference. Courtesy of their hard work, everything we can find in one place for your reading and viewing pleasure. Big thank-you to Tim B. Ranatuor, WheatBix and Amaurëanna for getting all these links together!
Note: outlets are listed in alphabetical order to make it easier to find your fave rave.
Black Girl Nerds
Interviews with Leon Wadham (Kemen), Lloyd Owen (Elendil), Sophia Nomvete (Princess Disa), Morfydd Clark (Galadriel), Sara Zwangobani (Marigold), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Tar-Míriel), Ismael Cruz Córdova (Arondir).
Collider
Group interview with Charlie Vickers (Halbrand), Markella Kavenagh (Elanor ‘Nori’ Brandyfoot), Dylan Smith (Largo Brandyfoot), Sophia Nomvete, (Princess Disa), and Tyroe Muhafidin (Theo).
Group interview with Charles Edwards (Celebrimbor), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Tar-Míriel), Ema Horvath (Eärien), Ismael Cruz Córdova (Arondir), Daniel Weyman (The Stranger), Maxim Baldry (Isildur), Robert Aramayo (Elrond), Trystan Gravelle (Pharazon), Megan Richards (Poppy Proudfellow), Sara Zwangobani (Marigold Brandyfoot), and Owain Arthur (Durin IV)
Group interview with Benjamin Walker (Gil-galad), Lloyd Owen (Elendil), Leon Wadham (Kemen), Morfydd Clark (Galadriel), Nazanin Boniadi (Bronwyn), Charlie Vickers (Halbrand), Markella Kavenagh (Elanor ‘Nori’ Brandyfoot), Dylan Smith (Largo Brandyfoot), Sophia Nomvete (Princess Disa), and Tyroe Muhafidin (Theo).
IMDB
Group interview with Nazanin Boniadi (Bronwyn), Markella Kavenagh (Elanor ‘Nori’ Brandyfoot), Ismael Cruz Cordova (Arondir), and Benjamin Walker (Gil-galad).
Individual interviews with Benjamin Walker (Gil-galad), Dylan Smith (Largo Brandyfoot), Markella Kavenagh (Elanor ‘Nori’ Brandyfoot), Leon Wadham (Kemen), and Nazanin Boniadi (Bronwyn).
The LA Times
Behind-the-scenes at SDCC stuff (might be paywalled!)
‘I can’t believe we’re doing this!’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ stars drink in first Comic-Con
The Times tagged along with ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ stars Sara Zwangobani, Tyroe Muhafidin and Owain Arthur at San Diego Comic-Con.
“I have never experienced a Hall H and I’ve been wanting to come to Comic-Con my whole life,” said Sara Zwangobani while riding in a van to the San Diego Convention Center to take part in the Comic-Con 2022 panel for her upcoming show, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” “These are my people! I can’t believe we’re doing this right now.”
Photos: behind the scenes at Comic-Con with the cast of ‘Lord of the Rings’
LA Times photographer Jay Clendenin embedded in the Rings of Power group for Comic-Con. He captured a full range of images from life inside the Comic-Con bubble, from cast members’ morning glam routine to the mayhem of Hall H to the afterglow of a successful bow at the year’s biggest fan gathering.
Group interviews with Markella Kavenagh (Elanor ‘Nori’ Brandyfoot), Tyroe Muhafidin (Theo), Charlie Vickers (Halbrand), Dylan Smith (Largo Brandyfoot), Sophia Nomvete (Princess Disa), Daniel Weyman (The Stranger), Ismael Cruz Cordova (Arondir), Ema Horvath (Eärien), Maxim Baldry (Isildur), Charles Edwards (Celebrimbor), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Tar-Miriel), Trystan Gravelle (Pharazôn), Sara Zwangboni (Marigold Brandyfoot), Owain Arthur (Durin IV), and Megan Richards (Poppy Proudfellow).
Showbiz Junkies
Ema Horvath (Eärien) interview
Charles Vickers (Halbrand) interview
Tyroe Muhafidin (Theo) interview
Megan Richards (Poppy Proudfellow)
Owain Arthur (Durin IV)
Nazanin Boniadi (Bronwyn)
Benjamin Walker (Gil-galad)
Markella Kavanagh (Elanor ‘Nori’ Brandyfoot)
Sara Zwangobani (Marigold Brandyfoot)
TV Insider
Group interview with Markella Kavenagh (Elanor ‘Nori’ Brandyfoot), Tyroe Muhafidin (Theo), Charlie Vickers (Halbrand), Dylan Smith (Largo Brandyfoot), and Sophia Nomvete (Princess Disa).
Group interview with Morfydd Clark (Galadriel), Benjamin Walker (Gil-galad), Lloyd Owen (Elendil), Nazanin Boniadi (Bronwyn), and Leon Wadham (Kemen).
“The set of Númenór, which they’d built on the back lot, is absolutely extraordinary,” Owen said. Wadham, who has worked in the same New Zealand studio on other projects, added, “I thought I knew what I was walking into. I turn up, and there was a city with a wharf with boats in water on the backlot. It was transcendent.”
KEVIN POLOWY: So, huge cast, but you guys spent a year and a half together–
MARKELLA KAVENAGH: Yes.
KEVIN POLOWY: –shooting this in New Zealand. What kind of bonding experience was that? I mean, you hear stories from the original trilogy, the hobbits all got matching tattoos. Did you guys get matching tattoos, by the way?
MARKELLA KAVENAGH: I was really close to getting one. Not that I know of, I don’t think there are any, but I wouldn’t rule it out. I mean, we’ll see. We’ll see.
KEVIN POLOWY: But what was the bonding experience like among you guys?
MARKELLA KAVENAGH: Well, we lived– we lived so close together. We were there for nearly two years. And we’d have dinners together. We’d go around to people’s places. We had karaoke nights. It was really– we had to be each other’s friends, family, and colleagues in a time where we couldn’t get to each our actual real life friends and family and colleagues. So it was quite an experience. Really, really grateful for the camaraderie, for sure.
BENJAMIN WALKER: Because we were kind of stuck together in New Zealand, and I was there with my family, we became the home where everyone came and had Sunday lunch every Sunday. And when other people were away from their families, it was a way to kind of bond with your castmates, but also have that familial attention, and just feel like a person. So that’s an honor to do. I mean, they’re all nice people, and I enjoyed hosting.
NAZANIN BONLADI: To be in New Zealand– if you’re going to be stuck anywhere, let it be New Zealand. And we understand how blessed we are, because we, at one point were the only show in the world that was filming, because we were in the safe haven that was New Zealand at the time there was no COVID there. So we are very, very fortunate.
And because of the pandemic, the island was shut off from visitors. So we didn’t get to leave the Island or come back, you know, or have visitors. So basically we were stuck there for a good part of two years. And we had to lean on each other and depend on each other. So by default we became family. And, you know, and that’s what a fellowship is, is people who have to sort of support each other through an adventure.
TYROE MUHAFIDIN: Every Sunday we’d go for dinners and things like that, and we’d always socialize, because we were sort of the only people we had. And we were all really, really there for each other in times that we needed each other. And it was really great. I was actually quite lucky because under 18 I’m allowed a chaperone, so I brought my mother along with me. And she kind of ended up being everyone else’s mom.
MEGAN RICHARDS: We had to become, not just each other’s colleagues, but friends and family and support systems. And it really did ring true. I have such a love for this cast, and I really hold them deeply within my heart. And we would have, like, dinners together, where like, 20 of us would try and like, get a table, which is impossible in a restaurant. You know, just so many things like that. And, you know, we’d like, go on holidays together or we’d have, like, Sunday lunches. And, yeah, no, we were really, really close.
LEON WADHAM: Yeah, there’s a true fellowship, no question. So many people came from all over the world and spent a lot of time far from their homes to make this. And I think that encouraged a strong bond. They had to create a family. Whereas I am an Aucklander? I was shooting in my home. And I didn’t start until the midpoint because it took the first half of the shoot to build Numenor. So by the time I met everyone, they were already a family, and they invited me in.
BENJAMIN WALKER: This is going to be the most eclectic fellowship we’ve ever seen, right. It feels like the series is progressing, when it comes to ethnicity, when it comes to gender. I mean, how much of a sort of like point of pride was that for you guys, as creators of this series to sort of– to bring new faces and a new world into this world that’s created, that’s existed for so long, but we’ve never seen look quite like this?
CYNTHIA ADDAI-ROBINSON: It’s a huge point of pride. I mean, I think we’re talking about a global show and a global audience. This is now the reality. This is not about taking the narrow view. And, to me, this is about inviting people in and being expansive. And if you’re going to tell this story in 2022, this, to me, feels like the only way to tell it, the only way to represent it. And I think people are going to be really happy.
They’ve been hungry to sort of see full representation in this world. Because at the end of the day, this story is very much about people of all different backgrounds coming together for a common cause, to fight the common enemy, and that very much relates to where we’re at today. So that, to me, is just, like, the natural progression of things. It’s just what I would expect it to be.
MARKELLA KAVENAGH: It’s just, you know, really exciting to have– for it to be more representative of the world that we live in. And I just hope that the industry, not just our show, but the industry just continues to become more inclusive and representative of the world we live in. So I’m really grateful to be a part of that.
NAZANIN BONLADI: Every woman has agency on this show. Every female character has– is not there to serve the male characters around her. But every one of us has autonomy in our storylines. I am not only the mother of a rebellious teenage son or in a forbidden romance with an elf, the very handsome Ismael Cruz Cordova, but I also am a healer and a leader of sorts in my own right.
MEGAN RICHARDS: It’s just nice. It’s just such an inclusive atmosphere. And, I mean, I can’t even– I can’t wait for the time when that’s not even a question anymore, you know. Like, it’s just so nice that the modern world that we’re living in today, it really is reflected within in the world that Jodie and Patrick have created.
NAZANIN BONLADI: I never, in a million years, thought that I would be in something like this. And now we’re hoping that when people watch Arondir and Bronwyn fall in love on screen that they can see a Afro-Latino man and a Middle Eastern woman fall in love and have a love story, and be romantic leads, and in this genre. And that means the world to both of us, and all the people of– marginalized people in our cast.
KEVIN POLOWY: Despite, you know, “Rings of Power” taking place in the Tolkien universe, fantasy world long ago with creatures of all types, there’s a lot of themes that are going to be relevant to what is actually happening in the real world. Like, what can you say about that aspect? Like, what is it about the show that reminds you of the reality that we all live in?
CHARLIE VICKERS: We all live with. Well, I think that’s the beautiful thing about Tolkien is that the essence of his work, sort of will forever be related to what we go through, and what endures in human life. There are stories within the show that are stories of hope and stories of love and stories of loss, and the fight between good and bad. And I think that within this vast world of high fantasy, it’s these human stories that sort bring you in and really make you feel things when you watch the show.
BENJAMIN WALKER: There are a lot of connections you can draw between refugees or the climate crisis. But I don’t– that’s not the intention of the show. It’s just Tolkien. He understood the human experience in a deep way, and that translates into his work.
TYROE MUHAFIDIN: Just sort of those ideas of, like, family, friendship, you know, sticking with the people you know and you love, and no matter what goes on, they’re always going to be there for you.
LEON WADHAM: Certainly in Numenor there is a hunger for legacy at all costs. And I don’t know how much more I can reveal about that, but certainly ambitious to a fault is something that is said about the people of Numenor. They’re really proud. They have big dreams. They want to leave an imprint on this land before their time on Earth is over. And not everyone on that island knows where to draw the line.
– There can be no trust between hammer and rock. Eventually one or the other, or she’ll be back.
Nanzanin Boniadi (Bronwyn) interview
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” star Nazanin Boniadi teases what fans can expect in her character Bronwyn. May be geo-blocked depending on your location, but you can try watching it here!
