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Tag: The Rings of Power

  • How the New Characters from ‘The Rings of Power’ Connect to Old Favorites from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

    How the New Characters from ‘The Rings of Power’ Connect to Old Favorites from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

    One of the best things about the new TV trend of returning to places we’ve visited is finding connections to the older projects. It worked really well in Bel-Air and Saved By The Bell, and now, two episodes into The Rings of Power, we can safely say that it feels like it will work even if we do not know for sure yet.

    The first two episodes have taken us back to places that feel familiar, but what is even cooler to see are characters who we meet here who will play a pivotal role thousands of years down the road in the fight against Sauron. In some cases, we are seeing what led to them being who they were when we first met them in either The Hobbit or the Lord of The Rings trilogies. And then there are brand new characters who, unless you have read Tolkien’s other Middle-earth pieces, are surprisingly connected to the more famous heroes of Middle-earth in different ways, including a LOTR veteran who we later see refuse a ring of power. 

    Galadriel and Elrond

    Given the role both of these characters play down the road, it makes sense to lump them together. It’s even cooler that the older version of these characters, two of the greatest heroes in Middle-earth, are played by Hela and Red Skull respectively, two of the greatest villains in Marveldom. Galadriel was very much resigned to her fate when we saw her in The Lord of the Rings, but The Rings of Power finds her seeking vengeance for the death of her brother at the hands of Sauron, who she believes is not gone. In the source material, she actually is not allowed to return home because she rebels with her own army of elves with plans to rule over Middle-earth, and there doesn’t seem to be any mention of that here. Elrond, meanwhile, is a friend to the Dwarves and their King in a way that he does not appear to be in the films. In fact, utter indifference is probably the best way to describe his attitude towards Gimli and the dwarves who come to Rivendell. He’s definitely learning how to scheme here, whereas the Elrond we meet later on is very much content with letting the world end: at least until his daughter shares that she’s given up her immortality. Elrond is afforded a sort of reverence in The Rings of Power that can be directly attributed to the source material in which his parents played a key role in defeating Morgoth.

    Gil-galad

    The High King of the Elves is actually only seen briefly in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, fighting next to Elrond and Isildur in the war against Sauron, but we are getting a lot of him here. In the source material, it should be noted that Sauron kills Gil-galad with his bare hands, so folks should not get too attached to a character that is highly respected and who has the most authority of any of the elves we meet.

    Prince Durin IV

    Prince Durin didn’t physically appear in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so we are seeing him for the first time in The Rings of Power. However, it is his father, King Durin, who rules over what would later become the Mines of Moria. Yes, we know what you’re thinking: who rules over the mines? Well, dwarves did when the mines were actually the Kingdom of Khazad-dûm and that’s where the Balrog resides. Prince Durin is also present when the secret box is shown, and while we don’t see what is actually in it our bet is that it is mithril: mithril is what Frodo’s chainmail was made from, and what ultimately saves his life.

    Celebrimbor

    A name only whispered as a cautionary tale in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but one who plays a pivotal role in how we even get to the end of Peter Jackson’s labor of love. Celebrimbor, who can also be seen in the critically-acclaimed video game Shadow of War, ends up being tricked by Sauron into creating the titular rings of power, a plot point for which the wheels have already started turning. He is, also, the one who created the three elven rings in secret, so his role (while small right now) will expand as the show progresses.

    Elendil

    The sword of Elendil was reforged by Elrond and bestowed upon Aragorn so he could go into the mountains and return with a ghost army that had sworn an oath to the King of Men. Here, we meet the owner of THAT sword and the second to last King of Men. Elendil plays a pivotal role in Sauron’s defeat as well, as it is he who forges the last alliance between Elves and Men. He is not that person in The Rings of Power yet, but his ties to Aragorn and Numenor will most likely be explored further.

    Isildur

    The last King of Men, who both defeated Sauron AND allowed him to return by not destroying the ring. We last saw Isildur in The Fellowship of the Ring face down in a river with arrows in his back. He succumbed to the temptation of the One Ring and didn’t destroy it when he had the chance, but he is also who helps discover Gondor (a place that plays a pivotal role in the original trilogy).

  • ‘The Rings of Power’ Debut Leaves More Questions Than Answers

    ‘The Rings of Power’ Debut Leaves More Questions Than Answers

    Season 1 of Amazon’s mega-budget adventure, The Rings of Power, debuted with a two-episode opener that featured dazzling VFX, some great new characters, a couple of familiar characters and a wonderful tour of Middle-earth. It also left plenty of room for fans to wonder and theorize as they wait for Episode 3 to debut on September 9th. We breakdown the biggest unresolved questions.

    Stranger Danger

    Episode 1 concluded with the very Superman-like entrance of a character known so far only as The Stranger. The Stranger comes into the care of the adventurous Nori Brandyfoot and the entirely unadventurous Poppy Proudfellow and by the time Episode 2 concludes, only three things really seem clear about him. He is incredibly powerful, he has arrived with a purpose (though he can’t confer his purpose to the Harfoots) and he seems to siphon energy from his surroundings, as seen not only by the fireflies dropping dead around him but also the lack of heat radiating from the flames at the site of his arrival.

    But who is The Stranger? Nobody really knows just yet and the showrunners are doing just enough to make fans’ minds march through myriad possibilities. From what we know so far, he certainly seems to be a Maia, one of a group of wizards who were sent to Middle-earth to help its people in their fight against Sauron. So the arrival of a Maia in the first two episodes, which go to great lengths to prove that “the enemy” has not been vanquished just yet, wouldn’t be out of line. If The Stranger is indeed one of the Maiar, it would be in line with The Rings of Power’s introduction of a young Galadriel and a young Elrond to have this wizard be a younger version of a familiar character.

    Is he Gandalf? His firefly whisperer routine is certainly (and intentionally) reminiscent of Gandalf’s ability to commune with the animal life of Middle-earth as seen in The Lord of the Rings films. However, Gandalf’s Doctor Doolitle routine hasn’t been known to kill the participants. Still, if this is Gandalf, he’s new to Middle-earth and clearly not fully in control of his energy siphoning abilities just yet.

    Is he Saruman? Like Gandalf, Saruman was a Maia sent to Middle-earth to protect the people against the growing threat of Saruron. Unlike Gandalf, Saruman’s “moral flexibility” made him much less of an ally to the people of Middle-earth and more of a wild card. So far, The Stranger seems a bit wild card-ish.

    But is The Stranger either of those two known wizards? Unlike The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films, The Rings of Power is not directly adapting any novels. It is, instead, drawing inspiration from a chapter in The History of Middle-earth which is really more of a collection of Tolkein’s thoughts on how things may have worked out chronologically, in this case in the Second Age. And Tolkein didn’t write about Gandalf and Saruman hanging out in Middle-earth during the Second Age. From what’s known, it seems Gandalf and Saruman didn’t come to Middle-earth until after the forging of the One Ring. However, other wizards seem to have been there.

    Is The Stranger one of The Blue Wizards? In The People’s of Middle-earth, the twelfth volume of The History of Middle-Earth, it is explained that two Blue Wizards arrived on Middle-earth in the Second Age year 1600. And that seems to be close to about where The Rings of Power is set. In fact, it seems to be about 100 years or so after the setting of the first two episodes. How do we know? SA 1600 saw Sauron build Barad-dur in Mordor; the first two episodes seem to hint that Sauron must have a new stronghold somewhere and it just hasn’t been found yet. SA 1500 saw Celebrimbor being working with the dwarfs of Khazad-dum to build rings under the guidance of Annatar, a being who claimed to be an ambassador of the Valar (the immortal creators and rulers of the world). Episode 2 saw the beginnings of this relationship as Elrond and Durin’s reunion will eventually lead down this road. So it’s certainly possible that the showrunners played a little fast and loose with some already flexible timelines and decided to introduce the Blue Wizard(s) about 100 years early.

    Of course, there are other options, too. The Stranger could be Sauron. He could be another wizard previously unnamed and unknown. He could be something else entirely. But as Daniel Weyman, who plays The Stranger points out, the hope is that fans have fun trying to figure out who he is, so they may hang onto his identity for quite some time.

    What’s in The Box?

    Showrunner Patrick McKay believed that mystery was at the heart of Tolkein’s writings and the first two episodes made very clear that The Rings of Power was going to be filled with mysteries. Episode 2 ends with a big one as the two Durins debate whether or not Elrond’s visit was connected to whatever treasure resides within their mystery box.

    The foremost theory about what’s in the box connects to another of Tolkein’s posthumously published collected works, The Simarillion. It’s possible the box holds one of the elven Silmarils, jewels that contained within them some of the light of the Two Trees of Valinor, which were seen in a trailer for The Rings of Power and whose presence reaches well beyond their destruction which happened well before the events of the series. If the dwarves are hiding one of these gems from Elrond, it should cause quite a stir.

    Sauron’s Scary Sword

    Not much to think about her, but Theo’s attraction to the very spooky sword of Sauron is of great concern. Not as concerning as Theo’s haircut, but he has to hide those ears somehow.

    Stunning Seamen

    As things looked very bleak for Galadriel and Halbrand, a mysterious figure on a ship full of other mysterious figures arrived to presumably save them. Plenty of options exist, but given the fact that the rescue was at sea, it’s highly likely the ship hails from Númenor, an island nation of men who helped the elves defeat Morgoth. Númenor has been seen before in The Lord of The Rings films and if the Rings of Power is going to Númenor (sppiler: it is), it will show it at the height of its power and, eventually, show it’s fall. And someone we’ll meet there will be an ancestor of one of the great heroes of the Third Age, Aragorn.

    With five seasons planned for The Rings of Power and over 1000 years to cover before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings, don’t expect all these questions to be resolved in Episode 3, but after two episodes they certainly seem to stand out as questions that, when resolved, will drive the plot.

  • REVIEW: ‘The Rings of Power’ is ‘The Lord of the Rings’ For Everyone

    REVIEW: ‘The Rings of Power’ is ‘The Lord of the Rings’ For Everyone

    Deep in the Sundering Seas, a ship sails toward peace and freedom. All onboard are merry, as they know what bountiful future awaits them, save for one soul. Galadriel, a young Elven warrior, is not content. She looks around with concern and restlessness as her companions begin to sing a holy song in unison. Her brethren embrace what they understand to be a blessing, yet Galadriel is unable to wrap her mind around the same joy. The boat rolls onward, but her true journey lies somewhere behind it. This scenario, which plays out near the end of The Rings of Power‘s first episode, is how many may have felt when The Lord of the Rings films first premiered two decades ago.

    Universally loved by fans and critics alike, it quickly became heresy to suggest the original live-action trilogy wasn’t for everyone. While all manner of brethren sang it’s praises like a holy verse, some simply couldn’t bring themselves to join in. Their journey lay elsewhere, in the gutters of other fantasy deemed “less-than” by those who could more naturally comprehend the great works of J.R.R. Tolkien. To be fair, these high-ground thoughts were never entirely misplaced. Peter Jackson‘s movies are indeed a generational achievement, and the novels they’re based on are undoubtedly a cornerstone to which all subsequent entries of the genre owe their existence. Nevertheless, The Lord of the Rings was never an easy story for the average viewer to sink their teeth into.

    Filled with intense exposition and expansive world-building, it could often feel like there was homework required to fully appreciate the cinematic experience. Beautiful, awe-inspiring filmmaking, for sure, but also perhaps too much for some to take in at once. On the other hand, Jackson‘s Hobbit prequels were derided for leaning too far in the other direction. Too much explosive action, not enough thoughtful commentary. The Rings of Power, a new prequel series from Amazon set a full Age before the events of Tolkien‘s seminal masterpiece, feels special for at least one major reason – it works in a way where viewers are granted both pace and spectacle. The series’ pilot and its follow-up, each directed by J.A. Bayona, are chock full of the gorgeous visuals and thrilling set pieces one has come to expect from adventures set on Middle-earth, but pull them off while maintaining the intellectual integrity of the franchise.

    Anyone who might have been worried about the show not living up to the iconic aesthetic of the films can rest well knowing this is not the case. It’s very clear that The Rings of Power is the most expensive television series ever created. From the very beginning, it looks absolutely unreal. This is the same Middle-earth fans have spent years obsessing over, only it feels quite a bit younger. Not only are several of the protagonists in the ensemble cast literally younger versions of established Tolkien characters, like Morfydd Clark‘s aforementioned Galadriel or Robert Aramayo‘s gleaming Elrond, but much of the landscape gives off the essence of a used car restored to its former glory. The grime of Sauron has yet to truly taint the world, even if his dark presence is ever looming.

    As a result, the premiere episodes exude a fairly fresh aura to potential new fans of the franchise. This is not a project anyone has to rewatch older films to enjoy. It’s amicable for those who have loved what’s come before and welcoming to those who’d finally like to try giving Middle-earth a shot. There is some of that familiar exposition, yes, but the show’s episodic format allows for it to be delivered in smaller, separate doses as opposed to all-at-once. Interspersed between are countless moments of shock and amazement that will leave audiences pondering on how a television series could pull all of it off. There are grand scenes of war, charming competitions of friendship, slaughtering at the hands of a lumbering troll, and a horrific game of hide-and-seek played with a skull-fit orc.

    It’s impressive how effortlessly The Rings of Power shifts between these many masks in its attempt to weave an epic tale. The characters, too, are plenty of fun to spend time with. New light is shed on well-known names, enough to make them – possibly – even more likable, and enthralling introductions are made for the latest faces to join the universe. Viewers are reminded exactly why they fell for the varying species of Middle-earth, especially the Hobbits and the Dwarves. Any time spent with Harfoots (Harfeet?) or the cave-dwelling Khazâd is an automatic highlight of the episode.

    Best of all, the premiere episodes leave fans with more questions than they do answers. Without spoiling anything, there’s much to dissect in the coming season. Despite a runtime of over two hours and a lot to establish, A Shadow of the Past and Adrift do a fantastic job of keeping the audience entertained and engaged while setting up plotlines that will last for a long time to come. With an agreeable approach and a stunning coat of paint, The Rings of Power might just be the first Lord of the Rings entry that everyone can fall in love with.

  • ‘The Rings of Power’ Stars Discuss Gandalf Theory 

    ‘The Rings of Power’ Stars Discuss Gandalf Theory 

    After years of waiting, fans can finally stream The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime. The series, a prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic Lord of the Rings trilogy, premiered it’s first two episodes on Thursday to high praise from critics. Multiple new characters found themselves introduced during the show’s initial hours, alongside younger versions of some familiar names. One fresh face, however, was that of Daniel Weyman’s mysterious Stranger, a lumbering giant of a man with strange mystical abilities. The character was shown falling to Middle-earth in a meteor in the series’ pilot.

    There have been no shortage of theories on who the unnamed person actually is, but one has stood out more than the rest. A popular opinion online says that Weyman is secretly portraying a young Gandalf as he first appears in existence. According to a recent interview with ET, the actor has known the true identity of the Stranger since he was cast – but he won’t be spilling the beans anytime soon. When asked about the Gandalf theories, Weyman responded that fans will have to keep watching to find out:

    I would think, hopefully, people will have as much fun watching his story as I had filming it. And I suppose the best thing to say is that while we were working, I, at each point in the story, knew exactly where the character was and who he was and what he was going through. So, from my point of view, it was quite an easy task to follow that through.

    Daniel Weyman

    On the other hand, his co-star, actress Markella Kavenagh, was left just as much in the dark as viewers during the creative process. Kavenagh portrays an adventurous young Harfoot named Nori in the show, and is the one who discovers and helps the Stranger when he crashes to Middle-earth. She explained that she was forced to learn his real identity as filming went on:

    [We were] finding it out week to week. I mean, you’ll see when you watch it why it was also kind of beneficial because of how the Stranger is and how Nor is as well. But yeah, it was an experience.

    Markella Kavenagh

    Actress Cynthia Addai-Robinson, who has not yet appeared in the series, chimed into the conversation to add her take as well. She claimed that, in her opinion, there is a real joy in watching a mystery unfold without immediate answers:

    We enjoy all the fan theories and we have those ideas. But even for some of us, we don’t ultimately know the way in which our characters are going to have these experiences. And the audience will also get to see it as it unfolds as well.

    Cynthia Addai-Robinson

    The Rings of Power is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

    Source: ET

  • ‘The Rings of Power’ Release Schedule

    ‘The Rings of Power’ Release Schedule

    Amazon Prime’s $715M journey to Middle-earth is finally set to debut on the streaming service. The great news is that the premiere will come a day earlier than expected and that fans will be given a two-episode introduction to the series. But when can fans tune in for the remaining episodes? And what time can they expect the first two to drop tonight? We have answers.

    Episodes 1 and 2

    The first two episodes of The Rings of Power are set to drop on Amazon Prime at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET on Thursday, September 1st.

    Episodes 3 through 8

    Season 1 of The Rings of Power will consist of 8 episodes, each of which is expected to run roughly one hour. Following the two-episode debut, the series will release a new episode each Friday as Amazon Prime has elected not to follow the binge model for the series. The weekly release schedule is as follows:

    Episode 3 will release on Friday, September 9th
    Episode 4 will release on Friday, September 16th
    Episode 5 will release on Friday, September 23rd
    Episode 6 will release on Friday, September 30th
    Episode 7 will release on Friday, October 7th
    Episode 8, the Season 1 finale, will release on October 14th

    How Many Seasons?

    The Rings of Power takes place roughly 1000 years before the time of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films, leaving all kinds of room to tell some great stories at a time when Middle-earth was a very different place than what people remember from the films. With that in mind, the showrunners have laid out a five-season plan. With production on Season 2 set to get underway soon, it’s possible that fans will only have to wait until next Fall to catch Season 2 and that the entire series might conclude in 2026.

  • ‘The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power’ Heading to Comic-Con

    ‘The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power’ Heading to Comic-Con

    Middle-earth is heading back to Comic-Con International.

    Deadline has revealed that Prime Video is looking to bring The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power to Comic-Con. The forthcoming series, which will bring fans back to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved fantasy world, will hit Hall H this July along with showrunners J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay.

    The streamer looks to be going all out ahead of The Rings of Power’s debut this September. While it is unclear what Prime Video will debut during the Hall H presentation, one can assume footage will be debuted ahead of an appearance by some of the (massive) cast. The first season of The Rings of Power will cost Prime Video an astounding $462 million alone, that’s not accounting for the $250 million the streaming service paid back in 2017 for the television rights. 

    The series stars Cynthia Addai-Robinson (The Accountant), Robert Aramayo (The Empty Man), Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry (Mr. Bean’s Holiday), Nazanin Boniadi (Homeland), Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova (In the Blood), Charles Edwards (The Kingdom of Bones), and Trystan Gravelle(Anonymous). Also starring in the series is Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.

    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will debut on Prime Video on Sept. 2nd, 2022. The series is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth and takes place thousands of years before the events of the books and the movies. Like with most Prime Video titles, new episodes will be available weekly.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Showrunners Have All 5 Seasons Mapped Out

    ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Showrunners Have All 5 Seasons Mapped Out

    The Lord of the Rings is about to make a grand return as a new series is on the horizon titled The Rings of Power. It looks like showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay, alongside director and executive producer JA Bayona, have already mapped out the entire series, which will consist of five seasons. They plan to explore all that Middle-Earth has to offer and they already know exactly what the final shot for the last episode will be.

    We even know what our final shot of the last episode is going to be. The rights that Amazon bought were for a 50-hour show. They knew from the beginning that was the size of the canvas – this was a big story with a clear beginning, middle and end. There are things in the first season that don’t pay off until Season 5.

    JD Payne

    They also talk about the inspirations that the book’s original author J. R. R. Tolkien had intended with his original book series.

    It was like Tolkien put some stars in the sky and let us make out the constellations. In his letters [particularly in one to his publisher], Tolkien talked about wanting to leave behind a mythology that ‘left scope for other minds and hands, wielding the tools of paint, music and drama.’ We’re doing what Tolkien wanted. As long as we felt like every invention of ours was true to his essence, we knew we were on the right track.

    JD Payne

    The series is going to be the most expensive produced series ever, and it’s insane to think just how committed Amazon is to this series. Ordering five seasons early on showcases how much they believe in the potential and we’ll see how it may honor the iconic fantasy novels and films that came before it.

    Source: Empire

  • Super Bowl LVI to Feature First Look at Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’

    Super Bowl LVI to Feature First Look at Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’

    This Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI will feature the first teaser for Amazon Prime’s upcoming Lord of the Rings streaming series, the most expensive show ever produced with a budget of $465M. The series, which will premier this fall, is set during Middle-earth’s second age (well before the timeline of either the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings films) and will focus on the rise to power of the evil Sauron. A previously released synopsis detailed what to expect.

    Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

    Amazon began marketing the streamer last week with a series of 20+ posters that teased the main characters, including one clad in black armor and sporting a nasty looking gauntlet who fans have theorized might be the Dark Lord Morgoth, the source of evil in Middle-earth. Hopefully the new teaser sheds some light on this and other mysteries about the show.

    Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will debut with an 8-episode first season this September and production has already begun on a second season of the series.

    Source: THR

  • Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings Series Title, Release Date Revealed

    Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings Series Title, Release Date Revealed

    Amazon Prime’s long-gestating Lord of the Rings series now has an official subtitle and a confirmed release date. The streaming network revealed today that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will debut this Fall on September 2nd.

    The series, which has been in development since 2018, will debut with an 8-episode first season set during Middle-earth’s Second Age, the time that saw the rise of Sauron and his eventual defeat at the hands of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Pre–production on a second season is underway and filming is expected to take place in the UK this Spring. Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi and Tom Budge lead a huge, ensemble cast.