The hour is approaching! Middle Earth with its dwarves, wizards and hobbits is about to reopen its doors. Amazon Studios’ upcoming Lord of the Rings series, The Rings of Power, examines the seminal work of fantasy literature since Peter Jackson’s adaptation of writer J.R.R. Tolkien’s main trilogy and then its prequel The Hobbit.
This time, a new creative team is delving into Tolkien’s legacy to tell a story many fans may not know. Here’s everything we can expect from the new series, according to actors who spoke to the network’s website CBC.
While previous adaptations have mostly focused on the “Third Age” of The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power takes place thousands of years earlier, in the “Second Age”. This period – which itself spans about 3,500 years – comprises a huge story that leads directly into the main trilogy: the story of Númenor (an ancient human kingdom that will eventually come to Middle-earth), its rise and fall. Big bad Sauron and of course the forging of the 20 rings of power.
This return to this story gives Rings of Power the opportunity to develop certain characters with relative notoriety that influence the films to a more well-known public. This includes Isildur, the character best known for refusing to destroy the ring when given the chance at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring.
Isildur is played by Maxime Boldre in the premier video adaptation, a role she described as “Annoying“. He describes his character, a young sailor from Númenor who dreams of becoming a ship captain, as an explorer who “leaves a trail of destruction wherever he goes“.
Another character from the main trilogy is Elendil, played by Lloyd Owen. He is the father of Isildur, a distant ancestor of Aragorn and the first king of Gondor – the Great White City made famous by the third Lord of the Rings film, The Return of the King.
“What bothers me is that Tolkien wrote some sort of road signs, but he still didn’t give these characters the scale they have in the Lord of the Rings books.“, Owen said. He added that he was excitedAn opportunity to begin to imagine what it could be, to personify that character and find its voice“.
Maxim Baldr (Isildur)
As Lloyd Owen said, The Rings of Power was inspired by Tolkien’s less rich history. Although Amazon Prime Video has the right to use the information contained in the attachments Lord of the Rings – Detailed but not story-driven additions to the novels, also called Legendary – They do not have access to Tolkien’s other books covering the same period.
As a solution, series creators JD Payne and Patrick McKay introduced several new characters that do not contradict the Lord of the Rings canon, but help fill in the narrative gaps.
One such addition is Airien, played by Elendil’s daughter Emma Horvath. According to Emma Horvath, this character brings “New female energyTo a family that wouldn’t exist otherwise, he also said that the experience of bringing a fictional character into the world of The Lord of the Rings is completely different from what his counterparts experience in the canonical films.
“There’s a little less pressure because you’re not playing someone that the readers have already built into their minds,” he said. “I mean, the other side is desperate to get fans; The existence of my character must be accepted.“
Other new characters include Poppy Proudfellow, played by Megan Richards, and Eleanor (Norie) Brandifoot, played by Markella Cavenagh. Megan Richards describes her character as a ‘hobbit’witty, sarcastic and funny” who is “Also incredibly cautious, which comes from his past, which you’ll learn about throughout the series“.
For her part, Marcela Cavenagh described Nori as “A determined, inquisitive and inquisitive hobbit“that gets others into trouble.”There were times when I would read the scripts and say, “Don’t drag other people or other beings into your mess.“
Megan Richards (Poppy Proudfellow), Markella Cavenagh (Elanor ‘Norie’ Brandifoot)
To tell this expansive story, Amazon would do anything to make the series a show. With an estimated budget of $465 million — meaning the show could quickly top $1 billion in future seasons — it’s the most expensive series ever produced. Entertainment Weekly and New Zealand’s Minister of Economic Development and Tourism Stuart Nash. The series was filmed in New Zealand.
According to Markella Cavena, the financing helped to minimize the amount of green screen footage. “They built all these sets for us“, she said. “They made it as real as possible.“
The show’s high production cost is a testament to the streaming service’s appetite for big franchises, with more and more of them competing with each other, and Amazon’s belief that people are still interested in Tolkien’s world.
during the round table that he organized HollywoodReporter Last year, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke explained that it would require “global audience“For the series to be profitable. That’s a tall order, even though Jennifer Salke said Amazon was”He is quite confident in his ability to achieve this“.
Sofia Nomwete (Princess Disa)
In an attempt to capture this audience, The Rings of Power attempts to address criticisms that have previously been leveled at the franchise. Critics have often singled out Peter Jackson’s adaptations for their lack of diversity in terms of gender and ethnicity.
After the cast list was announced — and some fans were outraged by the more gender-balanced cast than before — the creative team responded.
“It seemed only natural for us to adapt Tolkien’s work to reflect what the world really looks like.” said Lindsey Weber, executive producer Vanity Fair earlier this year. “Tolkien is for everyone. His stories are about his fictional races that do their best when they leave the isolation of their own culture and come together..”
When asked if this time around the show’s storyline puts women front and center, Megan Richards had a blunt answer: “Here we are“, she said. “And I think that says it all.“
Another change: Sophia Nomwete, who plays Disa, the dwarf princess. Although the character was created in the series (she is married to Prince Durin IV, played by Owain Arthur, who is featured in Tolkien’s Appendices), Nomvet’s portrayal makes her the first black woman and actress to play a dwarf in a Tolkien adaptation.
“It means absolutely everythingNomwete said of her role in portraying people of color in Tolkien’s mythos.Everyone took part because he was the best person for the role and it was an honor to be a part of balancing the balance in this world.“
Source: allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
