It’s time to return to Middle-earth. On Thursday, Vanity Fair unveiled our first look at Amazon’s highly anticipated fantasy epic, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power! Judging by these images, it appears we’re in for a richly intricate, wholly immersive experience!
Showrunner Patrick McKay had this to say regarding the show’s premise:
The forging of the rings — rings for the elves, rings for dwarves, rings for men and then the one ring Sauron used to deceive them all. It’s the story of the creation of all those powers, where they came from, and what they did to each of those races. Can we come up with the novel Tolkien never wrote and do it as the mega-event series that could only happen now?
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McKay also clears the air to Vanity Fair regarding the Game of Thrones elephant in the room: Will there be sexual and violent gratuitousness as seen in Westeros? McKay states the goal was “to make a show for everyone, for kids who are 11, 12, and 13, even though sometimes they might have to pull the blanket up over their eyes if it’s a little too scary.”
Honestly, that’s a relief.
While there’s no J.R.R. Tolkien novel from which to pull, McKay and co-showrunner JD Payne extract their tale from the lush backstory laid out in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Payne and McKay initially pitched 50 hours of television to Amazon executives, so, naturally, there is a need for some creative risks.
“We think the work will eventually speak for itself,” Payne tells Vanity Fair. I have faith it will.
Check out the first-look images of the cast below!
Pictured: Morfydd Clark as Galadriel. Photo credit: Matt Grace/Amazon Studios.
Pictured: Charlie Vickers as Halbrand. Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios.
Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios.
Pictured: Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn. Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios.
Pictured: Robert Aramayo as Elrond and Morfydd Clark as Galadriel. Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios.
Pictured: Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn and Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir. Photo credit: Ben Rothstein/Amazon Studios.
Pictured: Robert Aramayo as Elrond. Photo credit: Ben Rothstein/Amazon Studios.
Pictured: Morfydd Clark as Galadriel and Charlie Vickers as Halbrand. Photo credit: Ben Rothstein/Amazon Studios.
Pictured: Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir. Photo credit: Matt Grace/Amazon Studios.
Pictured: Sophia Nomvete as Disa. Photo credit: Ben Rothstein/Amazon Studios.
Pictured: Owain Arthur as Prince Durin IV. Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios/Vanity Fair.
Are you excited about returning to Middle-earth when The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power hits Prime Video on September 2? Sound off in the comments!
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Melody.McCune@geekgirlauthority.com
What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet. Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium. I love cheese. I love geek. I love lamp.
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