We are not entirely right when we said that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power “is essentially a made-up story not relating to the original J. R. R. Tolkien’s books.” It actually has some basis. OK, maybe barely.
The new fantasy series is primarily based on the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, which include a discussion of the Second Age. In other words, the story expands on what little information there is to create what is essentially a new story. So, I am not entirely wrong either.
It has relation to the original stories, though not quite explicitly because as per the requirements of Amazon’s deal with the Tolkien Estate, The Rings of Power is not a continuation of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film trilogies.
Then again, I didn’t think it matters since The Rings of Power is set thousands of years before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Notwithstanding the requirements, the show will have “several members of the series’ large international cast portraying younger versions of the characters from the films.” Official words:
“Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 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.”
Prime Video has recently dropped the official trailer of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. This should be the final look at the series before it starts streaming on Prime Video on September 02, 2022.
Skip ahead for the said official trailer.
Images: Prime Video.
