In the first look at Amazon’s eagerly anticipated The Lord of the Rings TV series, The Rings of Power, the project’s creators had this to say about online haters who were upset that the show would include a considerably more diverse cast than Peter Jackson’s trilogy of films.
“We see it natural that an adaptation of [Tolkien author] J.R.R.’s work would represent the real world,” says Executive Producer Lindsey Weber in an interview with Vanity Fair, which also offers several new images from the series.
“Tolkien is for everyone. His stories are about his invented races putting their best foot forward while they venture out of their own communities and interact with others.”
“Who are these people that dislike the notion of an elf being Black or Latino or Asian?” asks Tolkien scholar Mariana Rios Maldonado.
The plot covers the Second Age of Middle-earth’s history and follows Arondir, an elf played by Ismael Cruz Córdova — the first person of color to play a Tolkien elf onscreen — as well as Disa, a dwarven princess played by Sophia Nomvete – the franchise’s first female dwarf and the series.
In addition, there are recurring characters such as Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo), who are younger versions of 11 beloved personalities.
The series has been without two types of popular characters: Wizards and Hobbits, “who weren’t major players in the Second Age.”
It’s still planned to have hobbits in some form, but they’ll be known as “harfoots,” and their story will be “in the margins of the larger events.”
The dwarf mines of the Misty Mountains (at the height of its glory before it fell into darkness and ruin), the elven kingdom of Lindon, and Númenor’s island are just a few examples of major settings in Tolkien’s work. The VF profile has a few more new facts about the series.
The announcement comes as Amazon prepares to debut its teaser trailer for The Rings of Power during Sunday’s telecast of Super Bowl LVI.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power follows the creation of the original rings of power, which allowed Sauron to spread darkness across Middle-earth.
As per Amazon, the show is said to “depict the legendary Second Age of Middle-earth history for the very first time. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is an epic drama set thousands of years before J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, chronicling the legendary rise and fall of an ancient civilization that faced a threat from beyond its shores.”
“The legendary Lord of the Rings saga continues with The Hobbit, a film adaptation that tells the story beginning in a time of peace and quiet before entering into an epic conflict between good and evil. The kingdoms and personalities that dwell on the epic map will leave legacies that endure long after they are gone, from the darkest shadows of the Misty Mountains to the lovely forests of Lindon’s elf-kingdom, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, and beyond.”
New Zealand was the location where most of the film was shot. Last fall, it was announced that the production would be heading to the United Kingdom.
The Season 1 of Lord of the Rings will premiere on Prime Video on Friday, Sept. 2, and will be shown in 240 countries across the world. Episodes will be released every week for future seasons.