Here’s What You Need To Know Before Watching ‘The Rings Of Power’
No, you don't need to be a massive LOTR nerd to get invested.
In case you are immune to advertising, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on Amazon Prime on Friday, September 2. Tolkien fans get hyped, because Middle Earth is back baby.
Did you know it’s been over 20 years since The Fellowship of the Ring graced our screens? It’s also been eight years since the behind-the-scenes of Benedict Cumberbatch playing Smaug in a mocap suit, arguably the best part of the Hobbit trilogy. With these facts in mind, we don’t blame you for not being up to date with the world of Tolkien.
Luckily, there’s not much to catch up on before The Rings of Power (which we will be calling TRoP) hits our screens in a week. Here’s our quick guide.
It Takes Place Over 1000 Years Before Fellowship
TRoP takes place somewhere between 1300-15000 years before Frodo first leaves Bag End, in a period known as the Second Age.
During this second age, the eponymous rings of power were forged and the Dark Lord Sauron began his rise to power, building his Dark Fortress (Barad-dûr). It was at this time the Ringwraiths were also created, so now a whole new generation can look forward to seeing these freaky fellas when you’re trying to sleep.
Without spoiling too much, TRoP will follow a group of characters who will be almost entirely new to fans of the original films. Basically, don’t expect to see Frodo and Sam unless you are ready to be bitterly disappointed.
New Zealand Plays Middle Earth Once Again
The visually spectacular fantasy world of Middle Earth will once again be played by Aotearoa. There will be eight episodes of TRoP‘s first season and all of them were shot in over 150 locations in both the North and South Islands of NZ.
Although original trilogy director Peter Jackson will not be involved in TRoP, his legacy lives on as many of his original shooting locations will be making a return.
It Might Well Be The Most Expensive TV Show Ever Made
Amazon Prime owner Jeff Bezos reportedly told Amazon Studios he wanted an ambitious fantasy series on par with Game of Thrones. Personally involving himself in the negotiations, they acquired the rights to TRoP for close to US$250 million.
The first season had a planned budget of US$100-150 million, meaning each ep ranges from US$12.5 million to about US$19 million per ep, compared to Game of Thrones which averaged US$15 million per episode (for the last season).
At the time of writing, five seasons of TRoP are planned. Taking into account inflation and how studios love to drag out a high performing show, the total budget could be well over US$1 billion which would make it the most expensive TV show ever made.
You Don’t Have To Be A LOTR Geek To Watch It (But it would certainly help)
Is TRoP based on the footnotes of a popular novel series? Yes. Does that mean you have to be a massive nerd to watch it? No.
At the end of the day, it is a prequel set long before the original trilogy of novels/films and there is very little connecting the two. You don’t have to be Tolkien’s biggest fan who has made no fewer than six pilgrimages to Matamata to enjoy The Rings of Power.
But you’ll probably enjoy it more if you are.
Note: Just think, if you are a massive fantasy geek your next couple of weekends are bookended by The Rings of Power and The House of Dragon! What a time to be alive!