New ‘Lord of the Rings’ series reveals title
Amazon's anticipated take on Middle Earth arrives on Prime Video on Sept. 2
By Larisha Paul
Having shelled out over a quarter of a billion dollars to acquire the rights to create a Lord of the Rings series set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional universe — and another reported $100 to $150 million on production for the first season — Amazon is going all out for the Prime Video series rollout. They’re revealing the official show title with the help of a blacksmith tasked with forging the words out of fiery, molten metal poured into a redwood molding.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will premiere on Sept. 2 on the streaming platform, followed by weekly episode releases of the multi-season epic. The series will turn back the clocks to land thousands of years before the events depicted in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The heated title reveal is soundtracked by a voiceover reciting Tolkien’s “Ring Verse,” the poem describing the 20 Rings of Power and their intended recipients.
In a release, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay said: “This is a title that we imagine could live on the spine of a book next to J.R.R. Tolkien’s other classics. The Rings of Power unites all the major stories of Middle-earth’s Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the last Alliance of Elves and Men.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is directed by Charlotte Brändström and produced by Christopher Newman. Payne and McKay served as executive producers of the series alongside Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, J.A. Bayona, Belén Atienza, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Bruce Richmond, and Sharon Tal Yguado. Wayne Che Yip co-executive produced.
The series’ stacked ensemble cast includes Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.
It’s the first major adaptation of Tolkien’s books since the Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film series.