Prime Video’s The Rings of Power has finally uncorked its long embargoed set visits, which occurred over a year ago in April 2023, with many articles from various outlets sharing exclusive pics and details for Season 2 of the billion dollar TV show. Here are links to recent posts, plus some of the most interesting reveals that fans are buzzing about.
Quick hits:
- TV Insider https://www.tvinsider.com/1142065/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-season-2-battles-sauron/
- IGN https://www.ign.com/articles/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-season-2-50-new-details-from-the-set-of-middle-earth
- Den of Geek https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/lord-of-the-rings-of-power-season-2-epic-battles/
- Nerdist https://nerdist.com/article/the-rings-of-power-season-2-image-gallery/
- Collider https://collider.com/rings-of-power-season-2-images-celebrimbor/
- EMPIRE https://www.empireonline.com/tv/news/rings-of-power-season-2-hill-troll-breaking-bad-mike-ehrmantraut/
Set Visits to war-torn Middle-earth
TV Insider has a well written article in which they have a lot of fun visiting the unnamed secret battle sets for Season 2. “If there’s one word to describe this season, it’s “more.” More evil. More action. More rings (make that a lot more).” Seems that the leaks may be true that all the 17 remaining rings of power will be seen this season. TV Insider focuses on all the new department heads for Season 2, needed because of moving the production away from New Zealand. “We toured the tent and spoke with one Orc actor who has a special arc this season.”
According to this article, “The roots of his current “Halbrand” form are explained in the season’s brutal opening scene, which showrunner J.D. Payne describes as “an Ides of March-esque” sequence that fellow showrunner Patrick McKay says will make you “pity” the dark lord.” The Ides of March is famously the story of the political betrayal and assassination of Julius Caesar. They also confirm the premiere will be 3 full episodes. Read the whole thing – it touches on a lot of the themes going into S2.
IGN also visited the set and opens with a discussion with the showrunners. Explains McKay, “You know, it’s really hip to be cynical and roll your eyes and, you know, be postmodern and winky, winky, winky. And we’re just not gonna play that game.” Season 2’s new stunt co-ordinator Ben Cooke “also mentioned a specific stunt for Aramayo where Elrond is cornered and jumps from a 50 ft. waterfall. What’s he running from?!” Season 2 has a whopping 120 physical sets, and the Khazad-dûm set is bigger in size. Read the written set visit by Amy Ratcliffe, then check out the whole bulleted list of official things.
Den of Geek joined the set visit festivities with a first person write up, putting the reader in the middle of the mud soaked action on set. “But while the weather may have helped pile on the authentic mud, that First World War vibe is very much a deliberate artistic choice as well. Once we’ve got back to the main studio and dried off, we are shown a miniature model used in designing Adar’s orc encampment for season two. This looks even more like the Western Front in World War I, as it’s full of trenches and ladders, and if it weren’t for the Orcs and the lack of tanks, it could almost be a historical set. Just across the table is a piece of armor with snake details., including the ouroboros symbol—a snake eating its own tail, symbolizing immorality and eternity. The Orc armor is an impressive mish-mash of influences, as the idea behind it is that the Orcs have looted it from other cultures and mixed that in with the bones of their enemies.”
Nerdist focuses on the dwarves with their set visit, revealing the first pic of father and son Durin. Production Designer Kristian Milsted says, “We could look at what they did for Khazad-dûm in season one, and we could say, ‘Okay, now we’re going to give it a twist, and we’re going to make it more sinister, make it more dark.’ It’s about greed. It’s something that the dwarves are good at.”
Rings press tour brings culture to events and conventions
Essence Festival 2024 was in New Orleans over July 4 weekend and featured a dedicated panel for Prime Video’s The Rings of Power and The Boys. Black Girl Nerds has the write up, featuring Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Sophia Nomvete.
Arondir and Isildur visited the IGN Fan Fest to debut the new character in their storyline: Estrid. Watch the 13 minute clip here.
SDCC is almost here and Deadline unveils what Prime Video is bringing to the biggest pop culture stage in the world. We will have more details soon!
Light and Dark colliding in Collider
Our pals at Collider.com have a series of articles around Season 2 of The Rings of Power. First, Steve Weintraub got to chat with the showrunners on how fans are shaping future seasons of the 5-season tentpole series. “Season 2 was largely written before Season 1 came out, but Season 2 has been produced after Season 1 came out. Part of the learning process for us on this is really seeing what people seem to respond to in the show. We also take in everything. We read everything. We read the reviews, we read what you all have written, we read what your colleagues have written, and we read what the fans are saying.” Patrick McKay may be seeing all your Discord messages!
Next up was an effort to reveal who the meteor man ‘stranger’ is, but the showrunners are not revealing anything yet. “Despite what some folks might think, we’re really not about a game; we’re really not about a puzzle. But we also don’t wanna take for granted where characters will end up. We want to see them grow and change along the way, and we hope that in the end, you look back and it feels inevitable, but in the moment… I’m trying to say it but not say it. [Laughs]” They do reveal that Season 2 will go to Rhûn, Pelargir, Grey Havens, older parts of Númenor, and deeper into Khazad-dûm.
Celebrimbor and Annatar get new pics revealed in Collider’s third article of the day. J.D. Payne says, “Season 2 is gonna be all about the villains, and specifically all about Sauron. We’re going to watch as he uses deception, manipulation, lies, coercion, cunning to start to set the chess pieces in motion . He’s gonna go to this person over here and sort of set this group against that group over there and start using people’s inherent trusts and mistrusts and fears against them to start to set up the situations that are all beneficial to him.”
The huge EMPIRE magazine exclusive
By far the most talked about piece of news this last week was EMPIRE magazine’s multi-page exclusive for Season 2 of The Rings of Power. The main reveal was a focus on the first screen representation of the Barrow-wights. While exciting to see these skeletal ghosts finally come to life on screen, it’s not without some concern from global fans who fear cultural appropriation and use of stereotypical tropes of “eastern = evil.” But there’s so much ground covered in EMPIRE it’s worth finding an issue with the 3D lenticular cover at a bookstore or read free with an Apple News+ subscription.
EMPIRE also reveals the first named troll on screen since The Hobbit movies turned Tom, Burt and William to stone. The hill troll Damrod serves Adar in the upcoming season.
Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay talk about the critical feedback to mysteries of Season 1 saying, “The clues to the correct answer were there from the start. Literally in the first shot of Charlie [Vickers, as Halbrand] in Season 1, he looks back at the camera with one eye.” Closing out the huge EMPIRE feature they talk about retooling after leaving Season 1 in New Zealand. “The big move from New Zealand to the UK was, McKay says on set, “a bit of a chance to in some ways reboot and rebuild — another opportunity to take another big whack at it” (in terms of the filmmaking process rather than the narrative choices, he later qualifies).”
Season 2 pictures!
