50 Fun Facts About The Rings of Power

The Rings of Power streams on which service?

Jeff Bezos, a Tolkien fan, was personally involved in the rights negotiations.

In which Age of Middle-earth is The Rings of Power set?

Thousands of years before The Hobbit; the events are compressed into a short span for TV.

The series draws its story mainly from which part of Tolkien's writings?

Amazon only bought rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, so the Silmarillion was off limits.

Who are the two showrunners of The Rings of Power?

They had only unproduced or uncredited work before; J. J. Abrams championed them.

Which director championed Payne and McKay after working with them on an unmade Star Trek film?

The pair beat more than 30 writers, including the Russo brothers, for the job.

Roughly how much did Amazon pay the Tolkien Estate for the TV rights in November 2017?

The starting price had been $200 million; commentators called it 'insane'.

How much did Amazon spend producing the first season?

The UK's tax incentives 'dramatically reduced' costs for later seasons.

Which network pitched the estate a remake of the Lord of the Rings films and was turned down?

Netflix's pitch of connected Aragorn and Gandalf series 'completely freaked out the estate'.

Who composed the main title theme for The Rings of Power?

Bear McCreary wrote the score but was barred from quoting Shore's film themes.

Who composed the original score for the series?

He wrote more than 15 new themes for the first season alone.

Where was the first season filmed?

Production then moved to the UK, partly because the estate wanted Tolkien's own landscapes.

Which studio complex hosts production from the third season onward?

Season 2 had shot at Bray and Bovingdon Airfield outside London.

On what date did The Rings of Power premiere?

Its first two episodes drew 25 million viewers in 24 hours, a Prime Video record.

How many viewers did Amazon say watched the first two episodes in the first 24 hours?

It was the first time Amazon had ever published Prime Video viewing figures.

What percentage of initial US viewers reportedly finished season 1?

Amazon's Jennifer Salke disputed attempts to paint the season as less than a success.

Who plays Galadriel in The Rings of Power?

She was cast in December 2019 as a younger version of Blanchett's film character.

Who plays the young Elrond?

He replaced Will Poulter, who left over scheduling conflicts.

Which actor was originally cast in a lead role but left before filming due to scheduling conflicts?

His role, then codenamed 'Beldor', turned out to be Elrond.

Which actor's character is revealed in the season 1 finale to be Sauron in disguise?

His audition included a monologue by Satan from Paradise Lost, which tipped him off.

Sauron's human disguise in season 1 goes by what name?

The writers avoided the book alias Annatar so even Tolkien readers would be surprised.

What Elven alias does Sauron adopt in season 2?

It is his 'Lord of Gifts' disguise from Tolkien's writings.

Which actor plays Sauron's earlier form in the season 2 premiere flashback?

It was the one Sauron form not played by Charlie Vickers.

The season 2 finale confirms the Stranger is an earlier version of which wizard?

Daniel Weyman plays him; Ciarán Hinds's Dark Wizard remains unnamed.

Which earlier adaptation had depicted Tom Bombadil and the Barrow-wights before The Rings of Power?

Jackson's films omitted both.

Who replaced Joseph Mawle as Adar for season 2?

Mawle did not take part in promotion for the first season.

Which actor replaced Tom Budge in a major Elf role after early episodes were reviewed?

COVID restricted the search to actors already in New Zealand; Edwards was shooting Under the Vines there.

Who is the 'principal protagonist' of season 2, according to the showrunners?

His relationship with Sauron-as-Annatar drives the story toward the Siege of Eregion.

Which Dwarf king goes mad after receiving a ring in season 2?

Peter Mullan plays him; Owain Arthur is his son Durin IV.

Which eastern land do the Stranger, Nori and Poppy travel to in season 2?

It was imagined as a lost paradise turned desert, Middle-earth's first on-screen desert.

The Harfoots are precursors to which Third Age people?

Lenny Henry is among the actors of colour cast as Harfoots.

Which Game of Thrones writer joined as a consultant in 2019?

Amazon also wanted Benioff and Weiss to consult before they signed with Netflix.

Which grandson of J. R. R. Tolkien is credited as a series consultant?

Scholar Tom Shippey left early after revealing details without permission.

Which illustrator from the film trilogies returned as a conceptual designer?

He also drew the Second Age maps used in early marketing, which fans found two errors in.

Which creative studio made the cymatic, sand-pattern opening title sequence?

It took seven months and used Chladni plates vibrated by Gregorian chants and whale calls.

Which singer performs 'Where the Shadows Lie' over the season 1 finale credits?

Rufus Wainwright got the season 2 song 'Old Tom Bombadil'.

Which 1997 film did the writers compare their early vision of Númenor's doom to?

A vision of the future tells viewers the island kingdom will fall, so the tragedy hangs over everything.

Why did fans worry the series would copy Game of Thrones' explicit content?

Payne and McKay promised a family-friendly tone in line with Tolkien's books.

What was season 1's critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes?

The consensus: 'It may not yet be the One Show to Rule Them All'.

Which actor plays Gil-galad, the High King of the Elves?

He also voiced the Hill-troll Damrod in season 2.

Who plays Isildur in the series?

Lloyd Owen plays his father Elendil.

Which comedian was cast as a Harfoot?

He revealed in 2021 that he and other people of colour had been cast as Harfoots.

Which character did Nazanin Boniadi play before choosing not to return for season 2?

The character is revealed to have died offscreen.

Who was cast as a younger Celeborn for season 3?

Galadriel's husband was played by Marton Csokas in the films.

Season 2's three-episode battle builds to the siege of which Elven city?

Galadriel, Elrond and Gil-galad lead the armies against the Orcs.

Which Númenórean colony appears for the first time on screen in season 2?

Rhûn, Tom Bombadil and the Barrow-wights were also firsts.

Who voices Goldberry, Tom Bombadil's wife, in season 2?

She is the wife of composer Bear McCreary.

Which two actors voice the Ents in season 2?

Broadbent had just played Archmaester Ebrose in Game of Thrones.

According to TorrentFreak, which series was pirated more than The Rings of Power in 2022?

The two fantasy launches were billed as 'the biggest battle in fantasy TV history'.

What title did the showrunners say could 'live on the spine of a book' next to Tolkien's classics?

They briefly considered a different subtitle for each season.

What was the working title used while filming season 2?

Three first units filmed simultaneously under Brändström, Hamri and Hooper.