AMAZON PRIME TO RELEASE A FRESH LOOK AT J.R.R. TOLKIEN’S WORLD

With the “Lord of the Rings” TV series in its final stages of production, Amazon’s high-budget show is set to release sometime this year on Prime Video. The goal is to have the series take on a similar scale to another recent fantasy serial, “Game of Thrones.”

The LOTR novel is an epic written by J.R.R. Tolkien and is thought of being the basis of the high-fantasy genre that succeeded it. Tolkien’s world is known as Arda, with Middle-earth being center stage for much of the lore in the world. Though other continents existed beyond Middle-earth, not much is known about them.

The new Prime series will be set in the Second Age, thousands of years before the events of the novel took place. While set in Middle-earth, it will be a quite different world from what most of its audience knows from previously made films, with Gondor, Rohan, Erebor, and even the Shire not yet being in the world.

What is known about the history of the Second Age is primarily centered on the rise and fall of the island nation of Númenor, the predecessor to Gondor in the films. During the Second Age, Númenor was the dominant power in Middle-earth, controlling many overseas colonies throughout its reign. It is unclear whether the television show will center on Númenor or other areas in Middle-earth, though it is known that it will not be solely focused on the island nation, based on a synopsis released by Amazon.

The TV Series is being shot in New Zealand, the same country where the LOTR and multiple Hobbit movies were filmed. Filming of the series began in early 2020 but was put on hold indefinitely in March, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, the majority of the filming for the first two episodes was done before the hold was put in place. In addition, much of the crew working on the series live in New Zealand, including some actors from elsewhere that decided to stay put when the pandemic broke out.

The series will have a relatively fresh cast since none of the principal characters portrayed in the films will be present on the new show. Other recognizable actors in the films, such as Hugo Weaving (who played Elrond in both “The Hobbit” and Lord of the Rings), have declined to take part, as well. While some fans embrace the idea of a fresh cast, a few familiar characters played

by different actors will be present, including Galadriel (played by Morfydd Clark), who appeared in both the LOTR and Hobbit trilogies.

The true identity of the lead villain is not yet known, meantime. Presently, that role is code-named “Oren,” to be played by Joseph Mawle. This could well be Sauron – the dark lord found in the LOTR trilogy. During that time, Sauron was able to take a fair form, allowing him to feign friendliness when it suited his ends. This was how Sauron was able to convince the Elves of Eregion to forge the Rings of Power, which led to the creation of the One Ring encountered in Tolkien’s original epic.

It is also possible that “Oren” could be the last King of Númenor, Ar-Pharazôn. The Númenorian king was said to be the greatest tyrant and imperialist of his time, also being manipulated by a fair form of Sauron to destroy his kingdom by seeking immortality from the Valar, the equivalent of pantheon gods in Arda.

The Prime TV series’ production is paralleled by work on a massive-multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) that will take place in Arda during the Second Age. The game is set to release in 2022 with Athlon Games and Amazon working together on its development. Currently the sole MMORPG that is set in Tolkien’s world is the Lord of the Rings Online, which is also scheduled to receive a graphics upgrade next year.