San Diego Comic-Con has become home to some of the biggest parts of pop culture, with much-anticipated movies, TV shows, and more celebrated at the event. At this year’s event, this will include The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the long-awaited television adaptation of the JRR Tolkien fantasy novels. with rings of strengthThe series premiere arrives in September, and the hype is sure to grow for the series — and the show’s SDCC panel is sure to carry that momentum in spades. Keep reading for our summary of everything you need to know from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Team!
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After a quick reel of Prime Video plays, series composer Bear McCreary appears on stage and conducts a live orchestra playing various themes from the show. Stephen Colbert, who moderates the session, steps out on stage and shares his personal connection to the Lord of the Rings franchise. Then he talks about the second era, the legacy that Rings of Power will explore, and introduces the teaser of the series, which is played in a jigsaw across the hall.
Colbert presents executive producers Lindsey Weber, JD Payne, and Patrick McKay. They share their connection to the Lord of the Rings script, and Payne calls the series “a human story,” about how far someone can go in the dark to protect the things they love. McKay and Payne call The Second Age “Tolkien’s Incredible Untold Story,” and are irritated by their unwillingness to split up or tell an origin story for one thing. Payne promises that Amazon has let them make the show they want to do.
Colbert asks everyone’s favorite event from the Second Age – Payne cites the fall of Nemenor. Colbert asks if it’s a benefit or a challenge, Webber says it’s about keeping up with the creativity and imagination of Tolkien, Mackay, and Payne. McKay reveals that they’ve been on the show for four years, and doesn’t know if he should “cry, scream, or go blind.”
Colbert asks which race of Middle-earth they want to be, and Webber wants to be Nemenorian. McKay jokes that she wants to be a Nemenorist so she can die and doesn’t have to continue producing the show. Pine wants to be a dwarf and live forever, and he also promises that the show is done right by the dwarves. Colbert says he wants to play the Hobbit, and Payne jokes about cutting Colbert “short.”
Colbert asks what was the most difficult part of the series, and McKay says the pressure they put on themselves was the strongest. Colbert asks about the characters on the show Unlawful Tolkien, and Payne reveals that they worked with franchise scholars and experts on it. Payne cites Tolkien’s passing reference to Hobbits’ ancestors as an example of what they build upon. It also reveals that they, like Tolkien, looked to real-world battles and epics for inspiration.
They are showing a new trailer for the series. Elf puts helmets in a giant pile. Today begins our days of peace. Elves in boats, Gladrill, great battle scenes, “Evil does not sleep, it waits.” dwarves, flaming village, blade. “Each of us must decide who we are.” Trailer ending in rouge.
Colbert asks about the Balrog, and if the season will inadvertently help set things up in the Third Age. The second age, Mackay says, is so dense that they don’t need to be immersed in the third age. Webber says they built practical clusters “as much as they could,” which McKay echoes includes several blocks, and an entire berth.
He asks Colbert about the casting and jokes about not being invited. Payne says there are two selection criteria – they have to be good actors, and they have to have “middle-earth”. Colbert asks quick questions beginning with “Why do some elves have short hair?” McKay: “Elves don’t look the same all the time.”
McCreary returns to the stage and evokes his music inspiration. He reveals that there will be some gadgets unheard of in the franchise, as a way of representing what the Third Age has lost. Payne reveals that everything related to The Lord of the Rings is an inspiration.
The crew leaves the stage, and Colbert tests the audience on the pronunciation of some LOTR names.
The first group of cast members appeared, including Robert Aramayo, Owen Arthur, Benjamin Walker and Sophia Numfit.
Aramayo talks about how his approach to Elron was rooted in being an orphan. Colbert asks Arthur how being Welch affects his performance, and he says there are certainly some similarities.
They checked out a clip, showing Elrond and Durin participating in completing a stone cut.
Walker reads the poem about Jill Galad. He reveals that he was reluctant to take on the role, due to the difficulty of it. He reveals that he signed up for the show after Pine called him from the hospital while his wife was in labour.
He talks about playing Disa, the first on-screen elf in the franchise. She calls it “the force of nature,” and reveals that she auditioned for the role two days before giving birth, and signed on for the role when her daughter was five days old.
The cast leaves the stage, and a second group of cast members arrive, including Sarah Zanbughi, Megan Richards, Danielle Wyman, Nazanin Bonyadi, Ismael Cruz Cordova, and Teru Mohafidin.
Zwanboghi explains how Harfoot is a nomadic ancestor of the hobbit, but they still have the same energy and spirit. The show environment was “personal” in itself. Richards wasn’t ready to sing for the role, and they did karaoke a lot in New Zealand
Other videos, of Poppy and Nori meeting a giant in the fiery pit.
Weyman in The Stranger evokes a unique sense of purpose, and he’s excited to see people go on this journey. Colbert addresses theories that The Stranger is Gandalf or Sauron, and asks how he perceives the character, and Weyman says he had enough information day in and day out.
Bonyadi teases that Bronwyn, and all the female characters on the show, have a lot of agency, and she is inspired by the real-life work of women in Iran.
Cordova plays shy about what the symbol on his shield represents. It brings up how dance and martial arts have influenced his fighting style on screen, in a way that pays homage to the diversity of elves.
Another clip is shown showing elves fighting against their oppressors, with a fight scene that includes chains and an axe.
The cast leaves, and Colbert talks about Nimenor. It presents the final cast of cast – including Lloyd Owen, Morvid Clark, Charlie Vickers, and Cynthia Addai Robinson.
Clarke talks about playing Galadriel, calls it “Beyond My Wildest Dreams,” and says her family is obsessed with the franchise. She revealed that she did a lot of training, and Vickers revealed that free-diving was difficult.
Another clip shows Gladrill and Elron meeting and talking to Elvish. Clarke revealed that she was able to catch the Elvish due to her resemblance to the Welsh.
Other footage shows Galadriel and Halbrand in Neuminor.
Addai-Robinson says that playing Miriel gave her space to let go of her feelings about the world. She teases that Meryl wants to do the right thing by her people.
Colbert directs the rest of the cast to answer fans’ questions. Clarke says she wanted to explore the immortality of Galadriel, and how hard it is to fight it. Weyman teases his belief that fans will be happy to expand the legends on the show. Webber irritates Galadriel’s shield as a “gift” from someone else.
A fan asks about the representation of the disability, and Pine confirms it equally, explaining that one of the characters is partially deaf, and how the show specially made a suit of armor so he could hear better on set. A fan asks them to commit to giving Colbert a role, and they agree, causing Colbert to sign a piece of paper.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power It will debut on September 2nd on Prime Video.
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