IN 2017, WHEN AMAZON ANNOUNCED IT had acquired the rights to make a five-series streaming show set in JRR Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings universe, eyebrows were raised. Peter Jackson's early noughties trilogy of films remained modern masterpieces, and the seemingly unbeatable benchmark for all Tolkien adaptations.
But Amazon stepped up to the challenge, laying out a massive billion dollar (and counting) budget in order to bring to life the pitch of screenwriters JD Payne and Patrick McKay (Godzilla Vs Kong) who wanted to realise the major events of Middleearth's Second Age, including Sauron's machinations to forge the Rings of Power.
In 2022, audiences got their first taste of Prime Video's gorgeously produced The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, an impressively acted production which featured many concurrent storylines, including a much-younger Galadriel the Elf's (Morfydd Clark) obsessive hunt for the Dark Lord Sauron (Charlie Vickers); the appearance of a mysterious Stranger (Daniel Weyman) in Harfoot territory; the leadership strife in the kingdom of Númenor; and the rise of Orcs in the Southland. The first series of eight episodes earned Prime Video a reported 100 million viewers globally, numerous award nominations, and the buy-in of plenty of very discerning Tolkien fans. Two years later, season two is nigh, and it's going to get dark. Payne and McKay tell SFX that their Middle-earth epic is going to try even harder this time to exude what made Tolkien's books literary classics.
"People respond to hope. People respond to wonder. People respond to great characters, fantastical worlds, danger with humility, resiliency and fellowship," Payne rattles off. "These are all the things that make Tolkien resonate with people. We realised that when we're immersed in those things, the stories work. So we really just wanted to double down on all those things."
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2024-Ausgabe von SFX UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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ANCER MAHAGEMENT
WITH A NEW TRILOGY IN SIGHT, WE SPEAK TO THE DIRECTOR OF 28 WEEKS LATER THE ORIGINAL CHILLING SEQUEL TO DANNY BOYLE'S SEMINAL SURVIVAL HORROR
WHO YA CONNA CALL?
BEHIND THE SCENES AT HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS FOR GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE
SPEAK OF THE DEVIL
THE DEVIL'S HOUR STRIKES TWICE AS THE GENREDEFYING DRAMA RETURNS
SCARRY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK
FROM THE RETURN OF EC COMICS TO SCREAM!, THIS YEAR'S HALLOWEEN OFFERS UP HORROR COMICS FOR ALL THE AGES
UNDEADS REFLECTIONS
NEIL JORDAN ON BRINGING ANNE RICE'S MODERN VAMPIRE CLASSIC TO SCREEN, 30 YEARS ON
MUNSTER MASH!
PRODUCTION HELL, SHOCK RECASTING AND HOTLY CONTESTED AUTHORSHIP. AS THE MUNSTERS CELEBRATE THEIR 60TH ANNIVERSARY, WE UNCOVER HOW THE SPOOKY SITCOM WAS ALMOST DEAD ON ARRIVAL
COMING TO AMERICA
THE MOGWAI LIVE THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THEIR SECOND CHAPTER, GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH
BEING HUMAN EVOLUTION
IT MAY HAVE BEEN AN INSTANT HIT, BUT BBC THREE'S DARKLY COMIC DRAMA ABOUT A HOUSE-SHARING VAMPIRE/WEREWOLF/GHOST TRIO HAD A STRANGE JOURNEY TO THE SCREEN, SERIES CREATOR TOBY WHITHOUSE TELLS SFX
THE MAINE EVENT
THE DARK IS RISING IN SALEM'S LOT AS STEPHEN KING'S DEATHLESS TALE RETURNS TO THE SCREEN
WHY DON'T YOU STAY FOR A BITE?
THE VAMPIRE COMES HOME AS DIRECTOR EUROS LYN WELCOMES SFX TO HIS NEW DARK COMEDY THE RADLEYS