Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power officially has a name and it hints at what’s to come.
The television series’ complete title was unveiled earlier this week, and the significance behind the subtitle will not be lost on J.R.R. Tolkien fans, foreshadowing an epic story that welds the major events of Tolkien’s Second Age together: the forging of the iconic rings.
Amazon has previously said the series is set in the Second Age, thousands of years before the stories within J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Here, the leaders of Middle Earth wore rings of power, but some of those rings were controlled by Sauron’s “one ring,” which is, of course, the subject of much drama in the books and films most people know so well.
Lines from Tolkien’s “Ring Verse” featured in the voice-over as part of Prime Video’s announcement:
“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne in the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.” Watch below:
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“This is a title that we imagine could live on the spine of a book next to J.R.R. Tolkien’s other classics. The Rings of Power unites all the major stories of Middle-earth’s Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men,” said Showrunners J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay. “Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring – but before there was one, there were many… and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all.”
Behind the Scenes: Forging the Teaser Video
Amazon Prime turned to Rocket Film’s Klaus Obermeyer to direct the title reveal film for the highly anticipated forthcoming Amazon Series Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Obermeyer worked together with expert foundryman and metal artist Landon Ryan and legendary Hollywood SFX pioneer and artist Douglas Trumbull on the film.
Just as so many elements of the show itself were hand-crafted, Prime Video chose to physically forge the title in a blacksmith foundry, pouring fiery molten metal into hand-carved wooden ravines shaped to the letterforms. The process was captured in slow motion for a live-action video, which features voice-over narration of lines from Tolkien’s famous “Ring Verse,” describing the intended recipients of the 20 Rings of Power. The bespoke title treatment appears crafted in a silvery metal, with lines of Elvish script inscribed along the crest of each letterform.:
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world in multiple languages on Friday, September 2, with new episodes available weekly.
CREDITS:
CLIENT: AMAZON
- Senior Creative Director: Glenn Sanders
- Lead Creative Producer: Stephanie Marshall
- Lead Creative Producer: Ryan Pickens
- Senior AV Producer: Liz Catullo
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Rocket Film
- Director: Klaus Obermeyer
- Managing Director: Sara Eolin
- EP/HOP: Marla Whittaker
- Line Producer: Taylor Bjorn Bro
- DP: Erik Sohlstrom
- Production Designer: Brian Branstetter
- Special FX: Doug Trumbull
- Foundry Artist: Landon Ryan
- 1st AD: Michael Dignum
