What is the source material?
The new series is inspired by “The Silmarillion”, a collection of stories from Middle-earth and the wider fictional universe, written by Tolkien and edited by his son Christopher after Tolkien’s death. It’s probably meant to be presented as a fictional historical account written by multiple authors – possibly including one Bilbo Baggins – that covers everything from the origin of Tolkien’s world to his later ages.
But “The Silmarillion” is more of an inspiration than a sacred text that the showrunners follow faithfully – several characters were invented for the series, and its creators played with the story a little, bringing to light species that did not have not play a major role in the history of Middle-earth until its later ages, but more on that below.
Are there any characters I already know?
Of course there are! Do you remember Galadriel, the royal Elf embodied with elegance and dread in Cate Blanchett’s film trilogy? She’s back in the prequel, this time played by Morfydd Clark, and from the looks we get of her in the trailers, she’s just returned from battle when we catch up with her. She’ll probably go back to war, because Sauron is coming! We may or may not see The Lord of the Rings himself in bodily form – Amazon is keeping quiet about how he will appear in the series, but he will undoubtedly feature prominently.
There is also Elrond, lord of Rivendell, a majestic elven city in the Misty Mountains. Once played by Hugo Weaving, a slightly greener Elrond is played here by Robert Aramayo. Of course, Elves are immortal in Tolkien’s world, and their participation in the events of the Second Age was canonized in “The Silmarillion”.
But if you’re expecting Frodo, Sam, and Aragorn to appear, they haven’t been born yet. (Even Arwen doesn’t make her Middle-earth debut until the Third Age.) Besides, can you imagine anyone other than Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, and Viggo Mortensen playing these beloved companions?
What creatures will I recognize?
Who completes this cast of characters?
Amazon’s cast list is comprehensive (but notably missing a few names, including the unknown actor supposed to play Sauron). Many of these characters, with the exception of some elves and dwarves, were created for the series, such as the Harfoot sisters Brandyfoot, a mother-son duo named Bronwyn and Theo, and Arondir, a wood elf, a type of elf who prefers forests and woods to waterfalls and great castles.
And unlike Tolkien’s previous adaptations, many of Middle-earth’s inhabitants will be played by people of color, from Harfoots to Elves to human heroes. Nazanin Boniadi, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ismael Cruz Cordova, and Sophia Nomvete, among other actors, all play major characters whose actions impact the war against Sauron.
Oh yeah, is Peter Jackson involved?
The showrunners of “Rings of Power” are JD Payne and Patrick McKay, who also serve as executive producers. They’re not well known to viewers – they wrote several unproduced scripts – and their first major work would also be one of the most expensive series ever made. So even without the massive Orc-sized shoes Jackson’s movies left them to fill, the stakes are impossibly high!