The Rings of Power (the LoTR TV show)

[Totenkindly]

Expected to release on Amazon in 2021.

Amazon has found a lead actor for its ‘Lord of the Rings’ fantasy series
The 'Lord Of The Rings' Amazon Series Casts Another Lead Role

Poulter's a decent actor who could easily pass in demeanor and appearance for either a Numenorean (man) or a Noldor (high elf) -- he's tall, lanky, and can project blind arrogance in spades.

I'm fine with J.A. Bayona as a director, he's capable of coaxing out deep emotions -- but only if he gets decent scripts. (Compare "The Orphanage" or "A Monster Calls" with the shite that was Jurassic World 2.) And Bryan Cogman was one of the better parts of Game of Thrones, honestly... he wrote the only mostly decent script of that shitshow of a Season 8 ("A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms"), plus some other well-known episodes.

This news comes via Variety, which was first to report the casting decision Wednesday. We stress the phrase “a lead actor†rather than the lead because the word is Poulter will be playing one of the lead roles in the series — although, in keeping with other key details surrounding the show Amazon is planning, it’s not yet known who or what he’ll be playing.

Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show the product of a directive from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos himself that the streamer put its weight behind Game of Thrones-style epics along with other premium fare that makes a splash among pop culture fans — and helps the company win awards. Writer and producer Bryan Cogman, who previously worked on Game of Thrones, is working on the new series as a consulting producer, and as we noted here it sounds like the series will start with 20 episodes and arrive sometime in 2021.

Additionally, we know that the series will be set during the Second Age. In the mythology of the books created by J.R.R. Tolkien, that age was the time when the so-called Rings of Power came into existence.

The cast is finally starting to come together as well, starting with Markella Kavenagh and Midsommar's Will Poulter is the latest actor cast.

The Mystery Surrounding The Plot
There is no news yet about who Poulter is playing -- a hobbit? A younger Elrond? -- but this isn't his first time entering a popular fantasy realm. Poulter first came on the scene starring in The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader as Eustace Scrub before becoming better known for films like We're The Millers and The Maze Runner.

I included that last paragraph because it made me laugh at the writer's lack of background knowledge.

Yeah, it's set in the Second Age. The Shire was not founded until year 1600 of the Third Age. I'm not sure if hobbits existed, or what they even looked like if they did. Basically the Second Age ends with the battle that was harkened back as "ancient history" in LOTR, where Sauron is cut down and Isildur takes the One Ring for himself instead of destroying it.

Elrond was alive, though. He was born in the first age -- he and his brother Elros were the half-bloods, children of Earendil and Elwing (so they had the blood of both elf and man), and they were given a choice of which race to embrace. Elros chose men and established the line of Numenor ... the great kings were descended from him... and he lived a very long time despite eventually dying. Elrond of course stuck with his elven heritage and endured to until departing for the Grey Havens at the end of the Third Age.

Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if Poulter was either a high blood elf OR Numenorean, he could easily do either. Celebrimbor forged the elven rings of power, I can't imagine them not having that appear at some point in the show.

 

[rav3n]

Whoah, didn't know this was happening and can't wait! With those eyebrows and lankiness, he screams 'elf'.

 

[rav3n]

Had a thought (OMG, how unusual). He looks like Hugo Weaving. Then I did an image search to verify that the two looked alike since my memory for details is sparse, to say the least. It appears that I'm not the only one who noticed the similarity.

Lord of the Rings casts a lead for the series set in the Second Age

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Didn't some form of "proto-Hobbits" exist along rivers prior to the third age?

 

[Totenkindly]

I always wanted to see more of the cultures and people from the east. I hope they will visit or at least speak of them in the series. And the blue wizards? Some accounts hold they showed up in the second age.

Saruman probably screwed over Alatar and Pallandro somehow.

"Go east," he said. "It'll be gorgeous out there," he said.
It was not.
Nor did Curinir tell them that it was populated by magic-dampening giants with a liking for wizard flesh.
Yeah, some of the Amazon stuff isn't good. Some of it's been decent. (Their version of The Boys is better than the source material, for example, IMO.)

In terms of avoiding HBO's "Game of Thrones" problems, at least -- the story is complete, and it's only in mostly broad historical format. So we're not going to have an issue where they have a lot of details to hew to for the first few seasons, then have to make up the rest and botch the conversion. It's actually a more preferable situation IMO, they have the basic foundation of the world but can flesh out their own specific storylines.

 

[Totenkindly]

Yeah I have seen mixed reviews on that, so I haven't dived in.

I'm having trouble knowing what I will like. I thought I'd be excited about the Dark Crystal but got bored after 15-20 minutes. Wasn't really enamoured by Disenchantment either enough to leap into Season 2, it was okay but felt like it was far less than it could have been. I've watched Season 1 of The Boys twice now.

The Tick is a cool idea, but I've only watched a bit of the animated show + the live action stuff. I want to watch GLOW and Mindhunter new seasons but am still summoning energy.

 

[rav3n]

Yeah I have seen mixed reviews on that, so I haven't dived in.

I'm having trouble knowing what I will like. I thought I'd be excited about the Dark Crystal but got bored after 15-20 minutes. Wasn't really enamoured by Disenchantment either enough to leap into Season 2, it was okay but felt like it was far less than it could have been. I've watched Season 1 of The Boys twice now.

The Tick is a cool idea, but I've only watched a bit of the animated show + the live action stuff. I want to watch GLOW and Mindhunter new seasons but am still summoning energy.

Season 2 for Mindhunter was well worth the binge watch.

 

[Madboot]

I hadn't heard about this before. If Amazon does it right, it should be pretty good. I am also looking forward to Netflix's The Witcher.

 

[Totenkindly]

Season 2 for Mindhunter was well worth the binge watch.

I am finally moving through this and am pretty happy with the season -- I feel like it's stronger than the first, mainly for dealing with the primary characters more deeply than season one. Up to episode 7 now.

I think one hurdle I needed to get across was how to frame it -- it's kind of "loosely based" on reality. The criminals are more closely based on reality, but it's pretty well recognized that Holden is based on John Douglas, whereas Tench is based on Richard Ressler... but they're just somewhat based while having their own foibles. (I think Holden is a lot fussier than Douglas, for example.)

I think it's a sign of strength of the series that i feel a fairly deep understanding and empathy with Tech, for example, who scans as a very different personality style than me (what is he? ESTJ? ESTP?) and he's kind of the Type A guy's guy persona who sticks with the facts and doesn't have a lot of time for mumbo-jumbo intuitive horseshit even when he recognizes it can be valuable and who sees value in Holden. His personal dramas are still very tangible to me, especially with his family, and his role in evoking/mediating change in the agency's approach. Even Wendy Carr who is pretty uptight is loosening a bit in part due to her odd relationship with Kay, and Ted Gunn (who just took over the assist Dir role overseeing Behavior Science) is both affirming and kind of creepy -- I love how he plays that role, he's on the level but you also can tell he's manipulating and even jockeying for some notice himself by the department's potential success, either tangibly or historically.

The other thing is that they are using the "personal" dramas to inform the methodology they are developing in the field with killers, suggesting also in part that people are people whether non-criminal or criminal. Wendy forges a connection with a killer by revealing part of her life that others think she is just kidding about (so now she's got a secret), which ALSO is what she's been laying into Holden about doing and telling him he needs to rely more on the instrument. Well, she learns sometimes the instrument is not effective when dealing with a particular kind of criminal. Meanwhile, Bill's drama with his son's being involved in a murder case and his family under scrutiny gives him an understanding on how the system can be levied against him (so he knows what's it like to be scrutinized) + I think watching his own son suffer from psychological distress will eventually lead to some insights of childhood behavior maybe contributing to future criminals. Also, this whole sense of "what is delinquent" -- you can tell he's really unhappy with the judge ripping on how he'd just like to lock juvenile criminals up young without letting them have a shot at normalcy ("I look in their eyes and can just tell they're bad") -- well, where does his son fall into that? He's getting an idea that at least some criminals can be MADE, not born... through psychologically distressing incidents. I think weaving the personal and the impersonal together was really smart - life informs insight and vice versa, and maybe the line really isn't THAT sharp between the damned and the law-abiding.

 

[rav3n]

I am finally moving through this and am pretty happy with the season -- I feel like it's stronger than the first, mainly for dealing with the primary characters more deeply than season one. Up to episode 7 now.

I think one hurdle I needed to get across was how to frame it -- it's kind of "loosely based" on reality. The criminals are more closely based on reality, but it's pretty well recognized that Holden is based on John Douglas, whereas Tench is based on Richard Ressler... but they're just somewhat based while having their own foibles. (I think Holden is a lot fussier than Douglas, for example.)

I think it's a sign of strength of the series that i feel a fairly deep understanding and empathy with Tech, for example, who scans as a very different personality style than me (what is he? ESTJ? ESTP?) and he's kind of the Type A guy's guy persona who sticks with the facts and doesn't have a lot of time for mumbo-jumbo intuitive horseshit even when he recognizes it can be valuable and who sees value in Holden. His personal dramas are still very tangible to me, especially with his family, and his role in evoking/mediating change in the agency's approach. Even Wendy Carr who is pretty uptight is loosening a bit in part due to her odd relationship with Kay, and Ted Gunn (who just took over the assist Dir role overseeing Behavior Science) is both affirming and kind of creepy -- I love how he plays that role, he's on the level but you also can tell he's manipulating and even jockeying for some notice himself by the department's potential success, either tangibly or historically.

The other thing is that they are using the "personal" dramas to inform the methodology they are developing in the field with killers, suggesting also in part that people are people whether non-criminal or criminal. Wendy forges a connection with a killer by revealing part of her life that others think she is just kidding about (so now she's got a secret), which ALSO is what she's been laying into Holden about doing and telling him he needs to rely more on the instrument. Well, she learns sometimes the instrument is not effective when dealing with a particular kind of criminal. Meanwhile, Bill's drama with his son's being involved in a murder case and his family under scrutiny gives him an understanding on how the system can be levied against him (so he knows what's it like to be scrutinized) + I think watching his own son suffer from psychological distress will eventually lead to some insights of childhood behavior maybe contributing to future criminals. Also, this whole sense of "what is delinquent" -- you can tell he's really unhappy with the judge ripping on how he'd just like to lock juvenile criminals up young without letting them have a shot at normalcy ("I look in their eyes and can just tell they're bad") -- well, where does his son fall into that? He's getting an idea that at least some criminals can be MADE, not born... through psychologically distressing incidents. I think weaving the personal and the impersonal together was really smart - life informs insight and vice versa, and maybe the line really isn't THAT sharp between the damned and the law-abiding.

Great analysis.

Not sure what type Tench is either, since he appears to embody traits of both ST types but since he's not heavily detail focused, more likely ESTP, especially considering how easily he adapts to new situations.

Anna Torv does a marvelous job with her character, giving off that unsettling feeling. My guess is that the lesbian non-confession in plain sight, might be a bit of a red herring, in that there's more beneath the surface. She's a bit of a chameleon where you never quite know what she's thinking or feeling.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I thought Bill was an ESTJ at first. But the way his character developed, P makes more sense. I think Wendy's an INTJ, and Holden's an INFx.

I hope season 3 gets to a Ted Bundy interview. If they set season 3 early to mid 80s, that would line up with around the time the FBI was seeking Bundy's help with the Green River Killer. I wonder if Green River will be the main narrative focus this time.

Seems like they're gradually doing higher and higher profile killers. Won't be surprised if they feature Gacy in season 3 or 4. Dahmer probably comes later, possibly the final season, since he wasn't caught until the early 90s. That's around the time Ressler retired from the FBI.

Douglas did eventually interview the BTK killer, and considering how much they keep teasing him in the pre-credit sequences, I'd be surprised if they don't dramatize their interactions toward the end of the series. It was not an in-person interview, but rather conducted via satellite, so I wonder if the show will take dramatic license and show them meeting in person.


And I'd really like to see more Kemper. That actor really nailed it. Uncanny resemblance. Same with Manson. Clearly the actors have done their homework and closely studied the mannerisms and speech patterns.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Saruman probably screwed over Alatar and Pallandro somehow.

"Go east," he said. "It'll be gorgeous out there," he said.
It was not.
Nor did Curinir tell them that it was populated by magic-dampening giants with a liking for wizard flesh.


.

Isn't the only thing actually known about them is that they went east with Saruman and only one returned? Yeah... that's very fishy.

 

[Totenkindly]

Isn't the only thing actually known about them is that they went east with Saruman and only one returned? Yeah... that's very fishy.

yeah. That one was Saruman. I'm sure it was just a coincidence.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

yeah. That one was Saruman. I'm sure it was just a coincidence.

Of course.

 

[Totenkindly]

Great analysis.

Not sure what type Tench is either, since he appears to embody traits of both ST types but since he's not heavily detail focused, more likely ESTP, especially considering how easily he adapts to new situations.

Anna Torv does a marvelous job with her character, giving off that unsettling feeling. My guess is that the lesbian non-confession in plain sight, might be a bit of a red herring, in that there's more beneath the surface. She's a bit of a chameleon where you never quite know what she's thinking or feeling.

She's great. And very opaque. And trapped within her own desire for structure / control. I like not being able to read her, and despite her constant work in deciphering others, she either also hides things about herself from herself or hasn't fully grasped herself yet either. It could even be that part of her concentration on understanding human behavior through these theories and tools is because she doesn't even understand herself consciously.

I really like the approach of the season. (I'm done now.) The BSU was important to solving cases; but unlike most shows, the protagonists aren't central to resolving to the crimes of the show per se, their own methodology has its own failings highlighted (in terms of getting official buy-in and the abstractedness of it being a hard sell and/or being difficult to work with from an investigative and procedural POV), and it can't even solve the major problems surrounding crime (i.e., the politics of regional culture). It feels much like actual life; like, the work I do IRL is important but only a small piece of the overall solution, can be frustrating in the day to day, never seems to offer clear/easy/complete fixes, and it's not the most visible part of the solutions put forth. And it does make you wonder about police procedure and how much of it involves "harassment" -- even if well-meant. Some of the monitoring and interrogations are very combative when they have very little to go on; they're just fishing around. The show was pretty honest about it.

Meanwhile, Tench's life is falling apart, Carr's trying to self-illuminate but it's a struggle, and Ford's idealism is butting heads with the hard realities of police work and politics. THey are all feeling pretty disillusioned right now, I bet, especially with the sense that their new boss might not a total antagonist to change but he's definitely using their work to fulfill some of his own ambitions as a manager and career ladder. It just feels very real, rather than glamorized.... and maybe it's more textbook process today (profiling) but back then it was all new uncertain terrain that was ambiguous about its own value.

 

[rav3n]

She's great. And very opaque. And trapped within her own desire for structure / control. I like not being able to read her, and despite her constant work in deciphering others, she either also hides things about herself from herself or hasn't fully grasped herself yet either. It could even be that part of her concentration on understanding human behavior through these theories and tools is because she doesn't even understand herself consciously.

I really like the approach of the season. (I'm done now.) The BSU was important to solving cases; but unlike most shows, the protagonists aren't central to resolving to the crimes of the show per se, their own methodology has its own failings highlighted (in terms of getting official buy-in and the abstractedness of it being a hard sell and/or being difficult to work with from an investigative and procedural POV), and it can't even solve the major problems surrounding crime (i.e., the politics of regional culture). It feels much like actual life; like, the work I do IRL is important but only a small piece of the overall solution, can be frustrating in the day to day, never seems to offer clear/easy/complete fixes, and it's not the most visible part of the solutions put forth. And it does make you wonder about police procedure and how much of it involves "harassment" -- even if well-meant. Some of the monitoring and interrogations are very combative when they have very little to go on; they're just fishing around. The show was pretty honest about it.

Meanwhile, Tench's life is falling apart, Carr's trying to self-illuminate but it's a struggle, and Ford's idealism is butting heads with the hard realities of police work and politics. THey are all feeling pretty disillusioned right now, I bet, especially with the sense that their new boss might not a total antagonist to change but he's definitely using their work to fulfill some of his own ambitions as a manager and career ladder. It just feels very real, rather than glamorized.... and maybe it's more textbook process today (profiling) but back then it was all new uncertain terrain that was ambiguous about its own value.

It's likely called Mindhunter for more reasons than hunting serial killers. The protagonists are seeking themselves. Even Ford has issues since as an intuitive empath, he needs to 'become' the psychopaths that he interviews and hunts. In essence, the cognitive dissonance is likely what's causing his panic attacks, the need to hold onto self while also needing to become what he hunts.

 

[Totenkindly]

Game of Thrones actor to star in Amazon's Lord of the Rings: Report

Character details are being held tightly under wraps so far, but Deadline says Mawle will play the show’s primary villain named Oren. He joins Black Mirror alum Will Poulter, who’ll play young hero Beldar, and Markella Kavenagh (Picnic at Hanging Rock), who’ll play Tyra, in the main cast.

...On Game of Thrones, Mawle played Ned’s brother Benjen Stark, a Night’s Watch ranger who disappeared during a mission north of the Wall and eventually sacrificed himself to save his nephew Jon Snow. He appeared in a total of eight episodes of the HBO hit, last appearing in Season 7’s “Beyond the Wall.” He’s not the only GoT veteran to join Amazon’s Lord of the Rings, either: Bryan Cogman, who was a writer and producer on Game of Thrones, will serve as a consultant on the new adaptation.

 

[Totenkindly]

Robert Aramayo Cast as Lead in Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Series

Poulter also had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts, I think I read sometime in December.

 

[Totenkindly]

‘Lord of the Rings’ on Amazon Casts 13 Series Regulars

Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings” has cast 13 more series regulars: Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, and Daniel Weyman.

They join Robert Aramayo and Morfydd Clark, who we previously knew had joined the TV adaptation of the popular films (and popular books). Clark will play a younger version of Galadriel, who was portrayed by Cate Blanchett in Peter Jackson’s film series.

 

[Totenkindly]

Lord of the Rings Actor Walks Away from the Amazon Show – /Film

tl;dr decent Australian actor I don't know, playing a part that was undisclosed, has left the production after initial footage was reviewed, since he and the studio had different ideas over the character. Whoever it is.

THings have been pretty quiet with news on this series otherwise, although it is supposedly releasing this year. Not sure how they will get around this / recast and shoot new footage if necessary. The silence too makes you wonder what's up with the series.

Everything We Know About Amazon’s LORD OF THE RINGS TV Series