The LOTR: THE RINGS OF POWER Reassure Fans of Upcoming Series’ Deep ‘Roots’ In Tolkien’s Work
By Movieguide® Staff
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER creator Patrick McKay recently assured fans that the new Amazon Prime series, which he co-created with J.D. Payne, is more than ‘vaguely connected to J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved work.
The multi-million dollar production received criticism early in its conception as loyal LOTR fans feared it would take too much creative license and ruin Tolkein’s fantasy world of elves, hobbits, orcs, wizards and more.
Read More: Amazon Studios to Spend Record-Setting $465M on Upcoming THE LORD OF THE RINGS Series
“I just want to sort of quibble with the ‘vaguely connected,’” McKay said. “We don’t feel that way. We feel like deep roots of this show are in the books and in Tolkien. And if we didn’t feel that way, we’d all be terrified to sit up here. We feel that this story isn’t ours. It’s a story we’re stewarding that was here before us and was waiting in those books to be on Earth. We don’t feel ‘vaguely connected.’ We feel deeply, deeply connected to those folks and work every day to even be closer connected. That’s really how we think about it.”
Fans also worried that Amazon Prime would try to hard to replicate the success of GAME OF THRONES, but McKay put those rumors to rest.
“I’ll take a whack at that,” McKay said. “We talked about this a lot. It comes up and and we totally understand where the question comes from. We don’t think of the show in terms of what genre or other shows that might be out there. We think about [Tolkien], his life’s work was creating this world. This is Tolkien’s Middle Earth and regions beyond Middle Earth and we just wanted to be true to that and sort of drown out and forget about what might be happening in another realm someplace else…. Tolkien’s work is endlessly applicable across cultures and across across times, and we feel really grateful to be able to bring it to life in our time.”
Movieguide® previously reported of the comparison:
Fans of the LORD OF THE RINGS movies were appalled when Amazon reportedly planned to include sexual material mirroring the fantasy epic series GAME OF THRONES.
Fans noted that J.R.R. Tolkien’s LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy is a Christian allegory that contains no overt sexual content. Moreover, Peter Jackson’s reimaginings contain none of the gratuitous nudity and sexual violence found in GAME OF THRONES.
Aside from taking to Twitter, fans also started a petition that has gained over 25,000 signatures.
“Amazon Prime has an upcoming Lord of the Rings series set before the trilogy. They have hired ‘intimacy coaches’ and have asked that actors be comfortable with doing nude scenes in the castings. Tolkien’s work is truly wholesome and packed with incredible Christian symbolism. He was a devout Catholic, and his memory does not need to be stained with gratuitous nudity or even nudity in the slightest. Tolkien’s creations have always been mostly FAMILY friendly…KEEP IT THAT WAY,” the Change.org petition’s description reads.
The series will “follow the forging of the original rings of power during the Second Age that allowed the Dark Lord Sauron to spread evil across Middle-earth. It’s set thousands of years before the events in The Lord of the Rings trilogy,” THR reported.
LOTR: The Rings of Power is set to release on Sept. 2, on Amazon Prime.
Read More: THE RINGS OF POWER Creators Talk Series Ratings: ‘A Show For Everyone, For Kids’
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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