Anytime you make an adaptation of another person’s work, there’s a certain burden that you have to bear with the project. Mainly because more times than not, the adaptation you’re doing is one tha tis beloved or well-known, or has a certain base of fans who want to see it brought to life in a certain way. For the upcoming The Rings of Power story set well before The Lord of the Rings, that burden looms large.
So what did they do to go and make sure they got everything as right as possible? They went to JRR Tolkien’s grandson (who also happens to be a novelist), and sought his help. Showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay were very excited to go and do this:
“The first time we met Simon Tolkien, we had to pinch ourselves — here we were, sitting across the table from the grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien himself,” McKay noted in an interview. “And that was only the beginning of what has proven to be an extremely enriching and rewarding dialogue. His insights, attention to detail and passion for both the characters and the overall architecture of The Rings of Power are woven throughout the pages of our story. Working with Simon has been the experience of a lifetime.”
In a statement, Tolkien added, “I have enjoyed assisting Amazon Studios in connection with the series, and in particular providing input to JD Payne and Patrick McKay on matters including my grandfather’s original writing.”
This is “going to the source” in the best way possible (short of JRR Tolkien still being alive and asking him of course), and proving just how dedicated these showrunners are in making this work from top to bottom.
The two have said previously that they have plans for this show to go multiple seasons, and if the insights they got from the Tolkien family help with that? Then that proves they did their job.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
