It is but the deep breath before the plunge.
Beregrond to Pippin, RotK
Forth, Eorlingas! As we sit on the cusp of the trailer drop for Amazon’s The Rings of Power, I find myself anxiously waiting at the Rammas Echor, as if I’m about to jump into the Pelennor fields at any second. I love football; I played it in high school, I play fantasy football with friends and am a genuine Joe Cool fan. But for the first time, I could not care less about the game. I’m almost considering not tuning in until the 3rd quarter, which as Stuff reports in the link above, will be when the trailer premieres. Amazon has thrown money at this like there’s no tomorrow. A Super Bowl commercial release, bringing back Howard Shore as composer, buying the rights from the Tolkien Estate, and the infrastructure deal with New Zealand has reportedly cost Amazon 465 million US dollars, establishing The Rings of Power as the most expensive TV series in history. And all we’ve seen so far is a teaser trailer of freaking wood and water.
Amazon continues to up the ante, and they will need to deliver in a big way. It’s not to say I don’t have hope – there was never much hope. Just a fool’s hope, some greater names than I might say. At the end of the day, what they need to do is invite a new age to Tolkien’s world, and do so in a way that stays as true to the books and legendarium as possible, that he and his son Christopher so eloquently and meticulously crafted over their lifetimes. Should a dwarvish woman have a beard? Yes, absolutely. Does it matter in the long run, to my interpretation of this beautiful world? No, absolutely not! It’s a TV shows’ interpretation trying to fit a 30-60 minute timeframe. I can appreciate it without finding my feelings hurt. And I’m sure our families and friends can be spared from every response of ours starting with “well, actually, in the Unfinished Tales, they say…”
So, with all the money in the world, I eagerly await Amazon’s show and to see a sneak peak of what they’ve been up to for the last 2 years. I’ll be on all the socials, and will be joining TORN’s trailer watch party on Discord/Twitch/YouTube. Find me @ TolkienBrews on all three!