The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Trailer
Finally the first teaser trailer for Amazon Prime’s forthcoming TV show set in the Second Age of Middle-earth has been released. The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings of Power will be released weekly on Amazon’s streaming service commencing September 2nd 2022. The first season consists of eight episodes. The series is a prequel to the events of The Lord of the Rings, depicting "previously unexplored stories" based on Tolkien's works. The show will include such iconic locations as the Misty Mountains, the elf-capital Lindon, and the island kingdom of Númenor. The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings of Power maintains the visual and design aesthetic of the existing Peter Jackson movies. Furthermore, composer Howard Shaw maintains his involvement as does artists and designer John Howe. Apparently, due to the Tolkien Estate being happy with the development of the show, Amazon had gained access to certain elements and passages from The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales to include in the narrative arc.
The trailer itself reveals no footage from The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings of Power. Its primary purpose is to formally announce the new TV show’s name and to set out its stall. However, it is worth noting that like the TV show itself, Amazon went all in with the actual trailer. The first season is alleged to have had a production cost of $465 million. Although no data appears to be available on the budget for the trailer, it features the talents of director Klaus Obermeyer, legendary special effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull renowned foundryman Landon Ryan. I’m sure such an ensemble production team does not come cheap. As for the teaser trailer itself, it is suitably evocative of ring forging and the threat of dark powers. The lush soundtrack is certainly in the established idiom of “the sound of Middle-earth”. It has piqued both mine and a good many other people's curiosity.
I recently discovered both of the original theatrical trailers for the 1978 animated version of The Lord of the Rings created by Ralph Bakshi. One is simply a portentous narration but the second is far more interesting. It features a montage of still images. Some of them are background paintings used in the movie, while others seem to be production art. The voice-over descends into hyperbole and is somewhat misleading, but you have to remember that the fantasy genre was not a common staple of the box office of the times. Like many films the pre-production process can often produce an inordinate amount of material that never makes it into the final edit. Some of this can be seen in the trailer. It’s interesting to see how Tolkien’s work has grown in popularity within popular culture over the last forty years and how that is reflected in the difference between the two trailers.
