Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings might have a familiar sound when it premieres on the small screen, as the amazing Howard Shore is in talks to score the series. A prolific composer, Shore has worked on more than 80 movies, but he is especially known for his work on The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy which won him three Academy Awards. He has also won three Golden Globes and four Grammy Awards.
Per Deadline, Howard Shore may also be composing the TV series adaptation. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Amazon shelling out big bucks for Shore’s involvement, as the company has already invested tons of money into the project. The first season cost Amazon around $465 million to produce, far surpassing Game of Thrones and becoming the most expensive TV series of all time. Filming recently wrapped on the first season ahead of next year’s release.
In 2019, Amazon formally ordered a second season, feeling very confident in the success of The Lord of the Rings. From J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, the show is described as an “epic drama” set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of the original novels by J.R.R. Tolkien. It follows an ensemble cast of new and familiar characters as they “confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.”
The Lord of the Rings cast includes Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz C&órdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani. Morfydd Clark has said that filming the series has been mind-blowing.
Payne and McKay serve as showrunners. They are also executive producing alongside Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, J.A. Bayona, Belen Atienza, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Bruce Richmond, and Sharon Tal Yguado. Wayne Che Yip will co-executive produce and serve as director with J.A. Bayona and Charlotte Br&ändstr&öm. Christopher Newman is also producing with Ron Ames a co-producing.
The Lord of the Rings was famously adapted into a trilogy of movies by Peter Jackson between 2001-03. All three installments won multiple Academy Awards with consecutive Best Picture nominations. The Return of the King was also the first movie to break one billion dollars at the box office, with the franchise proving to be even more successful financially. This success has undoubtedly inspired Amazon to roll the dice with a high-priced TV series adaptation with the hope of it becoming the next Game of Thrones.
“It’s such a vast world, there are so many different ways to go with that property,” Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke said of the series. “We had an abundance of enthusiasm in the creator/writer community for the project. So there was a lot of time spent talking about different takes. The next phase is a big development process as [J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay] build out this world.”
The Lord of the Rings will premiere on Sept. 2, 2022, on Amazon Prime Video. New episodes will be released on a weekly basis. Pre-production on season 2 is expected to begin in January with post-production for season 1 lasting through June 2022. This news comes to us from Deadline.