Amazon Studios The Rings of Power is four months away. We want all Spoilerites to have the best viewing experience possible and have the widest knowledge base about the Second Age of Middle-Earth. This is a weekly Let’s Get Nerdy article series highlighting a different piece of Tolkien I think you need to know about!
In past articles I have answered the question:
- What Are the Rings of Power?
- What is Númenor?
- What is the Second Age?
- Who are the Harfoots?
- Who is Prince Durin IV?
- What is Khazad-dûm?
- Who is Celebrimbor?
- What is the Last Alliance of Men and Elves?
- Who is Elendil?
- New Pics! Who are Bronwyn and Theo?
- What is Rivendell?
It broke on social media yesterday morning that Amazon Studios has covertly shared aspects of The Rings of Power for a handful of Tolkien scholars and social media superstars. I found out from my favourite Tolkien follows “The Tolkien Professor”:
Tolkien Professor on Twitter: “Last week, I was invited by the @LOTRonPrime folks, along with a bunch of other internet Tolkien folks, to attend an advanced screening of some footage from the #RingsofPower show and to meet the showrunners. I must say: after meeting them, I feel the show is in VERY good hands. / Twitter”
Last week, I was invited by the @LOTRonPrime folks, along with a bunch of other internet Tolkien folks, to attend an advanced screening of some footage from the #RingsofPower show and to meet the showrunners. I must say: after meeting them, I feel the show is in VERY good hands.
He’s one of my favourite follows for all things Middle-Earth who has inspired a lot of my personal scholarship of Tolkien as well, so if he was impressed I was immediately excited. Aside from this initial Tweet The Tolkien Professor has remained relatively mum, so I’ve sussed outcome additional reactions to share with everyone reading Let’s Get Nerdy! this week.
The Tolkien Society – some of the most preeminent scholars in the field of Tolkien and his work and the creators of Tolkien Reading Day which I celebrated on Finally Friday with Stephen earlier this year – wrote and Entire Reaction Post on their Official Blog about the visit.
Said Tolkien Society Chair Shaun Gunner:
“The show has been created with a level of craftsmanship and attention-to-detail which is unparalleled, and which is a love letter to the Professor… this is a level of commitment and interest that can’t simply be faked. Speaking with the showrunners, I am convinced that they are the right people to adapt Tolkien’s works.”
Scholar Una McCormack, known for her science fiction and fantasy writing wrote a TinyLetter public newsletter about her experience:
Dr Una McCormack on Twitter: “New TinyLetter: in which I very unexpectedly had a sneak preview of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power… #LOTRROP #RingsOfPower #PrimeVideoCreator @LOTRonPrime https://t.co/YkZPZBP4tY / Twitter”
New TinyLetter: in which I very unexpectedly had a sneak preview of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power… #LOTRROP #RingsOfPower #PrimeVideoCreator @LOTRonPrime https://t.co/YkZPZBP4tY
And Mythgard Institute’s Dr. Maggie Parke was similarly positive in her Tweet:
Dr. Maggie Parke on Twitter: “@LOTROnPrime had me and @tolkienprof to London last week to see bits of the #RingsofPower, Tolkien’s Oxford, & to meet the show runners, who kept up with the best of us. Their passion & knowledge made me feel like they were one of us;they get it. I’m feeling very optimistic! pic.twitter.com/dBWq3x4v9w / Twitter”
@LOTROnPrime had me and @tolkienprof to London last week to see bits of the #RingsofPower, Tolkien’s Oxford, & to meet the show runners, who kept up with the best of us. Their passion & knowledge made me feel like they were one of us;they get it. I’m feeling very optimistic!
Even some new media stars were invited to get a glimpse at The Rings of Power including the hosts of The Prancing Pony Podcast:
The Prancing Pony Podcast on Twitter: “Alan and Shawn were invited to London by Amazon Prime Video to view a sneak peek of footage from The Rings of Power, and to meet the showrunners! We can say that we have moved from ‘cautious optimism’ to ‘restrained anticipation’, and are looking forward to telling you more! / Twitter”
Alan and Shawn were invited to London by Amazon Prime Video to view a sneak peek of footage from The Rings of Power, and to meet the showrunners! We can say that we have moved from ‘cautious optimism’ to ‘restrained anticipation’, and are looking forward to telling you more!
Happy Hobbit’s Kili was in attendance and she has worked with Peter Jackson and Daniel Falconer on the book Middle-Earth from Script to Screen which gave her insider access to the process and Weta and all things Lord of the Rings on film:
Kili & Fili on Twitter: “Raising a pint to the Professor in none other than the Lamb and Flag pub where the Inklings often gathered for a drink and to share their writing! I’ll post more soon, but suffice it to say I was humbled to have been invited by Amazon on an adventure to Oxford to visit… pic.twitter.com/tq2iNAEIQG / Twitter”
Raising a pint to the Professor in none other than the Lamb and Flag pub where the Inklings often gathered for a drink and to share their writing! I’ll post more soon, but suffice it to say I was humbled to have been invited by Amazon on an adventure to Oxford to visit…
Youtuber Nerd of the Rings also counted himself among the guests and has uploaded a half-hour long Vlog about the adventure which is well worth the watch for anyone as jealous as I am:
Amazon invited me to a Rings of Power Sneak Peek, Showrunner Q&A in England!
I was recently invited by Amazon to go to London to take part in an event centered around the new series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. This is …
In case you don’t have time to devote 30 minutes to a Youtube video Nerd of the Rings says, in summary:
“My trajectory on this show has gone from cautious to cautiously optimistic, with excitement creeping in.”
The Broken Sword confirmed in their Youtube Review they had seen 20 minutes of footage from The Rings of Power:
We have Seen 20 Minutes of THE RINGS OF POWER! | Thoughts & Reaction
So we were invited to an Amazon Prime event to see exclusive footage of the Rings of Power TV Series. Marcus went on our behalf so here are his initial thoug…
Tea with Tolkien also added:
“As a lifelong Tolkien fan, I’m no stranger to seeing adaptations go off the rails or Tolkien’s creative works being exploited for profit, so I will always retain some level of nervousness toward anything set in or inspired by Middle-earth. But after learning so much more about the show and its creators, I do feel quite a bit more confident going forward. From what I’ve seen, it seems to me that this show is in competent hands.”
Along with a full Blog Post of their own detailing the Oxford adventure.
Need more reactions? I’ve got a whole list for you!
Digital Tolkien Podcast has an entire *insert thread emoji here* thread for the curiously-minded to read:
Digital Tolkien Project on Twitter: “1/ I was fortunate enough to be invited by Amazon Prime Video to see some footage from the upcoming #RingsOfPower and to meet the showrunners. / Twitter”
1/ I was fortunate enough to be invited by Amazon Prime Video to see some footage from the upcoming #RingsOfPower and to meet the showrunners.
Known for leaking lots of details about The Rings Of Power, The Fellowship of Fans had a chance at an official look behind the curtain:
Fellowship of Fans on Twitter: “Amazon invited me to an event in London where I saw footage from the show and got to meet the showrunners. The showrunners were excellent and their passion filled me with confidence and time will tell whether that will be translated onto the screen!…1/2 pic.twitter.com/xq8ZccexRi / Twitter”
Amazon invited me to an event in London where I saw footage from the show and got to meet the showrunners. The showrunners were excellent and their passion filled me with confidence and time will tell whether that will be translated onto the screen!…1/2 pic.twitter.com/xq8ZccexRi
Marcel Aubron-Bülles 🇪🇺 💍🌋✨ on Twitter: “Last week I had some of the best days in a long time.Yes, Amazon invited me to a short trip to London + Oxford and I got to see some truly interesting things.VERY interesting things – so thank you, @LOTRonPrime.Can’t wait for Sept 2 to come.#LOTRROP #RingsOfPower pic.twitter.com/knIFRC7U1Q / Twitter”
Last week I had some of the best days in a long time.Yes, Amazon invited me to a short trip to London + Oxford and I got to see some truly interesting things.VERY interesting things – so thank you, @LOTRonPrime.Can’t wait for Sept 2 to come.#LOTRROP #RingsOfPower pic.twitter.com/knIFRC7U1Q
DonMarshall72 on Twitter: “I was lucky enough to be invited to have a sneak preview of The Rings of Power (@LOTROnPrime)#PrimeVideoPartner #PrimeVideoCreator #LOTRROP #RingsOfPower A Thread: / Twitter”
I was lucky enough to be invited to have a sneak preview of The Rings of Power (@LOTROnPrime)#PrimeVideoPartner #PrimeVideoCreator #LOTRROP #RingsOfPower A Thread:
Even TikTokers got in on the coverage:
FantasyAnex on TikTok
3.5K Likes, 173 Comments. TikTok video from FantasyAnex (@anexwilson): “An unforgettable two days! #LOTRROP #RingsOfPower #PrimeVideoCreator #lotr #tolkientok #lordoftherings #ringsofpower #booktok #fantasy”. Two Days of LOTR: Rings of Power | @knewbettadobetta | @silmaremily | …. The Shire: Concerning Hobbits (From Lord of the Rings).
Knewbettadobetta on TikTok
2.6K Likes, 169 Comments. TikTok video from Knewbettadobetta (@knewbettadobetta): “My Rings Of Power Sneak Peak!!! #LOTRROP #ringsofpower #primevideocreator #tolkientok #foryou #fyp”. original sound.
With even more credit going to Amazon Studios for bringing in foreign language reporters as well:
Terra-média Brasil on Twitter: “Na última semana fomos à uma jornada épica. A Amazon nos levou para Londres e Oxford, onde assistimos cenas de #OsAneisdePoder e tivemos a honra de conversar com os showrunners. Foi surreal e espetacular. É a maior série de todos os tempos.@LOTRonPrime #LOTRROP #RingsOfPower / Twitter”
Na última semana fomos à uma jornada épica. A Amazon nos levou para Londres e Oxford, onde assistimos cenas de #OsAneisdePoder e tivemos a honra de conversar com os showrunners. Foi surreal e espetacular. É a maior série de todos os tempos.@LOTRonPrime #LOTRROP #RingsOfPower
Na última semana fomos à uma jornada épica. A Amazon nos levou para Londres e Oxford, onde assistimos cenas de #OsAneisdePoder e tivemos a honra de conversar com os showrunners. Foi surreal e espetacular. É a maior série de todos os tempos.@LOTRonPrime #LOTRROP #RingsOfPower
— Terra-média Brasil (@TerramediaBR) May 9, 2022
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Kai47 on Twitter: “Amigos! Debéis saber que la semana pasada fui invitado por Amazon a Londres, donde pude ver algunas escenas en exclusiva de @LOTRonPrime y pude conocer a los dos showrunners de la serie. No tengo permiso para entrar en detalles sobre lo que vi o escuché, pero debéis saber que… / Twitter”
Amigos! Debéis saber que la semana pasada fui invitado por Amazon a Londres, donde pude ver algunas escenas en exclusiva de @LOTRonPrime y pude conocer a los dos showrunners de la serie. No tengo permiso para entrar en detalles sobre lo que vi o escuché, pero debéis saber que…
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If you’ve made it all the way to the end of this feature and read/listened/watched to everything I’ve sent your way you probably feel the same way I do: that I now know so much more about what The Rings of Power is going to be when it drops September 2nd … and also that I know nothing more! I’ll echo Nerd of the Rings above and state I’m moving more from “cautiously optimistic” into the “optimistic” camp.
From myself and everyone else writing about the news this week thank-you to Reddit used Varking for assembling everyone’s reactions.
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Ashley Victoria Robinson is a Canadian girl by day and Robin by night. She lives in Los Angeles now and stars as Ensign Williams in THE RED SHIRT DIARIES, co-hosts the GEEK HISTORY LESSON podcast and writes for Top Cow.