‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Will Be More Like Watching an Eight-Hour Movie Than a TV Show
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a new series set in the world of Middle Earth. While it is not a movie directed by Peter Jackson, the series still has a cinematic quality. It has a massive budget, and Amazon spared no expense to ensure audiences still felt like they were traveling back to this world. Director J.A. Bayona says the Lord of the Rings series feels more like an eight-hour movie than it does a TV show.
‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ brings viewers back to Middle Earth
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set thousands of years before the main events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It is set in the same world created in J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels and features familiar characters, including Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo).
The series begins in a time of peace for Middle Earth, but there is still a darkness that overshadows the realm. Throughout the show, it will cover the forging of the Rings of Power and the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron. While the series looks familiar to the Lord of the Rings movies created by Jackson, the director is not involved in the series. A new creative team will be bringing this series to life on Amazon.
Director J.A. Bayona calls the ‘Lord of the Rings’ series an eight-hour movie
Bayona, who directed the first two episodes of The Rings of Power, says the spectacle of the Lord of the Rings series makes the series feel more like an eight-hour movie. In an interview with Collider, Bayona explains why he believes television is becoming more like cinema.
“That’s what I was referring to when I talked to Patrick [McKay] and J.D. [Payne], that to me, it was all about bringing the cinematic kind of style that we love from the movies to the television,” Bayona shares. “And I think television is evolving a lot right now. It’s not the same television that we used to see when we were kids. And it’s getting more close … It’s closer to the movies.”
The first two episodes are grand in scope and resemble the Middle Earth from the movies. There are plenty of practical effects mixed with visual effects, but everything blends seamlessly. For a TV series, it’s impressive that the creators could make everything seem epic.
Bayona says they edited this series like a feature film
Bayona tells Collider that there is a more limited time to deliver the final cut in television. However, The Rings of Power demanded a more thorough editing process closer to a film. While COVID-19 made filming more difficult, Bayona says it did give them more time to make the necessary edits.
“Well, in this case, we had to stop for COVID. Halfway through the shoot, we stopped for COVID,” Bayona explains. “And that gave us six months to be working in the edit, not of the whole two episodes, but half of it. And that was a good relief. Because when you work on television, you have very limited time to deliver the cut. But that gave us an extra time. That was very helpful for the process.”
The first two episodes of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
