The Rings of Power from Amazon Prime Video It could become one of the great series of the year and incidentally one of the most controversial. Everything, due to the decision of the production to set —not to adapt— a story in the kingdoms imagined by JRR Tolkien. For better or worse, the new vision of Middle-earth, he carries with him the responsibility of rewriting the vision of the famous author. Also, to explore new paths in how to narrate the vast mythology of the original work.
But the possibility of a writers’ room making major decisions about Tolkien’s fiction is not without concern. especially because The Rings of Power It is set in the Second Age. A period within the novels about which little is known and which, in fact, Tolkien did not fully explore.
The eventuality supposes an unprecedented plot path to travel for the program. Not only because you will have to connect points in scenarios in which the writer did not go into depth or show more detail. And even, that do not exist in the original books. In addition, you must create your own structure to tell the context that surrounds a series of situations, imagined especially for the show.
This includes, of course, characters. One of the points that brought about the most debates and discussions with the production of the series is its version of the peoples of Middle-earth. especially because The Rings of Power reimagines the races of Tolkien mythology to try to renew them.
The Rings of Power is the new series of The Lord of the Rings that premieres exclusively on Prime Video
What supposes an unknown group of figures that will allow to deepen in a broader perspective of the original story. As if that weren’t enough and abandoning the limits of an essentially Caucasian cast, Prime Video decided to include actors of color.
Who are the new faces that the series will bring to Middle-earth? The Rings of Power? These are the five characters to keep in mind and of crucial importance in the first season of the series. A group that unites a common element: there is no data —and in the best of cases, only very little about them— in the original work.
Prince Durin IV
To know the origin of the character, we will have to go back to the few data that Tolkien’s work offers about the dwarves who lived during the Second Age. Durin I was one of the so-called Seven Fathers of the race, which is to say, he is his immediate ancestor. known as Durin the Immortal Due to his longevity, he was held to be one of the wisest creatures in Middle-earth.
The genealogy of the character is famous and impacts the plot of the series. His descendant Durin III was the Dwarf King who received a Ring of Power. So his son, Durin IV, is a Prince of Khazad-Dûm, who inherited the story and also the knowledge derived from such an event.
There is no clear data about this mysterious figure in Tolkien’s work, but Prime decided to give him a prominent place in The Rings of Power. So much, enough to be considered essential to exploring the premise of the production. Certainly, because of its relationship with the secrets related to the dangerous and headline Rings of Power. Durin IV is played by actor Owain Arthur.
Princess Disa
Disa is the wife of Prince Durin IV. According to production data The Rings of Power, is the mother of “kings and a leader” in her own right. And although no details have been given about what such a description could mean, it is evident that she will be related to the genealogy of her husband. In fact, her role will be preponderant enough that she will be considered central amidst the mysterious conflict that the show will unfold.
Another point of interest about the character will be its symbolism. Disa will be played by actress Sophia Nonmvete, a black actress who breaks the notion about the race of actors in Tolkien works. Until now, and because the British writer’s work is based on Norwegian, Celtic and other mythology, his characters were played by Caucasian actors.
wander
Arondir is a character created exclusively for The Rings of Power, which has caused all kinds of discussions around the possibility. Can the writers imitate the allegorical and symbolic depth of Tolkien’s great figures? So far, experience indicates that it is a slippery slope. For the Hobbit trilogy, Peter Jackson included the elf Tauriel, played by actress Evangeline Lilly. The addition further encompassed a love triangle that many fans felt was unnecessary and that hindered the plot. So that the possibility of a similar experience in the series, does not stop worrying.
Especially since Arondir, a wood elf and expert warrior, is destined to break many schemes. In particular, the rigid vision of the elves that even the narratives related to Tolkien’s mythology had. The character is not related to any people of known elven culture and according to production data, he is “an outsider among his own people.” To make his conflict more complicated, he will fall in love with a human woman, Bronwyn, in a forbidden romance that tries to emulate the most transcendental of the original work.
The character will be played in The Rings of Power by Ismael Cruz Cordova. Something that also subverts the idea of Caucasian-looking elves, until now predominant in Tolkien’s adaptations.
bronwyn
Arondir’s impossible love, Bronwyn, is also a novelty, both for Tolkien’s work and for his mythology in general. In particular, because she is a native of the Southlands, an area of Middle-earth that is barely described in Tolkien’s work. In addition to everything, she is a healer and a single mother, which adds a layer of social commentary to his character.
According to production data, her son, Theo, is opposed to her romance with Arondir, which is, if nothing else, a subtle study in the prejudices of the writer’s worlds. A subject that, until now, it had never been played in any adaptation of Tolkien’s work but it will be done The Rings of Power. The character is played by British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi.
Halbrand
Little is known about the character, beyond the fact that he is part of Galandriel’s history and that, in addition, he is human. This is a caveat that raised alarms in the experts of Tolkien’s work and raised questions about the possibility of such an event. The elven lady is one of the most important characters in the British’s work. She one of the first of her race that she went into exile in Middle-earth and witnessed the Ages of the Trees.
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This being the case, his collaboration with a human being, at least in the Second Age, is, to say the least, unlikely. Much more, due to the fact that the first images of the series, show that Halbrand is linked to Galadriel in the midst of a traumatic experience. But the production has so far not provided details about his history, lineage or the possibility of being closely related to the Elven Lady. He is played by actor Charlie Vickers.