The cast of The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power descended on London last night (August 30) for the new series’ red carpet world premiere.
At London’s historic Leicester Square, nearly 2,000 people – comprising cast, crew, fans and more – attended the Odean Luxe and Cineworld. Among them were all 22 of the series’ cast regulars, including Robert Aramayo (Elrond), Maxim Baldry (Isildur), Morfydd Clark (Galadriel), Sir Lenny Henry (Sadoc Burrows), Ema Horvath (Eärien), Lloyd Owen (Elendil) and Charles Edwards (Celebrimbor).
Also in attendance were showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, directors Wayne Che Yip and Charlotte Brändström, as well as series composer Bear McCreary.
The red carpet was in the shape of a ring, allowing the cast, crew and their guests to traverse through the five realms of Middle-earth and interact with fans. At the centre of the 2,000 foot-long carpet was a 40-foot-tall structure that represented the five realms depicted in the new series: Lindon, Khazad-dûm, Númenor, the Southlands, the world of Man and the Wilderlands.
Additionally, a living environment was created with 100 trees, a multilevel environment intended to mimic the topography of the fictional world, as well as a plethora of plants, moss and vines.
The newest adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s acclaimed fantasy novel premieres this Friday (September 2) on Amazon Prime Video.
A synopsis for the show reads: “Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters as they confront the re-emergence of evil in Middle-earth.”
An extensive first look at the show dropped back in February when a trailer premiered during the Super Bowl.
Last week, the final trailer was released, teasing the new world with depictions of Middle-earth in its Second Age as well as characters Galadriel, Elrond, High King Gil-galad and Celebrimbor.
The show is reportedly the most expensive of all time, its first five season having cost at least £739million ($1billion) to make.
Peter Jackson, who directed the original film trilogy, has said he was ghosted by the makers of the new TV series. “They asked me if I wanted to be involved — [writer-producer Fran Walsh] and I — and I said, ‘That’s an impossible question to answer without seeing a script.
“So they said, ‘As soon as we get the first couple scripts, we’ll send them to you.’ And the scripts never showed up. That’s the last thing I heard, which is fine. No complaints at all.”