When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie, evil has risen.
Tolkiens mythos to life ended, but not where the follow-up begins.
This feature originally appeared in issue 353.
Buy a copy here.
“Do you want to hear the opening?”
an excited Patrick McKay, co-showrunner with J.D.
Payne, asks Total Film.
Its the assassination of Sauron."
Its a bold opening that sets the tone for whats to come.
“Its an ensemble show, but the focus is starting to get pulled towards him.
Hes driving everything.”
As a result, Galadriel, last seasons primary lead, shares the spotlight.
For actor Morfydd Clark, though, there was still lots to do.
Outsiders may call it foolish, but Sauron cast a spell on him the moment he saw him."
Elf discovery
But what of those three rings for elven kings forged last season?
“It makes it complicated as he cares about her, he loves her.
Its really complex.”
Cirdan is a mentor to Elrond.
“Hes absolutely fascinating and so unique.”
Cirdan is one of many new faces introduced this season.
They instead point out that Rhuns introduction marks the first time weve seen deserts in Middle-earth.
They were filmed in Tenerife and give the show a Lawrence of Arabia feel.
Bombadil becomes a companion on The Strangers quest to find his own identity.
And Bombadil just says, ‘Eldest.’
“Theres an expansion of understanding and time and what that means for him.
Thats really fascinating.”
He was asked by the showrunners what he wanted to see more of.
Smith emphasises capturing things in-camera.
For the Barrow Whites terrifying, ghastly white creatures they used contortionists who could pop bones out of place.
“We were watching them work like, ‘How can this be real?'”
“We barely had to do any of the green-screen imagining stuff.”
Isildur, last seen M.I.A.
after being defeated in battle, makes his grand return to the show stuck in a spiders web.
“There were these spider-lings done with a puppet master.
I watched it on a monitor and couldnt believe it wasnt CGI.”
Orc this way
Total Film witnesses some of the shows in-camera magic first-hand.
One artist says over 1,500 pairs of ears have been made.
An orc sips a green smoothie through a straw as they wait for their paint to dry.
The flags of Eregion blow in the wind while dead Elves are scattered across the treacherous landscape.
In the distance, a half-dozen mammoth trebuchets are hidden in the trees.
The battle of Eregion will be this seasons major centrepiece as the orcs march on the elven realm.
We know Elrond is going to become involved."
“By nature, it has to be a much grander, bigger battle,” Payne continues.
“But we never want to get into battle fatigue, armies clashing, and its anonymous.
Its all about the emotional impact.
The seventh episode of this season is something else.”
They talk about tightening their purse strings while bargaining for food at a market.
Its a conversation unlike anything else weve heard in Middle-earth.
Meanwhile, in Adars encampment, theres a female orc with what is acting like a baby.
“The later episodes really established this darker, more grounded tone.”
“Theres greater depth with the characters and what theyre all grappling with and how theyre motivated.”
“Hes questioning the motives of his orc father,” says McKay.
Hes an Orc with an arc."
Its not only an orc whos getting a Tolkien-ien redemptive story.
“The villains often have something redemptive at their centre, even Sauron,” McKay says.
Indeed, there are a few precious rings on display.
The moment directly mirrors her temptation in The Fellowship of the Ring.
But, theres a long road ahead."
You could do the Beren and Luthien show if you wanted to.
Go down any corridor and theres a story there.
Were glad there are more stories in Middle-earth being told."
“And were staying in our lane,” adds McKay.
Evil has risen in Middle-earth and weve only just started exploring it.
The Rings of Power season 2 begins on August 29 with a three-episode premiere.
For more, check out our guide on how to watch all theLord of the Rings movies in order.
