Five seasons of
The Rings of Power are already meticulously planned out, including exactly how the show will end. "We even know what our final shot of the last episode is going to be," Payne says. "The rights that Amazon bought were for a 50-hour show. They knew from the beginning that was the size of the canvas – this was a big story with a clear beginning, middle and end. There are things in the first season that don't pay off until Season 5."
"It was like
Tolkien put some stars in the sky and let us make out the constellations," Payne says. "In his letters [particularly in one to his publisher], Tolkien talked about wanting to leave behind a mythology that 'left scope for other minds and hands, wielding the tools of paint, music and drama.' We're doing what Tolkien wanted. As long as we felt like every invention of ours was true to his essence, we knew we were on the right track."
It begins during a time of relative peace following the defeat of
Morgoth,
Sauron's master. The series chronicles the lives and adventures of its ensemble cast and promises to visit the
Misty Mountains, the forest elf-capital of
Lindon, and the shores of the island kingdom of
Númenor.
