Any fan of the world that was imagined by J.R.R. Tolkien is familiar with the beautiful and immersive LOTR adaptations that Peter Jackson breathed to life. The films animated the already rich and complex world that Tolkien came up with. Nearly everyone that watched them became a fan of Middle Earth (if they weren’t already).
Because of the justice that Jackson’s films did to the most popular storylines in Tolkien’s works, many fans associate his name with Middle Earth in the field of film. That’s why, when he admitted in an interview that he had been approached about being part of the Rings of Power series but was never actually allowed to follow through with that, fans were furious.
Though Jackson has expressed that he wasn’t insulted by not being invited in on the creation process, he did feel for the creators because he understands how tall the task of adapting the world is. He also expressed his well wishes for the series, to make it clear that there were no hard feelings. Some fans, however, did not agree. Some felt that leaving Jackson’s voice out of the show was an insult to the huge impact his work had on the franchise.
What’s important for such fans to keep in mind is that not involving Jackson’s voice doesn’t mean that the story of the series will suffer. It doesn't mean that there won’t be any of the beloved world details that fans love. There are still plenty of similarities between the series and movies that cater to nostalgia and help the world to feel familiar to returning fans. The need for some similarities between the two is essential in order to avoid taking viewers out of the story as a result of changing details that were already established in the films. Some examples of these essential similarities are the visual features of many of the creatures, the use of gorgeous landscapes, and the beliefs and tales of the world. However, these details may have been tweaked some for improvement.
There are plenty of points where the storylines in the show and the storylines in the films intersect, but there are just as many differences. There’s a very important reason for these changes, beyond creatives just wanting to make the work their own. Amazon representatives have revealed that working with Jackson on the storyline for the show would have created legal complications for Amazon. There needed to be enough distinct differences between the two that it was clear that they were separately produced.
Amazon representatives have also emphasized their respect and admiration for Jackson and his work within the universe, and stated that they would have liked to work with him. That said, it completely makes sense for the series, being made by an entirely new team, to be quite different. What's more, it probably should be so that viewers don’t automatically group it in with Jackson’s work. While Peter Jackson’s LOTR films are legendary, they’re still just adaptations of a pre-existing story. There’s no reason the Rings of Power should have to be the same. The entire point of an adaptation is to allow creatives to pay tribute to an already good tale, in a way that translates it to another form. Not only do the differences reflect the voices of new creatives, but they also reflect a different structure (being written for a television format).
Beyond the unavoidable differences between the show and films that are clear through new creators and alternative formats, the audience is also quite different from when the films were made. Of course, there are plenty of fans of the books and films watching the series, but this is a show made for a modern audience. That means that the series is significantly more progressive than the early-to-mid 2000s films were. These additions come in the form of strong and empowering female characters, people of color being cast as significant characters, and more — all to make the world more appealing and accessible to a broader span of people.
Ultimately, the changes still pay tribute to Jackson’s impact, contribute to diversity, and allow the series to avoid legal issues. But there’s an even more significant way that the changes better the series. What allows the series to work so well as a story on its own, and as a story that compliments the films, is the contrast it creates between the show and the movies. It separates the worlds between the old (in the show) and the new (in the films).
This contrast is extremely beneficial to the connection between the two worlds because it separates them, just as time separates our modern-day world from the medieval era. Although the two time periods may not quite literally be different worlds, they certainly feel like it, which almost makes both the show and movies feel real. The show indicates qualities of the past with its darker tone, greater imbalances among the classes, and more brutal battles.
Even though there will always be fans that are resistant to change of any sort, there’s no denying that the Rings of Power is making its changes work. Beyond just offering LOTR fans another tale set in the universe they love, the series offers them an entirely new perspective that paints an even broader and more magnificent understanding of what is possible in the magical lands of Middle Earth.