The Rings of Power showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have spoken out about fan response to the series. While they acknowledged they would not be over-correcting their course, they also stated that season 2 will accommodate the audience’s reaction.
Both Payne and McKay are writing partners who have worked together on Star Trek: Beyond and Disney's Jungle Cruise together. Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is actually their first venture together as showrunners, and it’s clear that the experience of making the show has been very informative for them. Several interviews have covered the making of the show, and these interviews have indicated that their vision for the series won over some heavyweight Lord of the Rings series pitches like one given by HBO to the Tolkien estate because of McKay and Payne's desire to stay true to Tolkien's ethos and world.
In a Vanity Fair interview, the showrunners made it clear that fan perception of the series will influence Rings of Power season 2, but not completely alter its course. “Certainly, you look at audience response, and you see what characters people love, and what kinds of storytelling moves them," Payne is quoted as saying. "I wouldn’t say we're over-correcting for any of it, but we’re certainly listening to people’s responses."
There’s no shortage of characters who may gain focus next season on The Rings of Power. Halbrand, the hidden identity of Sauron and the first on-screen depiction of the character in physical form, is one character audiences will likely see more of next season, now that he’s out in the open. The character’s secret identity was invented for the series, but the novels make it clear that Sauron is a deceptive character, able to take on many forms to deceive his enemies.
The Rings of Power had a strong first outing for a fantasy series, but as with everything, there were certain elements to critique. While some appreciated the slow burn of the first season, others found it somewhat of a slog to get through, given the usually-long runtimes of the episodes. Others found that The Rings of Power copied too many plot points from The Lord of the Rings.
While there’s plenty of ground to cover, the story is flexible given that it’s still technically original (for the most part). That means that fans could be seeing alterations in the stories of original characters like Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) while established characters like Morfydd Clark's Galadriel will remain as prominent as they have been.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 is streaming on Amazon Prime.
Source: Vanity Fair