Amazon’s Lord of the Rings has been meticulously planned to the final shot

There’s been an odd trend of fan-favorite franchises not having an ending planned in advance, with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Game of Thrones being the main culprits. It seems that Amazon is aware of franchise disappointment, and have promised that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be meticulously planned, up to the final shot.

Promising something like that is gutsy, especially since executives and writers can change their minds in an instant. However, it is worth noting that J. R. R. Tolkien finished writing the books over a century ago, so it might be easier to plan an ending there's already an established end point.

Amazon’s Lord of the Rings has a clear beginning, middle, and end

Showrunner JD Payne talked up how all five seasons of their Lord of the Rings show has already been planned. Payne explained almost everything has been planned, even the show’s final shot, which is interesting to hear. Hopefully, this journey through Middle Earth’s second age will be one worth sitting through.

“We even know what our final shot of the last episode is going to be,” Payne told Empire. “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.”

Considering the pain other shows and movies have put us nerds through with haphazard writing, hearing that this series actually has a plan is quite nice. Hopefully, that plan is one filled with excitement, character development, and room to change. Even the best-laid plans can go awry.

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Stories from the source material

Amazon promises that these five seasons of Lord of the Rings will tell an interweaving story about Elves, Dwarves, and all the other races in Middle Earth. Some of these plotlines might be new to fans but the team promises that these threads came directly from Tolkien himself. We doubt Tolkien’s fingerprints will be all over the show but it’s interesting to see how they interpret his vision.

“It was like Tolkien put some stars in the sky and let us make out the constellations,” Payne explains. “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.”

Fans will get the chance to watch The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power later this year, when the show comes to Amazon on September 2. Only time will tell if the series lives up to Peter Jackson’s trilogy or even the original books but it should be a fascinating watch.

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