The highly anticipated fantasy series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is Amazon's biggest gamble into original content so far. Although the studio has found success with its adaptations of the Jack Ryan and Reacher franchises, crafting a new series within the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth comes with high expectations. Tolkien’s fans are renowned for their passion, and Peter Jackson’s film trilogy attracted a whole new generation to enter the world of Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, Dragons, and Hobbits.
However, The Rings of Power has the benefit of telling a story that Tolkien buffs are already familiar with. Set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, the series explores the dark lord Sauron’s first rise to power and the alliance of different species that ultimately brought him down. The “Lord of the Rings” himself attempts to control Middle-earth through the influence of the One Ring. Sauron’s source of power gives him control over all the other rings dispersed to the leaders of men, Dwarves, and Elves.
The Rings of Power answers a question that The Lord of the Rings film trilogy didn’t focus on: how were the rings created? Although the initial forging of the magical items is briefly featured in the opening sequence of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Rings of Power will show how Sauron’s deceit led the leaders of Middle Earth to become corrupted. Sauron was able to disguise himself, and convince Elven blacksmiths to create the rings.
Charles Edwards plays a major role in The Rings of Power as Celebrimbor, the ring-maker who discovered Sauron’s plot. Although the formation of the rings is only hinted at in Tolkien’s original trilogy, his follow-up The Silmarillion goes into depth explaining their origins. The Silmarillion explores the entire history of Arda, the fictional world where Middle Earth resides. Sauron learns the art of deception from the dark lord Morgoth, who is the source of all evil in Arda.
Sauron is able to disguise himself as a mysterious benefactor named Annatar when he visits the northwest region Eriador. Claiming to be a prophet of the immortal beings known as the Valar, Sauron bestows the Elves with guidance and knowledge. Celebrimbor is initially honored by his gifts. Annatar takes the form of an Elf-like creature. The smiths of Eregion use Annatar’s guidance to craft seven rings for the Dwarf-lords, and nine for the kings of men. Supposedly, these magical items will provide protection to those that wear them.
Celebrimbor ultimately discovers Sauron’s sinister intentions. He becomes aware that the new dark lord has secretly forged the One Ring, which gives him control over the other rings. In order to deceive Sauron, Celebrimbor secretly forges three other rings: Narya (“The Ring of Fire”), Nenya (“The Ring of Water”), and Vilya (“The Ring of Air”). These rings are free from Sauron’s influence. Celebrimbor sends these rings to the Elven leaders so they can wage war against Sauron’s forces. However, Sauron uncovered Celebrimbor’s betrayal when his army seized control of Eregion. After torturing Celebrimbor endlessly, Sauron discovered the whereabouts of the other rings. Celebrimbor is eventually killed, humiliated by his failure. Tolkien’s anthology story Unfinished Tales describes how Sauron’s forces used Celebrimbor’s corpse as a flag to signal doom for their enemies.
Although Celebrimbor didn’t appear in any of Jackson’s films, he actually played a role in the 2014 video game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Shadow of Mordor explores the adventures of the Gondorian Ranger Talion. Talion comes into contact with Celebrimbor, who is revived as a wraith. After recounting his memories to Talion, the pair team up to avenge the loss of their allies at the hands of Sauron.
Celebrimbor hints at the end of the game that he wants to forge a new One Ring that will allow him to defeat Sauron. In the 2017 sequel Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Celebrimbor abandons Talion so he can pursue his quest for vengeance alone. He’s briefly able to hold his own against the Dark Lord by possessing the Elven assassin Eltariel. However, Sauron ultimately defeats Celebrimbor by absorbing his spirit. It’s implied that his soul isn’t set free until Mount Doom is destroyed in Return of the King.
Although Tolkien’s mythology is dense and can be overwhelming for new viewers, Jackson’s trilogy managed to turn the different creatures into compelling, recognizable characters. It didn’t matter if you didn’t know the backstory of the Baggins clan; Frodo was a compelling character in his own right. Adding characters like Celebrimbor to The Rings of Power gives the showrunners the chance to transform a fictional history into an emotional narrative.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will premiere with its first two episodes on September 2, exclusively on Prime Video.