Today, San Diego transformed into Middle-earth, as Prime Video showcased its highly anticipated and epic upcoming series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, for a dazzled Hall H audience at San Diego Comic-Con. The series’ creators and ensemble cast assembled on the prestigious Hall H stage, thrilling 6,500 fans who packed the convention center hall after camping overnight on the streets of San Diego in hopes of witnessing the history-making event. Their efforts to be part of the series’ Comic-Con debut were rewarded with the unveiling of an exclusive trailer, and a sneak peek at several scenes from the series, as well as many other only-in-Hall-H surprises!
In a surprise and delight moment, The Late Show host—and Tolkien superfan—Stephen Colbert was revealed as the panel’s moderator. He joined series Showrunners J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay, Executive Producer Lindsey Weber, and 21 members of the ensemble cast for a panel that was among the largest for a single-series in San Diego Comic-Con history.
During the epic 90-minute event, the cast and creators interacted with fans, discussing their love of J.R.R. Tolkien’s incredible legendarium and the gratifying process of bringing the beloved author’s fabled Second Age to life—from the series’ new and legendary characters, to the incredible realms of Middle-earth, including the island of Númenor, which has never before been seen on screen.
In a special Hall H-first moment, award-winning composer Bear McCreary, the show’s composer, took to the stage. Here’s the best part… He brought along a 25-piece orchestra and 16-person choir to treat the audience to an exclusive live performance. Can you imagine being in the audience for that? Simply mind-blowing. Oh, how we envy the lucky folks at SDCC this year.
Check out the trailer below:
Did you catch that ending? Yes, that was a Balrog in all of its ancient and fiery glory. Interestingly, they have kept the design from Peter Jackon’s trilogy. Let’s face it… You simply can’t beat the ferocious presence of the Balrog as he steps into the light. As to what role the Balrog will play in The Rings of Power remains to be seen. However, the Balrog will appear and that is good enough for us.
Here’s a full list of the guests that took part in the panel for The Rings of Power: Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.
The multi-season drama will launch on Prime Video on Friday, September 2, with new episodes available weekly. What did you think of the trailer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Be sure to visit the official The Rings of Power Twitter page for the latest updates from SDCC 2022.
