The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power executive producer Lindsey Weber says he doesn’t consider the series a prequel.
In a report from Deadline, Weber clarified his thoughts on the Hero Nation Podcast about the intention of the highly anticipated Prime Video series.
“The first thing I would say is we don’t really think of it as a prequel, though it is before. Something about the word prequel seems to suggest you need to know what comes later to appreciate it. It’s sort of like an appendage to a preexisting thing, and we don’t feel that way about this.”
The Rings of Power is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion and takes place in the Second Age whereas the events in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place in the Third Age. In the series, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) is on the hunt for Sauron after the death of her brother Finrod (Will Fletcher). She believes a great evil is growing and all those who dwell in Middle-earth will have to prepare for the worst as darkness spreads across the land.
The series obviously takes place prior to the events in Peter Jackson’s popular films, but Weber doesn’t believe people are required to know anything about Middle-earth before watching the series.
“This is a story that you can appreciate if you’ve not read the books, if you’ve not seen the movies, there is an on-ramp for you This could be your first introduction to Middle-earth and we would be honored if it does become that for people, and it winds up turning people on to read the books – it would be a thrill for us.”
The first two episodes dropped on September 1 and there are already many theories about where the story will go. Someone fell from the sky possessing magical abilities and there’s the mystery of what’s in King Durin’s box. At this point, there are more questions than answers, but all will be revealed as the adventure continues.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power comes out Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Prime Video.