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The Lord of the Rings: Tolkien fans share first verdicts after being invited to watch new series

Die-hard Lord of the Rings fans are sharing their verdict on the new TV series after being treated to a special preview.

Prime Video invited JRR Tolkien enthusiasts to attend a screening of the forthcoming show, which is titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The new show will run for eight episodes when it arrives this September and a teaser for the prequel series, released in February, saw viewers hail it as “incredible”, “jaw-dropping” and “magnificent”.

However, fans of Middle Earth were nervous ahead of sitting down to watch footage from the show – but those nerves soon made way for excitement, with fans praising the series as well as the showrunners, JD Payne and Patrick McKay.

“Last week, I was invited by the @LOTRonPrime folks, along with a bunch of other internet Tolkien folks, to attend an advanced screening of some footage from the #RingsofPower show and to meet the showrunners,” @tolkienprof wrote.

He added: “I must say: after meeting them, I feel the show is in VERY good hands. The makers of this show know and get Tolkien and are completely passionate about it.”

According to @tolkienprof, the showrunners’ knowledge of Middle Earth “surpassed my wildest expectations of their fandom”.

Another fan, Dr Maggie Parke, said that the showrunners “kept up with the best of us”, stating: “Their passion & knowledge made me feel like they were one of us, they get it. I’m feeling very optimistic!”

Meanwhile, @tolkientalkbR said: ‘We are very satisfied with what we saw”, while tikTok user @knewbettadobetta added: tgat those hwo are worried about the series should “put their fears to rest”.

Galadriel and Elrond in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ (Prime Video)
Galadriel and Elrond in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ (Prime Video)

“We, as Tolkien fans, are in good hands!” he said, stating: “Above and beyond, I was absolutely blown away. I cannot wait to see more – it’s just beyond words.”

The new series, which is set thousands of years before Paeter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, has been in the works since 2017. Prime Video bought rights to the show for $250m (£183m).

The Rings of Power will star Morfydd Clark, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Joseph Mawle, Lenny Henry and Peter Mullan.