12 things we learned about Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power at SDCC

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power took San Diego Comic-Con by storm – Hall H was privy to exclusive clips, interviews with the cast, showrunners, and composer, and there was a brand new trailer unveiled, too. 

If you weren't lucky enough to be in Hall H, don't worry. We've got the rundown on all those new glimpses of the Prime Video show (we were spoiled with five in total), as well as everything the people behind the show had to say about their characters, Peter Jackson's movies, and how the show isn't a "spin-off". So, without further ado, scroll on for our guide to the X key things we learnt from The Rings of Power panel at SDCC. 

The Rings of Power score nails Lord of the Rings’ tone

Rings of Power may be set back in the Second Age, but its score is still classic Middle-earth. Bear McCreary led an orchestra during the opening of the Amazon series’ panel, with it capturing the “mournful feel” of the Lord of the Rings series’ heavier moments. Original Lord of the Rings trilogy composer Howard Shore has written the theme for the show, adding to that authenticity. 

According to McCreary, his main source of inspiration was Howard Shore's work. “I wanted to honour Shore by creating this score that honours his score with continuity,” he explained. 

New footage was unveiled 

Hall H was treated to a surprise look at new footage on a full panoramic screen. Described as "superb" and "spine-tingling," Galadriel spoke the famous prologue of the series which details the history of the Rings while the new footage played. 

That wasn't the only exclusive footage, either. Attendees also got to see an "uptight, aloof" Elrond in Moria undertaking a Dwarven endurance test, up against Durin IV. The stakes are very high: Elrond will be banished if he loses. The clip was described as "tense and unapologetically Lord of the Rings-ian," clearly showcasing the series' huge budget. 

Another clip focused on Arondir (who has been enslaved by Orcs) joining an Elven uprising against their captors.

Galadriel is in the fifth clip. The Commander of the Northern Armies is seen talking to Elrond. She says she got frostbite from a troll. Elrond replies, "Tell me everything"

The showrunners open up on the story

Rings of Power showrunners Patrick McKay and JD Payne arrived on stage speaking Elvish. Naturally. They were also there to tease out more of the Amazon series’ story.

“It’s a human story — how far into the darkness are you willing to go to reach the good. The world is in a different state, the Second Age. It’s about reintroducing this world and there’s a new evil,” they said during the panel. They added, “We didn’t want to do a spin-off — we wanted to find a huge Tolkienian epic.” We can also expect to see the downfall of Numenor depicted on-screen.

Dwarves will be treated with respect – and the women have beards 

The showrunners talked about some of the characters we'll be seeing in the epic fantasy show – and have no fear, the Dwarves will be brought to life with respect. "We feel Dwarves are often the butt of jokes, but we take them very seriously,” they explained.  

Plus, if you were worried about the female dwarves apparently lacking their beards, have no fear. Producer Lindsey Webber told the crowd that the female Dwarves do indeed have facial hair in the show. 

As for the process of becoming a Lord of the Rings Dwarf, Owen Arthur, who plays Durin IV, opened up on the makeup process. It took a staggering three hours to transform him into his character. 

Tolkien scholars helped in the creation of original characters

To help with worldbuilding, the showrunners enlisted the help of Tolkien scholars to get as close as possible to the author’s own process.

On creating new cultures for Rings of Power, the showrunners said, “We piece the clues together and then do what Tolkien did and look to real world myths.”

Don't expect much from the Third Age 

The Rings of Power is set in the Second Age, which, as the showrunners pointed out, is massive. That means we won't be seeing much of the Third Age covered in the show, though they did tease that "things can change." 

Casting was intense

As you'd expect, filling out a cast of this size wasn't a short process – it took "a long, long time,” according to the showrunners, with hundreds of people seen for each role. 

A new Rings of Power trailer was released

Balrog? Check. Sauron? Check. The new Rings of Power trailer has ticked all the Middle-earth boxes and is looking suitably epic. It also offers a sweeping overview of some of the main players in Amazon’s series, including Galadriel. You can watch the new Lord of the Rings trailer now.

The showrunners addressed the Peter Jackson movies 

Think of Middle-earth, and you'll no doubt be conjuring images from Peter Jackson's incredible films, covering the journey of Frodo and the Fellowship in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and then Bilbo on his adventures in The Hobbit movies. The Prime Video show, though, has no involvement from Jackson. "They are part of the daily fibre of my life… but we wanted to be part of a continuum of works inspired by Middle-earth,” the showrunners said of the films. 

Charles Edwards teased his character 

Charles Edwards is playing none other than Celebrimbor, responsible for the creation of the One Ring. The actor pointed out that Tolkien wrote Elves as unhappy, and Celebrimor could very easily be manipulated by an outside influence. 

The mysterious Stranger was teased

A new look at the show's most mysterious character, The Stranger, was revealed during the panel. Daniel Weyman plays the character, and he looks fairly wild in the new image. 

The Stranger was also front and center of another piece of footage. This time, the Harfoots all circle the mysterious figure after he crash-lands. He’s awoken and is cold to the touch, but is then knocked out again. Poor Stranger. 

New character posters show off wider cast

The Rings of Power has a lot of characters. Thankfully, the wider cast gets a look-in thanks to a series of new posters that were revealed during the panel. You can see them all below.

For everything else coming your way at this year's convention, check out our guide to the SDCC 2022 schedule.