The Rings of Power showrunners address how fan feedback will impact the second season

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The new season has already been written, but the co-showrunners are listening to your opinions

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 8
(Image credit: Amazon)

The Rings of Power co-showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay have revealed that fan feedback will partially factor into the show’s second season – despite it being mainly written before the first season aired.

"In terms of how it’s impacted season two, we wrote most of season two before season one came out. We’re refining the last bits of it now as we’re starting to shoot. But really, the cake was kind of baked before the audience response came in," Payne told Vanity Fair.

Payne, however, was keen to point out that the creative team is still listening to audience responses after the eight-episode first season on Prime Video concluded in mid-October. "Certainly, you look at audience response, and you see what characters people love, and what kinds of storytelling moves them," He continued. "I wouldn’t say we're over-correcting for any of it, but we’re certainly listening to people’s responses."

McKay added, "So to the extent there’s a course correction, it’s just us building on the strengths of the show and on the strengths of our actors and our designers."

Much of the first season revolved around the identity of Sauron, as well as the origins of the titular rings. It remains to be seen whether The Rings of Power season 2 will lean quite so heavily on Middle-earth’s mysteries, though we’re likely going to find out sooner than expected. Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke has recently been vocal in an interview with Variety about wanting "the shortest time possible" between seasons. The second season recently entered production in the UK.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.