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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.
