Credit: New Line CinemaJRR Tolkien’s renowned high-fantasy saga, “The Lord of the Rings” series made its debut in 1954, following the success of his more accessible children’s story, “The Hobbit”, published in 1937. Since the introduction of Tolkien and his captivating realm of Middle-earth, the enthusiasm for his works has grown to a nearly immense scale.
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The Tolkien fanbase encompasses a wide range of individuals, from the likes of comedian and talk show host Stephen Colbert, who proudly embraces his inner nerd, to young children, adults, and even scholars specializing in Tolkien’s works. The influence of Tolkien continues to expand with each passing year, as new fans discover his earlier writings, and particularly, the film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by New Zealand native, director Peter Jackson. The classic tale of Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and his best friend Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) and their journey to Mount Doom to destroy Sauron’s One Ring along with the iconic Fellowship of the Ring all but exploded onto the cultural scene.
Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” served as the catalyst for numerous adaptations, and with the latest (and costliest) addition to the Tolkien universe, the trend of expansion shows no signs of slowing down. Unfortunately, it seems that not everything is going smoothly in the realm of Tolkien spin-offs. It’s not just the recent setback of a fatal heart attack during the filming of the spin-off series last month nor the extraordinary multimillion-dollar lawsuit that Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and the spin-off is facing.
Most devastating of all to the new Lord of the Rings spin-off? Probably the ongoing waves of fan hatred.
What is the new Lord of the Rings spin-off about?
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The latest addition to The Lord of the Rings franchise, titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022), was developed by JD Payne and Patrick McKay in collaboration with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, Harper Collins, and New Line Cinema, the studio responsible for Peter Jackson’s original The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. The series premiered exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on September 2nd 2022. With a staggering budget of 1 billion US dollars, Amazon spared no expense — which is perhaps unsurprising given that company CEO Jeff Bezos, a self-professed Tolkien fan, is involved.
However, the first season of The Rings of Power received a rather mixed critical reception — as well as hatred from legions of disappointed Tolkien fans. This was primarily because it deviated rather significantly from JRR Tolkien’s original intentions and world-building. In response to this backlash, the producers have promised that the upcoming second season will take a different approach, striving to stay more faithful to Tolkien’s rich legendarium.
But it seems the hate-train for The Rings of Power just keeps chugging along, as a new award that the show recently won has sparked debate (and disparaging comments) yet again.
The Rings of Power‘s controversial new award
A news account covering all things Tolkien, Fellowship of Fans over on Twitter, recently announced that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power had actually won an award for its marketing, the TPEC TV Publicity Campaign Award, for “Outstanding Campaign for a New Drama”:
🚨’The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ marketing team have won the TPEC TV Publicity Campaign Award
Outstanding Campaign for a New Drama: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Amazon Studios pic.twitter.com/KDu1ybtrwH
— Fellowship of Fans (@FellowshipFans) June 15, 2023
🚨’The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ marketing team have won the TPEC TV Publicity Campaign Award
Outstanding Campaign for a New Drama: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Amazon Studios pic.twitter.com/KDu1ybtrwH
— Fellowship of Fans (@FellowshipFans) June 15, 2023
As expected, there was a significant fan response — but it was not celebratory.
Users like @ClaysCourt flocked to the comments and replies, sharing how they “very much disagree” with the award panel, picking out the “final trailer” released before the show’s launch as one of the weakest examples — wondering how it even “passed the editing process”:
This is one of the few awards that the show has won that I very much disagree with, especially with that final trailer they released before the show aired. I don’t understand how that trailer even passed the editing process 😕
This is one of the few awards that the show has won that I very much disagree with, especially with that final trailer they released before the show aired. I don't understand how that trailer even passed the editing process 😕
— Celeborn (@ClaysCourt) June 15, 2023
While others like @Terriblejester3
•keep such a tight hold on information about the show that the title’s reveal made headlines
•Put terrible looking trailer during Super Bowl that didn’t really show anything
•Still withhold any information about the show
•Have people go to a showing and sign an NDA
•keep such a tight hold on information about the show that the title’s reveal made headlines
•Put terrible looking trailer during Super Bowl that didn’t really show anything
•Still withhold any information about the show
•Have people go to a showing and sign an NDA— M1897 Enthusiast (@Terriblejester3) June 15, 2023
Fellowship of Fans later added clarification — that the PR team won the award not the “marketing” team. Continuing, the outlet impressed that the PR team were the ones dealing with “SDCC and other Comic-cons”, as well as “worldwide premiers” and cast interviews:
🚨CONTEXT: PR team NOT marketing- For context of what the PR team would have worked on is- SDCC and other Comic- cons, worldwide premieres, arranging interviews for cast with outlets. Social media and marketing are separate teams, especially at Amazon.
🚨CONTEXT: PR team NOT marketing- For context of what the PR team would have worked on is- SDCC and other Comic- cons, worldwide premieres, arranging interviews for cast with outlets. Social media and marketing are separate teams, especially at Amazon.
— Fellowship of Fans (@FellowshipFans) June 15, 2023
At the end of the day, it seems like this billion-dollar (and counting) franchise is going to keep trucking along. Whether the Rings of Power truly “deserve” the award at this point is subjective — but it does seem that award or not, both haters and fans alike are going to continue hating on Amazon’s most expensive show.
What do you think about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power winning this award? Do you agree with the fans? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
More on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The spinoff of The Lord of the Rings takes a similar approach to grand theatrical epics, although it is not directly connected to Peter Jackson’s film series. In its first season, The Rings of Power explores multiple intertwined storylines, with a specific emphasis on Galadriel (played by Morfydd Clark), who is depicted as a much younger elf compared to Cate Blanchett’s portrayal in The Lord of the Rings. Additionally, Elrond (originally portrayed by Hugo Weaving) is a central character. It’s worth noting (for those who don’t mind spoilers) that the character Halbrand, portrayed by Charlie Vickers, is revealed to be Sauron, indicating darker themes to come. The series also follows the adventures of Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur), Princess Disa (Sophia Nomvete), Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), Marigold Brandyfoot (Sara Zwangobani), Largo Brandyfoot (Dylan Smith), Nor/Elanor Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh), Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), Elendil (Lloyd Owen), Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), Isildur (Maxim Baldry), and The Stranger (Daniel Weyman).