Showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne allowed a rare tour of their production offices, and shared their current and future plans for “The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power.” While “Rings of Power” has had critical acclaim, it’s been the victim of just as much negativity. McKay and Payne have weathered a storm of trolls and review bombs, lowering scores on review sites. For the first-time showrunners, it’s been rough.
The series is “on the fault line of the cultural war,” McKay says, having to combat assumptions and negative comments. Simply finding a home for “Rings of Power” was difficult in the first place. At one point, HBO attempted a pitch to pretty much remake the films. But the Tolkien estate has been temperamental since the release of Peter Jackson‘s movies, claiming they “eviscerated” the books [mostly Christopher Tolkien]. Netflix also wanted a piece of the middle-earth pie; frightening the estate away with too many offers at once, pitching spin-offs for Aragorn and Gandalf.
It was Amazon and Tolkien über-nerd Jeff Bezos who were able to make the estate…comfortable. Not by pitching a series, but by promoting a seat at the creative table in order to prevent besmirching of the prolific author’s legacy. “It was our collective passion and fidelity to Tolkien that really won the day,” Amazon Studios TV co-head Vernon Sanders explained. When McKay and Payne were given the green light, it was a dream come true.
Taking a Chance on a Fresh Duo
The duo had been screenwriting for ten years, and always seemed just shy of catching their big break. Originally punch-up writers for J.J. Abram‘s Bad Robot, they worked tirelessly on projects that just didn’t get off the ground. After banging their heads against the movie wall, they decided to change tactics and try for television.
They had their work cut out for them. After their first pitch, they were told to come back, and pitch the entire series, which was something they hadn’t even fleshed out. And then had to continue to pitch against competition. After a grueling months-long process of competing with candidates with larger resumes, the duo won out. The two writers asked Abrams to put in a good word for them with Amazon, which potentially gave them the extra edge.
But ultimately it’s their drive and passion for Tolkien that had Amazon’s programmers coming back to them over and over again. McKay and Payne are avid fans of the fantasy series, and understand that the adventures of The Fellowship are only a tiny percentage on the map of middle-earth. Their passion for visualizing a world and characters outside of The Shire is what has turned Amazon’s head the most.
““Hearing them bounce back and forth, they had such a deep connection to the material that was there from the beginning,”co-head of Amazon Studios TV Jen Salke said. “There was no education you could do for that; it was their natural organic interest.”
Blocking Out The Bullies
The first season has gotten off to an extremely rocky start. COVID caused delays with shooting and production. The first-time showrunners are having to learn on their feet just how much work goes into producing something of this scale. Episode ratings have improved as the first season has progressed, but it’s been akin to a newborn deer learning to walk. The duo are promising season 2 will be infinitely bigger and better. Amazon sure seems willing to take the risk.
Harder to weather have been the slew of trolls and online naysayers over the casting and other decisions. Enough that Amazon turned off their reviews for the series for 72 hours and five days after the premiere. They even released a recent statement against the hate. Tolkien’s work has an unfortunate attraction to the fascist-minded. Clearly they miss the point of the anti-totalitarian subtext present throughout the books. But it’s led to a massive string of hate speech directed at Amazon for their diversity, and the cast members themselves.
“I don’t see how people who are saying these things think that they’re fighting for good,” McKay, who is extremely troubled by the hate speech, said. Even more tiresome are the comparison wars between “Rings of Power” and “House of the Dragon.” Understandably, something McKay and Payne are very tired of hearing about. Both series have completely different sensibilities and messages. But social media loves getting its grubby little paws into both to argue about which is better.
Ultimately, the pair simply want the series to do well and to display their faith and passion for their project. Plain and simple.
“The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power” season one is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
