Everything we know about Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones prequels as they go head-to-head
THEY are two of the most ambitious – and costly – TV shows in history.
Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power is coming to Amazon on September 2 and tells the back story to the JRR Tolkien classic that was made into a trilogy of films by Peter Jackson in the Noughties.
But it faces stiff competition from House Of The Dragon, a prequel to HBO fantasy Game Of Thrones, which will also air later this year.
TV Editor Rod McPhee takes a look at the two heavyweights.
The cost
THE RINGS OF POWER: The eight-parter has already been touted as the most expensive TV series ever made.
It comes as little surprise given the fact the three Lord Of The Rings films cost more than £200million — and they were completed 20 years ago.
The creators have sketched out five seasons, which they already say will cost them a billion dollars.
Amazon spent £185million to buy the TV rights four years ago.
A trailer for the show aired during Sunday’s Superbowl, indicating just how epic it promises to be.
Estimates say the first series alone will dwarf the £100million which the first instalment of House Of The Dragon is expected to cost.
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: Production is continuing, so studio bosses have yet to tot up the final bill.
But HBO previously started another prequel series, which it decided to terminate.
The pilot for that, which starred actress Naomi Watts, cost £22million, which suggests this new ten-part series could end up at more than £100million.
Costs would have also been hit by Covid delays.
The story
THE RINGS OF POWER: The TV series returns to Middle Earth, but this time it is in the Second Age of the world, which is thousands of years before the era in which the movies are set.
It starts during a time of relative peace and touches on all the key events of the era, including the forging of the Rings of Power, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the last union between elves and men and the tale of the island kingdom of Numenor.
The events took place over a thousand years, according to JRR Tolkien’s books, but they are greatly condensed to fit into the new series.
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: The new story begins 200 years before most of the action in Game Of Thrones.
Based on author George RR Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood, it chronicles the fortunes of House Targaryen — one of the ruling families of the seven kingdoms.
The Targaryens held power for three centuries but the story follows how they lost power in the run-up to the Targaryen War.
That provides the starting point for the epic clash in the original Game Of Thrones series which saw Mother of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke, retake King’s Landing from the Lannister family.
The places
THE RINGS OF POWER: Production began in February 2020 and took place among the epic landscapes of New Zealand.
Studio bosses wanted to capture the same breathtaking scenery used in the Lord Of The Rings movies.
But wrangles with the authorities and the arrival of the Covid pandemic has seemed to convince Amazon to move future production out of the country.
Filming on series one has now wrapped, but the second season looks set to be made in the UK this summer.
And further series will also stay here. They will likely take place in Scotland, where Amazon had originally scouted numerous locations, including the Isle of Skye and Loch Lomond.
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: Filming started in April last year in Cornwall, where the creators are still putting the finishing touches to series one.
One location was the ancient town of Penzance, which saw producers making the most of the stone buildings, rugged landscape and sandy beaches.
The nearby island castle of St Michael’s Mount was also used, as was Holywell Bay and Kynance Cove, where locals had to get used to smoke billowing from sets and medieval banners and buildings suddenly popping up.
But last autumn, the team also briefly filmed in the province of Caceres in western Spain and at Monsanto Castle in Portugal, before returning to the West Country once more.
The stars
THE RINGS OF POWER: The most recognisable name is Sir Lenny Henry, who will be playing a hobbit from a tribe called the Harfoots in this reimagining of JRR Tolkien’s world.
But taking a lead in most of the scenes is Welsh actress Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, who was played in the movies by Cate Blanchett.
A sword-fighting, horse-riding adventurer, she seems to be the action hero of the series.
The trailer also gave us a closer look at the young Elrond. He was played by Hugo Weaving in the films but will be portrayed by Robert Aramayo, who also featured as the young Eddard Stark in Game Of Thrones.
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: Like the original Game Of Thrones, the cast list reads like a Who’s Who of British greats — plus a smattering of up-and-coming stars.
The lead role of Prince Daemon Targaryen will be played by former Doctor Who and The Crown actor Matt Smith.
He will be joined by Notting Hill star Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower and Vanity Fair leading lady Olivia Cooke.
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Veteran actors Bill Paterson and David Horovitch will appear as Lord Lyman Beesbury and Grand Maester Mellos, respectively.
The show is also set to catapult to fame little-known Emma D’Arcy, a 29-year-old non-binary actor, who has landed the plum role of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.
