Tolkien’s legendary island kingdom is finally coming to the screen.
Before Amazon Prime Video’s ambitious TV series takes over Comic-Con, set sail with EWs exclusive sneak peek.
Wayne Che Yip will never forget walking through Numenor.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson as the queen regent Míriel on ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.'.Ben Rothstein / Prime Video
The director was one of the many creatives who helped bringJ.R.R.
“Being on set was just breathtaking,” Yip explains.
There was a whole wall made out of oyster shells.
Maxim Baldry sets sail as the young Isildur on ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.'.Prime Video
Every corner you’d turn, there was just so much storytelling.
“It’s never been seen before.
But Numenor was, in some ways, a blank canvas.”
Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) rides along the Númenórean coastline with Elendil (Lloyd Owen) on ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.'.Ben Rothstein / Prime Video
In some ways, the story of Numenor could be seen as a cautionary tale for the show itself.
The Rings of Powerisn’t a direct adaptation of an existing Tolkien novel.
The era begins in a time of peace, but tension lurks throughout the land.
Trystan Gravelle as Pharazôn on ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.'.Matt Grace/Prime Video
Miriel is aided by her close counsel Pharazon, played by Trystan Gravelle.
His son Kemen is played by Leon Wadham.
But for now, he’s just a young sailor trying to find his place in Middle-earth.
Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) leads the Númenórean army into battle, with Isildur (Maxim Baldry, third from left) by her side on ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.'.Matt Grace / Prime Video
“You know where he goes, but how does he get there?”
But how he gets there?
One new character is Isildur’s sister Earien, played by Ema Horvath.
Director Wayne Che Yip speaks with Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Trystan Gravelle on the set of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.'.Ben Rothstein / Prime Video
Invented for the series, this bright and ambitious young woman has dreams of being an architect.
Tolkien wrote that Elendil had two sons: Isildur and Anarion.
(At the start ofRings of Power, Anarion is off screen.)
Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) sees red in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.'.Ben Rothstein / Prime Video
The diversity of the cast has also been scrutinized.
(The Numenorean actors still have a “Numenoreans only” WhatsApp group chat.
And early on, Baldry and Horvath did some brother-sister bonding by bungee jumping and zip-lining together.)
Maxim Baldry, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lloyd Owen, and Trystan Gravelle on EW’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Comic-Con cover.Ben Rothstein / Prime Video
Still, the two writers hope audiences embrace the Second Age as much as they have.
“It needs to feel the way you feel when you are in Middle-earth,” McKay explains.
“Middle-earth fills us with hope, and it inspires us.
There’s a reason why people reach to Middle-earth when they’re going through hard times.”
As Tolkien himself put it, their quest stands upon the edge of a knife.
“As he said that, I was surprised by my own reaction,” Payne says, laughing.
“I spontaneously burst into tears.
I was like, ‘That’s all I wanted to have happen!'”
Maybe Gandalf was right: Not all tears are an evil.
Stay tuned for more exclusive details aboutThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poweron EW.com.
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This post has been updated to include EW’sRings of PowerComic-Concover.
