Andy Serkis Reveals New Lord of the Rings Project

Despite no official connection between the Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings feature films and Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power there's still been crossover among the two casts. Speaking with Collider, original Gollum performer Andy Serkis spoke highly of the new TV series and noted that his familiarity with the material wasn't just with his past in the franchise, but is also tied into a new Lord of the Rings project he's been working on. Not only did Serkis previously record an adaptation of Tolkien's original novels, but is set to do a recording of another book.

"I absolutely watched it, and it really – once you get through understanding the rules of it, and actually how loyal to the trilogy and the feel of the trilogy music by Howard Shore for the opening sequence, et cetera – I found it incredibly engaging, and I really, really enjoyed watching it," the actor noted. "And also, because I'd done an audiobook recording of The Lord of the Rings, and read the appendices, and had to read them out loud, I was quite clued up about where it was going to go, which was great, and it was really helpful because I'm going to be – don't tell anybody – reading The Silmarillion, as well. So you heard this first. Yeah, no, so I really enjoyed it very much so."

Did The Rings of Power stick to Tolkien lore?

For the most part, The Rings of Power has been a faithful adaptation of Tolkien's Middle-earth story, with some changes to speed up the timeline and additions when there were no details at all. The series also did make some notable changes, including when some of the titular Rings of Power were forged entirely

"So much of the season was about the elves and their journey, and Galadriel's journey, and the fading [of Eregion],"  writer Gennifer Hutchison revealed in an interview with Inverse. "So, we wanted to tie those rings into that story. It was about narrowing our focus down on them and having those rings cap off the season. Because we had to make rings. It felt like the climax of that arc, as opposed to trying to manage the timeline in a different way."

How to Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

The new series can only be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, be it directly through an internet browser or on a Prime Video app on a Smart TV or other device. The series is only available to watch for Amazon Prime subscribers, available on a monthly or annual subscription, but you can sign up for it here.

The first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is streaming now on Prime Video. Its second season is now in production.