On Friday May 6th, Amazon Prime invited some fans to an event in London, where they were shown approximately 20 minutes of finished (music, effects) footage and had a chance to talk with showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. The terms of the event precluded the attendees from saying anything details about the footage or specifics of what was discussed, but they were able to share their general feelings about the day.

Here are the public posts I have gathered from the various attendees, along with brief extracts of how they felt about the footage and the showrunners. These are in no particular order.

  • Shaun Gunner, Tolkien Society Chair
  • https://www.tolkiensociety.org/blog/20 ... -power-they-love-tolkien/
  • Showrunners: "I am convinced that they are the right people to adapt Tolkien’s works" and "I loved what I heard from them, and I am bought into their vision and dedication."
  • Footage: " the storylines are not exclusively Tolkien" but "a level of craftsmanship and attention-to-detail which is unparalleled, and which is a love letter to the Professor". "I don’t just want to love what I hear; I want to love what I see on screen."

  • Fellowship of Fans
  • https://twitter.com/FellowshipFans/status/1523681124522033152
  • Showrunners: "were excellent and their passion filled me with confidence"
  • Footage: "time will tell whether that will be translated onto the screen" and "was encouraging with the scale and scope of this production truly shining through, but still left me with a few lingering concerns left unanswered".

  • Digital Tolkien Project
  • https://twitter.com/DigitalTolkien/status/1523679345448919041
  • Showrunners: "They know their Tolkien and pretty much every concern and challenge I’ve thought about the last few years in adapting the Second Age, they’ve clearly worked through themselves"
  • Footage: "excited by the footage and am looking forward to the show even more now", "was better than the teaser"

  • Corey Olsen - The Tolkien Professor
  • https://twitter.com/tolkienprof/status/1523688996735496192
  • Showrunners: "after meeting them, I feel the show is in VERY good hands" and "know and get Tolkien and are completely passionate about it. I met them, talked to them, and asked them questions. Their answers surpassed my wildest expectations of their fandom." "Their understanding of and passion for Tolkien is completely legit"
  • Footage: "absolutely felt like Middle-earth. For sure." "I don’t think the releases so far do justice to the showrunners’ vision."

  • Dr. Maggie Parke (Other Minds and Hands Podcast with Corey)
  • https://twitter.com/MaggieParke/status/1523680945877909505
  • Showrunners: "Their passion & knowledge made me feel like they were one of us; they get it"
  • Footage: (not specifically mentioned, but does conclude with) "I’m feeling very optimistic!"

  • Tea With Tolkien
  • https://twitter.com/TeawithTolkien/status/1523682941255094273
  • Showrunners: "The passion that these folks have for faithfully bringing the Second Age to life was really touching and was evident in the way they spoke about Middle-earth and Tolkien himself. I was actually very impressed by their knowledge of the Legendarium and Tolkien’s letters…"
  • Footage: "I actually low key hated the teaser trailer, but after seeing all of this footage I feel a lotttt better." "after the teaser premiered I was almost completely disinterested in the show but after this event I do feel like it will be something I’ll enjoy"

  • greendragon from TheOneRing.net
  • https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2022/ ... g-rings-of-power-insight/
  • Showrunners: "anyone who hears the showrunners speak could not doubt their respect for the writings of Tolkien, their in-depth knowledge of the legendarium, and their desire to do justice to the Middle-earth we all know and love."
  • Footage: "It was wonderful to see some finished footage"

  • Justin from TheOneRing.net
  • https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2022/ ... g-rings-of-power-insight/
  • Showrunners: (not mentioned)
  • Footage: "avoided video-game look of 3D HFR 48fps, is visually in line with the Oscar winning trilogy, and it also avoids looking like other big-budget fantasy shows currently trending", " feels like a homecoming", "The vibe is right, the performances are superb, and the characterizations hint at resolving long-held gripes of previous adaptations"



  • Don Marshall - TikTok
  • https://www.tiktok.com/@donmarshall72 (four videos)
  • Showrunners: "Their enthusiasm for Tolkien's books is palpable."
  • Footage: "It feels different, but it feels familiar", "all of it was just so good"




  • Juan - El Anillo Único
  • https://elanillounico.com/noticias/ser ... -de-los-anillos-de-poder/
  • Showrunners: "They seem really interested in things going well, and we get a good feeling from everything seen and heard." (Translated)
  • Footage: "As for the footage that we were able to see, we can say that we loved the music, the visual aspect is very good and it gives us an air of something already known. Quite different from the trailer itself that was released months ago." (Translated)

  • VarkingRunesong - Reddit
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/LOTR_on_Prime ... me_to_an_event_in_london/
  • Showrunners: " I think once you all meet/hear from the show runners a lot of concerns will be alleviated. It’s pretty clear they understand their stuff and their enthusiasm for the lore was a massive hit amongst us. These lads are true geeks just like you and their love of the lore delighted the entire room."
  • Footage: "After seeing the footage and chatting with the showrunners my hype level has increased substantially."

  • Alan and Shawn - Prancing Pony Podcast / Rings of Power Wrap-up podcast
  • https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ ... ower-wrap-up/id1609648137
  • Showrunners: "hearing the passion and knowledge of the showrunners, that... got me genuinely excited", "the property is in good hands", "this show is being created by real fans"
  • Footage: "was exciting", "impressive"

  • Matt - Nerd of the Rings
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-g2rdGn6k
  • Showrunners: "I'm back to cautiously optimistic, and there's some excitement creeping in there, because what I saw and what I heard from the showrunners definitely gave me excitement that this date is approaching, all will be known pretty soon, and honestly it's hard not to be excited when you're talking to a showrunner who is as excited as these guys are for their show and for Tolkien."
  • Footage: (not mentioned)







  • O Bolseiro (and Terra-média Brasil)
  • https://www.instagram.com/p/CdV4hZWLTJd/
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu4oXLGzXJ8
  • Showrunners: "I can say that I'm sure that they are huge fans and scholars of Tolkien and that they took great care in this production, in addition to having done their best in everything." (Translated)
  • Footage: "I really liked what I saw, everything is wonderful, I went back to Middle-earth", "I was very happy with everything", "this is without a doubt the greatest series of all time." (Translated)
  • "100% of what was produced was approved by the Tolkien family and of course the Tolkien estate." (Translated)