With so much attention currently on Warner Bros. and Embracer Group's ambitious plans for more movies set in the world of The Lord of the Rings, it's easy to forget Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been shooting for months now.
Production for season 2 shifted from New Zealand to the UK, leading to concerns that Middle-earth will suddenly look and feel vastly different. While the UK has plenty of gorgeous scenery, New Zealand is hard to beat, but these new set photos (via SFFGazette.com) show that the team working on the show have had no problem recreating the Elven kingdom of Eregion.
Taken above Bray Studios in Berkshire, a statue has been spotted that suggests we're getting a nod to one of J.R.R. Tolkien's most important characters.
That is the former King of the Noldor, the craftsman Feanor, the Elf who crafted the Silmarils.
What's intriguing about this is the fact Amazon isn't actually allowed to adapt material from The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales as they only hold the rights to The Lord of the Rings Appendices. Still, there's no harm in alluding to the past, and we can't imagine the Tolkien estate - which still remains in charge of all First-Age material - will have an issue with this.
We wouldn't, however, get your hopes up for a flashback featuring Feanor and his role in season 2 might boil down to being little more than an Easter Egg. It's certainly possible the show's producers have come to some sort of arrangement with the Tolkien estate, but wouldn't bank on it.
Time will tell on this one, but it's hard not to be intrigued by where the series might be taking us as we continue to learn more about the creation of the Rings and Sauron's rise to power.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 is expected to premiere on Prime Video next year.