Amazon reveals what the Orcs will look like in the upcoming TV series The Rings of Power.
Amazon delves deep into Middle-earth’s past with its own prequel series to The Lord of the Rings. At the time drift (of course) too Orks their mischief, who are not exactly known for their friendliness. Now the first images reveal what the characters of uncertain origin in The Rings of Power look like – and how they differ from the orcs of Peter Jackson’s movies.
By the way, we have summarized all important information about the story, the release, the actors and so on in a practical overview for you. There you will find everything you need to know about The Rings of Power before the first episode on September 2, 2022 on Amazon Prime Video started:
The Orcs in The Rings of Power
This is what the orcs look like in the series: The US portal IGN has exclusively revealed the first images of the orcs in The Rings of Power. And the orcs look like … what orcs look like, but there are a few small but subtle differences.
A new old look: By the time of The Rings of Power, the Orcs are nowhere near as organized as they were in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy. After all, the Amazon series takes place in the second age and in the first the orcs were almost completely exterminated. Accordingly, the survivors are not very organized at this point and move through Middle-earth more in the form of tribes and not as an army.
So at the time of the prequel, Orcs are fighting for their survival rather than for conquering Middle-earth in the name of evil. This affects not only their rudimentary clothing and equipment, but also their physical appearance. Yes, orcs were never particularly pretty to look at, but instead of muscle-bound heaps of flesh, we see more scrawny and gaunt orcs.
In an interview with IGN, Executive Producer Lindsey Weber and Head of Prosthetic Department Jamie Wilson also provide some background on the Orcs of The Rings of Power. Wilson has worked on all the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films and is now also working on the Amazon series.
For example, Wilson reveals that the Orcs in The Rings of Power are primarily created using hand-made effects. In contrast to The Lord of the Rings, silicone is now used instead of latex, which is now commonplace in the film industry. Nevertheless, a combination of CGI and hand-made effects is used – also anything but unusual for modern film and TV productions.
By the way, Weber and Wilson cannot really tell whether fans in The Rings of Power will finally learn more about the origin of the orcs. Of course, one would have to refer to the First Age for this, but flashbacks would not be new for The Lord of the Rings. So far, there are various possible explanations and interpretations as to where the servants of evil actually come from – whether a clear answer is needed is an open question.
The Rings of Power – The first trailer finally shows us the new, old Middle-earth
The most important information about The Rings of Power
The Rings of Power starts on 2. September 2022 on Amazon Prime Video. Newcomers John D. Payne and Patrick McKay are responsible as showrunners and JA Bayona (Jurassic World) and Wayne Che Yip (Preacher, Doom Patrol) are involved as directors. The Lord of the Rings prequel also stars Nazanin Boniadi, Benjamin Walker, Morfydd Clark and Ismael Cruz Cordova.