Good news for the many fans of Middle-earth who did not like the orcs in computer graphics of the Hobbit trilogy: those of the series The Rings of Power, of which the first images have been unveiled, will be very real.
While several images of the Rings of Power have already been shared with the public, one race from Middle-earth has been keeping a low profile until now: the orcs. These mythical characters from Lord of the Rings, just like elves or hobbits, will indeed be present in the Amazon series expected next September.
Even better, these were not made in computer graphics as was the case on the trilogy of the Hobbit but with prostheses, as indicated by Jamie Wilson, the head of the prosthetic department of the Rings of Power at IGN :
“We decided from the start that we would try to make a very real show. So we tried to use real prosthetics and keep the visual effects to a minimum, because there are hundreds of productions that use visual effects a lot, and you can see that. The human eye is getting better and better and knows what’s real and what’s not, because we’re so overwhelmed with all these products that you’re starting to know.“
Enough to avoid the kind of criticism that Peter Jackson had suffered for having chosen to use much more computer-generated images in the films devoted to Bilbo than in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Different but still disgusting orcs
Also interviewed by IGN, one of the show’s executive producers, Lindsey Weber, revealed that the orcs in the Rings of Power would be quite different from those seen in Tolkien’s previous adaptations.
“[John D. Payne et Patrick McKay, les créateurs de la série] estimated that [les orcs] needed to be explored, as this is the Second Age, thousands of years before the events of the Third Age [vus chez Peter Jackson]. It was really important for them to process their own culture and explore their world as such“, she explained.
And to clarify:We spent a lot of time talking about what it would be like to be an orc in the Second Age. It seemed appropriate to us that they looked different, that they were part of a wilder, rawer Middle-earth closer to the end of the First Age.“
Then to conclude:By the time we meet them, they’re not yet organized into armies, they’re a bit more spread out, and they’re rummaging through trash. So it’s a different time in their overall history.“
Different creatures therefore, but still just as unattractive to watch as the photos shared by IGN prove! And to see them in action, see you next September 2 on Prime Video.
The Rings of Power trailer deciphered by a Tolkien specialist:
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The Lord of the Rings the series: we decipher the trailer with a Tolkien specialist
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