Rings of Power finale: all about most expensive series ever made... No spoilers!

Many have been on the edge of their seats, awaiting the conclusion of the first season of 'Rings of Power'. The effort to generate a huge resemblance to Peter Jackson's 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy has been noted... but it came at a price.

Photo: Amazon Studios

Amazon Prime has brought us one of 2022's most anticipated series. When a teaser trailer of 'The Rings of Power' was dropped at Super Bowl, there was a huge reaction. It was the most-watched Super Bowl trailer of all time. As the finale drops, we take a look back at the story, characters, and its billion-dollar production.

Photo: Amazon Studios

'The Rings of Power' happens in the same universe as J.R.R. Tolkien's books, but it tells a very different story to the original trilogy of movies.

Photo: Lord of the Rings / New Line Cinema

"Have you ever wondered... what else is out there? There’s wonders in this world beyond our wandering. I can feel it." The series is based on J.R.R Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings,' about the inhabitants of Middle Earth - but with some additions to it.

Photo: Amazon Studios

'The Rings of Power' is taken from appendices to the Lord of the Rings books, using Tolkien’s lore as a guide and then filling in the gaps.

Photo: Amazon Studios

The story is set thousands of years before the films, and the Amazon series will feature a whole cast of new faces - which makes sense considering the timeline.

Photo: Lord of the Rings / New Line Cinema

Not only are the cast new, but so is the director. Production has been underway for some time, with director J.A. Bayona, best known for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, at the helm for the first two episodes.

Unfortunately, Peter Jackson, who directed the film trilogy, has confirmed he is not involved with Amazon's TV adaptation. He has stated that he is looking forward to watching it as a viewer, instead of a director.

The series began streaming on Amazon Prime on September 2, 2022, with the finale airing on 14th October.

Photo: Amazon Studios

There have been initially eight episodes in the first season. Each episode lasts one hour and they have been released weekly.

Photo: Amazon Studios

It's looking like there will be five seasons of the show and the entire production will likely cost in the region of $1bn, making this the most expensive TV show ever.

Photo: Amazon Studios

We love this image of what we hoped and expected the series to be: magnificent landscapes and beautiful cinematography. This place is thought to be a human city as the statue very closely resembled that which was made in Gondor - the human city. This isn't Gondor but is indeed its antecedent...

Photo: Amazon Studios

In fact, the location is Númenor. The people descend from Elrond's half-elven brother Elros so have elongated lives but are not immortal. Aragorn himself is a descendent of the men of Númenor. This city was destroyed by the time we get to 'Lord of the Rings'.

Photo: Amazon Studios

Viewers have been indulged with incredible images of the elven kingdom. It is obvious no expense had been spared in the making of 'The Rings of Power'. But many were worried about the CGI from these early shots.

Photo: Amazon Studios

The expansive landscapes of New Zealand have been featured in the new series. These incredible, vast views were one of the reasons Peter Jackson's 'Lord of the Rings' films were so loved by many. The series also forgot the CGI faces Jackson experimented with in 'The Hobbit' and returned to the prosthetics that gave the orcs their character in the original films.

Photo: Amazon Studios

However, production will move from New Zealand to the UK for season 2 – Amazon has already set two filming locations in England.

Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash

Variety reported that Bray Film Studios and Bovingdon Airfield, in Berkshire and Hertfordshire respectively, will be initially used for shooting season 2.

PHoto: Twitter / @MrSimonDudley

Galadriel rides across the wide open space of New Zealand on horseback with an army at her side to save those in danger. More nods to the original films here as we get sweeping views of open plains and mountains. The unfolding story of Galadriel and her quest to prove herself has been the axis first season.

Photo: Amazon Studios

"Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring – but before there was one, there were many… and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all.” said showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay.

Photo: Lord of the Rings / New Line Cinema

The first season alone cost in the region of 450 million dollars, making it the most expensive TV show ever made. It easily beats the final season of Game of Thrones, which apparently cost HBO an estimated $90 million.

Photo: Amazon Studios

According to a report by The Guardian, they are reportedly spending 'around $1bn on the adaptation, over a multi-series deal expected to run to at least five series'.

Photo: Amazon Studios

Just the rights to Tolkien's world alone were reported to have cost Amazon $250 million.

It's bad news for fans as the next installment of this wonderful series will not hit Amazon Prime until at least the end of 2023 - looking more likely to be Spring 2024. But we do know: the last alliance of elves and men will indeed stand up against Sauron and we will be waiting.