For all medieval fantasy adventure fans – be careful what you wish for.
As you settle in to watch weekly episodes of the Games of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, on your Foxtel/Binge streaming service, there’s a new player on your watch list.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Prime Video) has just dropped the final trailer ahead of its worldwide September 2 release, and already fans are confused because of blurred storylines and similar epic battles over ancient forests and cities.
Who are the protagonists wearing the ice-blond wigs and pulling swords? Who are the heirs to which throne? And how many violent, head-chopping battles can one stomach?
In George RR Martin’s Dragons, three families fight over Westeros – a continent in the far west of the known world – while JRR Tolkien’s heroes and villains are back to fight over Middle Earth, lands east of the Great Sea.
They depict different eras and distinct passages in time and place.
“They designed varied geographies and different religions.
“Both worlds have magical elements and host many different creatures. Middle Earth is populated with elves, dwarves, hobbits, orcs, trolls, giant spiders, while Westeros has dragons, giants, white walkers, the children of the forest and wolves,” wrote one fandom explainer.
Battle for audience share
But let’s talk about the real contest. After Dragons premiered globally on August 22, it instantly became the biggest hit for HBO, drawing in a record 10 million viewers and premiering at No.1 on Foxtel and Binge in Australia.
Just when producers thought everyone was done with Game of Thrones, Dragons was the most-watched premiere in the premium cable company’s 51-year history.
“It was wonderful to see millions of Game of Thrones fans return with us to Westeros last night,” HBO and HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys said.
“House of the Dragon features an incredibly talented cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into the production, and we’re ecstatic with viewers’ positive response. We look forward to sharing with audiences what else George [RR Martin], Ryan [Condal] and Miguel [Sapochnik] have in store for them this season.”
The 10-part fantasy series, which reportedly cost around $300 million to make, is set around 200 years before the events of GoT, and is based on chapters from Martin’s companion book, Fire & Blood.
In a May interview with The Independent, Martin talked about the rivalry between the two series, hoping both shows would be a success to prove there is demand out there for more than one epic fantasy.
“I know a lot of articles, the minute the dates were announced, it’s: ‘Oh, the battle for fantasy supremacy. It’s Rings of Power versus House of Dragon, who will win?’”
“I don’t know why they always have to do that.
“I hope both shows succeed. I’m competitive enough.
“I hope we succeed more. If they win six Emmys, and I hope they do, I hope we win seven.
“But nonetheless, it’s good for fantasy. I love fantasy. I love science fiction. I want more shows on television.”
Tweet from @CultureCrave
Response to Lord of the Rings ‘immense’
Launching in 240 countries and territories worldwide late next week – with similarly episodes dropping weekly – audience share for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is anyone’s guess.
But if the response to the trailer is anything to go buy, Tolkien fans have every reason to cheer.
Slashfilm reviewer Vanessa Armstrong wrote: “I’ve seen the first 2 eps of #TheRingsOfPower. Yes, it’s as visually stunning as the trailer promises.”
Set thousands of years before the events of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the era concentrates on great powers, when kingdoms were rising to glory and heroes were tested.
“Hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.
“Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle Earth.
“From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone,” states the official Prime synopsis.
Tweet from @LOTRonPrime
Any estimates for audience share for “one of the most expensive entertainment projects to date” (filmed like its predecessors in New Zealand), might come from reaction to when the first teaser trailer premiered during Super Bowl LVI in February.
It became the most-watched Super Bowl trailer of all time, with 257 million online views in the first 24 hours of release.
Amazon marketing boss Ukonwa Ojo said the response to Rings of Power “has been immense”.
Same … but different
On first glance, Milly Alcock, 22, who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, and Swedish-born Welsh actress Morfydd Clark, 33, who plays a blond Galadriel in Rings, are both fierce warriors.
Both command intense screen time, have brothers, speak other languages, delight us with long blond locks and expensive, ornate costumes.
Starring in opposing fantasy dramas, their roles centre around becoming heirs to thrones and both have a “tempest” in them to become leaders.
And that’s probably where it ends.
The two shows are extreme opposites: There are different locations, budgets, multi-series confirmations and broadcast dates, how they use past scripts and characters, and how viewer friendly they are.
Dragons features group sex, jousting, mutilations and an horrific childbirth scene; it keeps up the blood-and-guts we all expected.
Rings looks and feels like a PG rating.
However, one thing is certain.
“This is maybe the area where House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power are most united – their deep commitment to terrible, extremely phony-looking blonde wigs,” noted The Wrap on August 24.
“It really is incredible.
“How much confusion would be spared if the wigs were better (and a different colour)?
“The worlds of Westeros and Middle Earth may never know.”
