Rings of Power showrunner JD Payne on why Nori-Poppy aren't the same as Frodo-Sam; if replacing Vickers was considered

Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power interview with showrunner JD Payne, who answers a few burning questions about the series.

Why fix what ain't broken? Few on-screen friendships have sustained in pop culture conscience quite like Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee's. Elijah Wood and Sean Astin's performances, combined with JRR Tolkiens' magical words and Peter Jackson's storytelling, gave us a duo worth wading through a river for. 

So, when the idea for Rings of Power, a prequel to the epic Lord of the Rings, was birthed, it wasn't hard to believe why ‘stand-ins’ for our favourite Hobbits might have been too much to resist. Along came Nori (Eleanor Brandyfoot) and her friend Poppy Proudfellow, the two young Hartfoots with a thirst for adventure and a promise of friendship.

Another timeless friendship that inspired a thousand pieces of fan-art was Legolas and Gimli – the sassy Elf and the grumpy Dwarf who eventually find their ways into each others' hearts. Even Elf Elrond and Dwarf-prince Durin could be a reflection of them?

Showrunner JD Payne doesn't see it that way. Talking to us, he said that the differences between these characters do exist.

Same but different?

“If you see all of Tolkein and what kind of relationships exist in his stories, the Elrond and Durin one comes specifically from an idea that in the Second Age, Tolkien tells us that there was a friendship between the dwarves and the elves. There was a closeness that existed between those two people, that was closer than any other time in all of Middle-Earth history. So, we really felt like we wanted to capture that. It certainly also echoes in Legolas and Gimli as well,” Payne tells us.

How about Nori-Poppy and Frodo-Sam? “I mean, in as much as they're halflings and they are friends, sure I guess that makes sense. I think it's a different kind of relationship. Sam is Frodo's gardener, which is sort of a different kind of relationship. In some ways, Poppy is more like an adopted sister for Nori, in that she's lost her family and has become first a friend and then almost a family member for Nori and the Brandyfoot family. So, it's slightly different, but like in as much as they're halflings and they're friends, definitely you could draw that parallel,” he explains.

Vickers was always going to be Annatar

Rings of Power is returning for a second season on Prime Video on August 29. Set in the Second Age of the Middle-Earth, it explores the rise of evil lord Sauron to power. He is played by Charlie Vickers, who gets a rather starkly different look as Sauran's ‘Fair Form’, Annatar, this time round. Last season, we saw him as the ‘human’ Halbrand, fooling kings, and Elves and Elven kings about his real identity.

Complete with his blonde wigs, Elven robes, pointy ears and an undeniably evil aura, many did a double take on spotting the new avatar in trailers and promotional material. Many expected Vickers would be replaced by another actor to better sell Sauron's ‘Annatar’ facade. But Payne tells us that wasn't ever considered.

He says, “Yes, all along we knew that it would be him. We did various look developments in terms of looking exactly how we want to execute it with the hair and the makeup, costume. Eventually, we landed on that, and we felt like he looks fantastic and it's fun to watch him over the course of the season because his outfits and the costumes sort of reflect how he becomes more openly dark throughout the season. Watch his costume because that reflects sort of some of the changes that are going on in him and his relationship with Galadriel."

So, Clark Kent effect avoided? Payne says 'it's a testament' to Vickers' abilities as an actor. “He's quite, quite talented."

Sauron takes control

Promising payoff in second season, Payne tells us, “I think by nature of where we are in the franchise, this is Chapter Two of a story. You will be further into it. You'll know more of the characters, you'll know more of what's going on, and you could just sort of start with a bang. We did a lot of setting of the chessboard in Season One, introducing people to the Second Age of Middle-Earth. And then you had some big things and reveals happen at the end of Season One. But now really Sauron has taken control of the narrative. And once he takes control, he never lets go.