This article contains spoilers for Season 1 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, now streaming on Prime Video.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star Charlie Vickers offers some insight into the long-term goals of the dark lord Sauron.
It was revealed in the Season 1 finale, "Alloyed," that Vickers' Halbrand had been Sauron all along. In an interview with ScreenRant, Vickers discussed the character's long-term goals for the series, which is expected to span five seasons. "We know Sauron takes on different shapes in this era," Vickers said. "All I can say is maybe to that. Maybe we're going to do those things. But I'm incredibly excited to explore him doing these things that we know he does. He has a sh-tload of rings to make, and he gets to go to Númenor, and he orchestrates the downfall of Númenor. Then he has to take another form and go and fight in the Battle of the Last Alliance. The battle at the end of the Second Age."
"[Showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne] have a really specific plan, and I don't know their plans as to how it'll unfold, but I loved playing him in this repentance stage," the actor continued. "Whether the repentance is genuine or not is open to interpretation. But I think it's going to be really cool now that he's kind of out there. And it's like, I'm back. I've been lingering. I've been coming back very slowly. And now, thanks to Galadriel, I'm back. And I'm excited to play that."
Based on the characters and world built by JRR Tolkein, The Rings of Power was always intended to be a 50-hour, five-season series focused on the creatures of the Second Age of Middle-earth. During San Diego Comic-Con in July, Payne and McKay explained that the series will center around the centuries-long conflict with the Dark Lord Sauron. "It's the rise and the fall of Sauron," Payne said. "That story struck us as one that could match up to the grandeur we can give it." Both showrunners have compared the show's version of Sauron to characters like Tony Soprano from The Sopranos or Walter White from Breaking Bad.
The Rings of Power is the most expensive show yet for Amazon's Prime Video, with the first season alone reportedly costing the streamer $465 million. Director J.A. Bayona previously stated that the prequel series is so expansive that it cannot even be considered television. "The Rings Of Power is not television," Bayona said. "It's a new form we're creating here." Payne and McKay also explained that while the prequel series sets itself apart from Peter Jackson's original Lord of the Rings film trilogy, the series still has "deep roots" in Tolkien's original work.
Season 1 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is now available to stream in full on Prime Video.
Source: ScreenRant