The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will settle a long debated topic among fans: whether or not female Dwarves have beards.
During the Hall H panel for the upcoming Prime Video series at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, host Stephen Colbert asked Rings of Power executive producer Lindsay Weber if the female Dwarves in the show had facial hair. Whether or not female Dwarves are just as hairy as their male counterparts has been a major subject of debate among Lord of the Rings fans for some time. "I can confirm they have facial hair," said Weber. "I can't wait for you to see more of it, you see more of it in the show."
Based on the characters and world built by Tolkein, The Rings of Power is intended to be a 50-hour, five-season series that will take place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. While little is known about the plot, series director J.A. Bayona has teased 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."
In a recent interview, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay shared a similar sentiment as Bayona and explained how the prequel series will set itself apart from Peter Jackson's original Lord of the Rings film trilogy. In particular, The Rings of Power will have more action sequences than "any television or streaming show we've ever seen."
The sweeping, big-budget fantasy series began filming in Feb. 2020 but paused for several months before resuming in September that same year. Season 1 wrapped filming in early August 2021, with the series moving from New Zealand to the UK for filming on Season 2.
The Rings of Power cast also includes original characters, such as the silvan elf Arondir played by Ismael Cruz Cordova, Nazanin Boniadi's human healer Bronwyn, the dwarven princess Disa played by Sophia Nomvete, the elven smith Celebrimbor played by Charles Edwards and the human Halbrand, played by Charlie Vickers. Henry, Megan Richards and Markella Kavenagh all portray Hobbit ancestors known as harfoots. Among these original characters are some familiar faces to the Lord of the Rings mythos previously portrayed by Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving and Harry Sinclair in Jackson's film trilogy. Clark, Aramayo and Maxim Baldry will portray younger versions of Galadriel, Elrond and Isildur, respectively.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will premiere on Prime Video on Sept. 2, 2022.
Source: San Diego Comic-Con 2022