Amazon MGM Studios’ The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power covers some of the biggest moments in Middle-earth’s history. But is The Rings of Power part of author J.R.R. Tolkien’s official Lord of the Rings canon?
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LOTR: The Rings of Power’s Canonical Status, Explained
No, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power isn’t canon. Only Tolkien’s books count as part of Middle-earth’s overarching narrative. That said, The Rings of Power still broadly follows the lore outlined by Tolkien. For example, both the show and books depict Sauron hoodwinking the Elves into helping him forge the show’s titular bling. The specifics involved are markedly different, however.
Other elements of The Rings of Power – such as the arrival of a Wizard who may or may not be Gandalf – are more at odds with what Tolkien describes. The Rings of Power‘s upcoming second season may explain away some of these discrepancies, however, the Prime Video series is ultimately an adaptation of Tolkien’s canon, not an extension of it.
Related: What to Expect from The Rings of Power Season 2
It’s not a continuation of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, either. While The Rings of Power clearly takes its cues from Jackson’s Oscar-winning trilogy, legally, the two productions must remain separate. This didn’t stop Amazon MGM Studios representatives from reaching out to Jackson and his writing partner Fran Walsh and inviting them to review The Rings of Power Season 1’s scripts – only to ultimately ghost them.
“They asked me if I wanted to be involved – Fran and I – and I said, ‘That’s an impossible question to answer without seeing a script,'” Jackson told The Hollywood Reporter in August 2022. “So they said, ‘As soon as we get the first couple scripts, we’ll send them to you.’ And the scripts never showed up. That’s the last thing I heard, which is fine. No complaints at all.”
The Rings of Power Showrunners Tease New LOTR Lore
Showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay will seemingly double down on The Rings of Power‘s standalone status in future seasons. Notably, in an October 2022 episode of the show’s official podcast, McKay hinted the show will visit locales unexplored on either the page or big screen. If so, this could nudge the Rings of Power even further away from established canon.
Related: What Debates About the ‘Faithfulness’ of Blood Origin & The Rings of Power Miss
“One of the first conversations we had with Amazon about this is the feeling that Tolkien’s world was much vaster than the limited geography traversed in the Lord of the Rings books and in The Hobbit,” McKay said. “And that there are great islands to the west in Númenor at this time. There’s Valinor even further west and then east there’s an entire continent Rhûn that has never been visited and never explored. All we know is the stars are strange there.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 is currently streaming on Prime Video. Season 2 is slated to premiere sometime in 2024.
