Amazon moving forward with ‘Rings of Power’ production despite writers’ strike being underway
By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN
Production on Season 2 of Amazon Studios’ “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” series will be completed despite the writers’ strike that has halted much of Hollywood’s activity this week, a spokesperson for the streamer confirmed to CNN.
The series only has 19 days of filming remaining and they remain “calmly on schedule,” according to the spokesperson, who also confirmed that scripts and other creative materials were “carefully considered and finished in advance of the strike, so production has not been affected.”
Non-writing executive producers, directors and crew on “Rings of Power” will oversee the final weeks of production amid the strike as Amazon’s most expensive show inches closer to debuting its second season.
Given the extensive post-production effort for a series of this scale, it’s likely that the striking writers from the show will be back in the mix before Season 2 airs. Studio executives have previously stated their plan for “Rings of Power” to span five seasons, but a specific premiere date for Season 2 has yet to be announced.
Created by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, “Rings of Power” first debuted in 2022 and is set thousands of years before J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” books. The epic series follows an ensemble cast of both new and legacy characters as they confront a reemergence of evil in Middle Earth.
Since the Writers Guild of America called a strike on Monday night after failing to reach a deal on a new contract with Hollywood’s major studios, writers on both coasts have taken to the picket lines in front of various studios, and programs such as “Saturday Night Live” and the network late night shows have announced they are going dark.
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