The Big Picture

Season 2 of
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
is coming on August 29 and the cast of the show discuss the darker sophomore season at San Diego Comic-Con.
Morfydd Clark, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Megan Richards teased a little bit of what each of their characters is facing this season.
Galadriel is grappling with her identity in a dark world after Sauron’s reveal, while the elves will be facing off against orcs and darker forces in battle. Meanwhile, the Stranger and Poppy navigating the perilous lands of Rhûn.

We’re on the precipice of a new season for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and with it comes a world that expands further into J.R.R. Tolkien’s lore than ever before. At San Diego Comic-Con this year the Rings of Power panel brought with it a new trailer that shows a Middle-earth that’s been thrown into chaos. The end of Season 1 finally revealed Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) to be Sauron in disguise, and Season 2 seems to be fully leaning into that reveal and Sauron’s plans for forging the One Ring. In the trailer, there is much discussion about the titular rings of the series. With the revelation of Sauron’s return now exposed by Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), it seems like we are finally getting a darker story from this series as the Dark Lord crafts his rings of power to manipulate all of Middle-earth.

We caught up at San Diego Comic-Con with some of the stars of the series to dive deeper into the series to come, speaking with Morfydd Clark, Benjamin Walker, who plays Gil-galad, Daniel Weyman, who plays The Stranger, and Megan Richards, who plays Poppy about what we can look forward to with Season 2 of The Rings of Power. Clark teased a little bit about how Galadriel has been affected by the Sauron reveal, and we can see in the trailer that she confesses to Gil-galad that she’s been deceived by him. Walker discussed that this would be a time in history when peacetime “breaks down and the gloves come off.” Weyman teased what it was like to work with Rory Kinnear as Tom Bombadil, and both he and Richards discussed navigating the harsh lands of Rhûn this season.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.Release Date September 1, 2022 Cast Morfydd Clark , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Markella Kavenagh , Megan Richards , Sara Zwangobani , Daniel Weyman , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Lenny Henry , Lloyd Owen , Nazanin Boniadi , Dylan Smith , Alex Tarrant , Tyroe Muhafidin , Robert Aramayo , Geoff Morrell , Thusitha Jayasundera , Maxine Cunliffe Seasons 2 Story By Patrick McKay, John D. Payne Writers Patrick McKay , John D. Payne , J.R.R. Tolkien , Justin Doble , Jason Cahill , Gennifer Hutchison , Stephany Folsom , Nicholas Adams Network Amazon Prime Video Franchise(s) The Lord of the Rings Showrunner John D. Payne , Patrick McKay , Louise Hooper , Charlotte Brändström , Wayne Yip Expand

After Season 1, How Is Galadriel Dealing With Sauron’s Reveal in Season 2?
Image via Amazon Prime

COLLIDER: My first question, Morfydd, is for you. What type of challenge is Galadriel up against now that Sauron has revealed himself, and what are we going to see as far as that goes?

MORFYDD CLARK: She’s got to rebuild her idea of herself and Middle-earth’s idea of herself. She’s really messed up. I really feel for her. She’s got to decide who she’s going to be in this new dark world.

I have to ask, are we gonna get to see any scenes of you and Charlie [Vickers] together? I know when those scenes came out, everybody was freaking out. The reveal was shocking, but also, the scenes you had together…

BENJAMIN WALKER: Chemistry.

I didn’t want to go there, but yes, the chemistry was off the charts.

CLARK: [Laughs] You’ll have to wait and see, but they’re great enemies. So, hopefully.

How Will the Elves Face Off Against Sauron in His New Form?
Image via Amazon Prime

Ben, the Elves, I feel, are up against it. Are we gonna see the Elves face off against this new enemy in Sauron because he’s obviously infiltrating this entire group. He’s becoming friends with Celebrimbor, there are rings being made. Can you tease a little bit about that?

WALKER: There are points in history when peacetime breaks down, and the gloves come off. If you know the literature, you know it’s coming. The thing I like about the king is that he plays political chess as long as he can, and then he gets Aeglos out from under his bed.

We also see a pretty large battle sequence with Elrond facing off against some Orcs along with the Elves. Can you tease anything about that and why we’re seeing them pick up arms?

WALKER: Well, they are Orcs, and they got all together, and they’ve got weapons. [Laughs] I can’t. The answer is I can’t.

I respect that you tried, though. [Laughs]

WALKER: Well, you know, they’re Orcs!

CLARK: It’s pretty self-explanatory.

Daniel Weyman Weighs in on Rory Kinnear and Tom Bombadil

Daniel, as The Stranger, I feel like the biggest question with him was who is he really? Are we going to get a finite answer this season?

DANIEL WEYMAN: Well, I’ve only been recently realizing this, but the thing that I’m really going for now is the fact that we already know who he is. We’ve all watched him in Season 1. He was nothing when he arrived. He’d literally no memory from before that, and we’ve seen everything that he’s been. So actually, of all the characters we’ve seen so far, I think we know him best. Do we need his name at this point? I don’t know.

I would like to know his name.

WEYMAN: [Laughs] It didn’t work. That one didn’t work. Okay, fine. I’ll take that.

We see you in some scenes with Rory Kinnear, who’s playing Tom Bombadil. I think any book fan probably jumped for joy when they heard about that casting news. Can you talk a little bit about those scenes that you guys share together and how they are?

WEYMAN: I remember the first time. I think you read the script before I did when Tom Bombadil came in.

MEGAN RICHARDS: I’m so excited. He’s such a jolly fellow. I love to see it.

WEYMAN: What I like about those scenes is that in Season 1, The Stranger was sort of trying to understand this power that was around him and the energy that was around him, and it largely had consequences for the communities he was within. They had to react to it. But in this scenario, it’s Tom Bombadil who’s got the power and the energies and knows how to wield them. Suddenly, The Stranger is having to be responsive and reactive, and we’ve never seen him in that territory before. So, it’s gonna be quite exciting to see how The Stranger feels when suddenly the boot’s on the other foot. Tom Bombadil is full of mischief. He is enigmatic, he is whimsical, and he sings.

That’s great. And you get actual lines this season.

WEYMAN: Actual, literal lines. [Laughs]

RICHARDS: It’s been very tiring for him.

WEYMAN: It’s exhausting for everybody else. It’s great to be able to open my mouth and say something.

Related Elrond Is Ready For Battle in New ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Character Poster The second season premieres on Prime Video this month.

‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Will Take Us to Rhûn
Image via Amazon Studios

Megan, last season with the Harfoots, obviously The Stranger coming into their lives kind of upended everything and caused probably the most chaos they felt since their existence began. Can you tease a little bit about what we’re going to see Poppy face in this season?

RICHARDS: I think the biggest thing that Poppy will face is her own personal growth. There’s a lovely journey that continues that you sort of have seen from Season 1 already, and that really continues quite seamlessly throughout Season 2. There are areas of her life, as well, that she hasn’t even had the opportunity to explore before that are being explored on screen, which is something that I really love that the audience gets to experience her life with her.

Alongside that, they’re walking in Rhûn, which is like desert land, and it’s absolutely terrifying. It’s completely uncharted territory. It feels like the rules that she knows, the secular rules of the Harfoot community, have been completely abandoned. Of course, they’re in completely new lands and they don’t know the rules, and she’s the one who’s leading the way. She’s map-reading. So, that’s an enormous weight to carry on her shoulders alongside being chased by terrifying beings.

WEYMAN: It’s all on you, Pops.

RICHARDS: So there’s a lot going on.

You’re like the Google Maps of Middle-earth.

RICHARDS: [Laughs] Yes, and I rely a lot on Google Maps.

WEYMAN: You should launch an app. That would be cool.

WALKER: “Hey, Siri, how do I get out of Rhûn?”

It’s “Hey Poppy” actually!

WEYMAN: I love that.

Season 2 of ‘The Rings of Power’ Is Thirsty, Manic and Creepy
Image via Prime Video

So, I have a general question for you guys. If you could use one word to describe this season to the fans who are waiting for it, what word would you use?

WEYMAN: Thirsty. I was going with hot, but then I thought it was hot, which makes me thirsty.

Like in a desert way or an attractive way?

WEYMAN: In a desert way. Oh, is this a thing?

WALKER: This is a thing! You’re a meme now!

WEYMAN: I’ve already got into trouble. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know about that.

RICHARDS: Manic.

CLARK: Creepy.

WALKER: There’s a great Elvish word, which is [speaks Elvish], which means “crap,” or “rats,” like everything’s going wrong. And I think that’s a good word.

What Is the ‘Rings of Power’ Cast’s Ideal Cosplay for SDCC?
Image via Disney+

So now that we’re at Comic-Con and everybody’s got a costume on, if you were to roam the floor among the masses, what costume would you put on to avoid being stopped? Or what costume have you always wanted to put on? It doesn’t have to be Lord of the Rings related.

WALKER: Mandalorian. Mandalorian. Mandalorian.

It’d be hot, but I respect that it’s worth it.

WALKER: Oh, it’s worth it. You mean like “thirsty” hot, or? You mean temperature. Got it.

WEYMAN: I feel like Galadriel’s armor when she goes into battle. For me, when I saw it… I could get into wearing that. I’d love to dress up as a soldier and go into battle.

You’d cosplay as Galadriel.

WEYMAN: Well, I think her armor is the best, isn’t it?

WALKER: That’s debatable!

WEYMAN: That’s what I thought.

WALKER: Okay. Agree to disagree.

RICHARDS: I feel like something inflatable. They’re always quite fun. Whatever that might be. I always think that they’re just quite fun. I just think they’re great.

Image via Amazon Prime Video

I love that. Morfydd, do you have one?

CLARK: I’d dress up as a Skesis from The Dark Crystal.

Oh! Wow, a deep cut. Okay!

CLARK: It would be very difficult.

WALKER: “The essence…”

WEYMAN: You used your time well.

The first three episodes of Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres August 29. You can watch it and all of Season 1 on Prime Video.

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