Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power stars hit red carpet for global premiere in London
Stars of the highly-anticipated blockbuster new fantasy series have gathered for the glitzy global premiere in London - and one really stood out.
Celebrities and the cast of the long-awaited new Lord of the Rings series, The Rings of Power, have hit the red carpet in London for its global premiere.
The first two episodes of the Amazon Prime Video series were unveiled to the star-studded crowd during the glitzy event at the iconic Odeon Luxe cinemas in Leicester Square on Tuesday evening.
The company spared no expense in celebrating the launch of its hugely-anticipated new show, transforming a huge area surrounding the cinema in central London into a lavish Elven forest, creating a scene which could have come straight from the show.
British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi, who plays Bronwyn in The Rings of Power, went all-out with a very unique feathered and jewelled gown with matching robe - and an elaborate head piece which enveloped her entire face.
Morfydd Clark, who stars as Galadriel in the series, was stunning in a floor-length silver dress with a scooped neckline.
Puerto Rican actor Ismael Cruz Córdova, the warrior elf Arondir in TRoP, also opted for a statement outfit, which included a corset-style top.
21-year-old Australian actress Markella Kavenagh, who appears in the show as Harfoot Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot, was elegant in a black dress with a short train and half-sleeves.
She was joined on the red carpet by co-stars Sophia Nomvete - portraying the first female dwarf, Princess Disa - and Maxim Baldry, who takes on the role of a young Isildur (whom Lord of theRings fans will know played a significant role in the shaping of the events in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy).
American actress Ema Horvath, who portrays Númenórean lady Eärien, admitted to news.com.au on the red carpet that she was “relieved” that The Rings of Power was finally premiering, following years in production and heavy secrecy shrouding the cast and crew.
“I can finally open my mouth,” she explained.
“It’s tremendously exciting, we’ve worked so hard on this... now we can be like, here you go!”
The new adaptation of author J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium brings to screens for the very first time the untold story of the heroic legends of the Second Age of Middle-earth’s history.
The extremely expensive television series – set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, will explore how relative peace was shattered and greed and violence was provoked through the coveting of the Rings of Power.
It promises to take us back to a time “before the King, before the Fellowship, before the Ring,” and declares: “a new legend must begin”.
The Rings of Power features a huge cast including Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Kip Chapman, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Will Fletcher, Markella Kavenagh, Sophia Nomvete, Charlie Vickers, Benjamin Walker, and Daniel Weyman.
The series will unfold in 50 hours over five seasons.
British actor Lloyd Owen, who plays Elendil in TRoP, told news.com.au ahead of the premiere that he hadn’t felt pressure stepping into Tolkien’s mythical world, even with the pressure of its fandom.
“It’s brand new, so there isn’t really anything to hold it up against, because it is its own entity in every way,” he said.
“You feel and you know the love and the passion that’s there - and what you quickly learn on this job from (showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay), down through every single departments, is that the love for the source material is genuine.
“There’s a sense of responsibility to be able to deliver that... and a great excitement.”
McKay echoed the sentiment to news.com.au, explaining that he and his co-showrunner were “determined not to do a retread, a reboot or sequel.”
“As fans and viewers, if we were going back to Middle-earth, we wanted there to be a story that deserved to be told,” he said.
“When we pitched the show, we pitched the entire show. We pitched the journeys of a dozen characters across several seasons, through calamity, adventure, battle, the rise of darkness - but this first season is really about bringing audiences to Middle-earth in a way that is different.”
The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power premieres September 2 on Prime Video.