A fire recently broke out at Bray Studios in Windsor, UK, and production on Rings of Power season 2 had to be briefly halted. The second season of Amazon’s big budget epic Lord of the Rings prequel has moved to the UK, after the first season filmed in New Zealand. This news comes 12 months after a fire erupted on the set of the Disney live-action remake of Snow White at Pinewood Studios (also in the UK).
According to Deadline, the electrical fire on the Rings of Power set reportedly started “in a warehouse on the perimeter of the back lot. The fire department was called, with multiple engines responding. Filming stopped for about an hour while the fire was being put out and resumed thereafter.” A horse also recently died on the set of the second season, so let’s hope that there isn’t a third bad news story from the set.
Rings of Power is one of the most expensive television series ever made, especially if you include the money that Amazon shelled out for the rights to Tolkien’s world. The first season of The Rings of Power was released in September 2022, at around the same time as Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.
The Rings of Power is set around five thousand years before The Lord of the Rings, but due to the longevity of elves and other beings – some characters cross over, such as Galadriel and Elrond. It also covers the origin story of the Dark Lord Sauron. The Rings of Power cast is far more diverse than Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings cast, which led to some review-bombing.
While Rings of Power didn’t have quite as much acclaim or viewers as House of the Dragon, it’s hoped that the second season will build on the strengths of the first. It also won’t have to introduce so many new characters and lore every episode, which will be a positive and big change for season 2.
While we wait for season 2, check out our guides to Sauron and his magic rings.