Sauron may have used the magic rings to bind the peoples of Middle-earth to his will, but it was actually the Ñoldorin prince Celebrimbor who forged and gave them to him. Amazon Studios has now offered us a first look at Charles Edwards as the renowned blacksmith, with showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay explaining why the character is integral to the plot of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
As part of an extensive profile on Empire Magazine, the powers that be have given us a look at Celebrimbor, and it looks like Edwards is the perfect choice to embody all of that resplendent elven glory. Check it out below.
Speaking about Celebrimbor’s part in this tale, here’s what Payne told Empire.
“We’re dealing with one of the greatest villains that’s ever been created in Sauron,” he said. “And one of the central figures in the story is the character of Celebrimbor. He’s an elven smith who was manipulated into helping create the Rings of Power. We’re excited to be bringing him to Middle-earth. He’s very mysterious.”
The showrunner also reveals that they’re not going to “skirt over the darkness,” just as Tolkien didn’t when he initially wrote The Lord of the Rings.
“It takes you to the steps of Cirith Ungol and the lair of Shelob, where friends are betraying each other and characters are being dragged into Mordor. It’s a harrowing experience you go through. But in the end, there’s always a star in the sky that says, ‘Keep going.’ We wanted to find that spirit in this series.”
If nothing else, it looks as though Payne and McKay have managed to capture the spirit of what The Lord of the Rings is all about. In that light, we can’t wait for the series to make its Sep. 2 premiere on Prime Video.
