The Rings of Power’s Sauron reveal was nearly spoiled in episode 2
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Full spoilers follow for The Rings of Power Episode 8, aka Alloyed.
The Rings of Power showrunners have revealed that Sauron’s big reveal was nearly ruined by a specific creative decision made during episode 2’s development.
During a preview screening for The Rings of Power episode 8, which TechRadar attended, co-creators JD Payne and Patrick McKay explained that the identity of the main antagonist of Lord of the Rings had been nearly ruined in a much earlier episode. The reason? A specific shot of the high-fantasy Prime Video series, filmed by Episode 2 director JA Bayona, almost betrayed the game.
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As viewers will have learned by now, Charlie Vickers’ Halbrand has always been an alias of Sauron. The Dark Lord himself had posed as the so-called King of the Southlands ever since he met Galadriel, with the pair first crossing paths on a raft in The Rings of Power episode 2.
However, as Payne and McKay reminded us, the first shot we see of Halbrand is Vickers, who is standing with his back to the camera and turning his head to take a look at Galadriel as she asks to board. of the temporary seagoing vessel. According to the duo, Bayona filmed that short scene in such a way that only one of Halbrand’s eyes is visible to viewers.
It’s a shot that acts as a clear call back to the Eye of Sauron, the only portion of the Dark Lord’s essence left – in Middle-earth’s Third Age – after his defeat at the hands of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men . However, Payne and McKay feared Bayona’s creative choice would ruin the big surprise surrounding Halbrand’s real identity. So much so that they asked Bayona to film another version of Halbrand’s introduction.
“We were afraid that people would see it and work on it [Halbrand’s real identity] off,” Payne said. “We asked YES to change it, but he said, ‘No one will notice!’ Luckily they didn’t.”
As Payne noted, very few, if any, Rings of Power viewers noticed the obvious reference to Halbrand’s true form. So, while fans had long suspected that Halbrand was really Sauron, it made his eventual reveal all the more shocking in the season finale of The Rings of Power.
The release of Episode 8 is also a big relief for the cast of the popular Prime Video show. With the filming of Season 1 starting in February 2020, the big stars of the series had to hold onto this secret for more than two and a half years, as Morfydd Clark (Galadriel) and Tyroe Muhafidin (Theo) told us exclusively in early October.
For Vickers, Clark and Charles Edwards (Celebrimbor), that particular Sauron burden has finally been lifted. And, speaking exclusively with Ditching ahead of Episode 8’s release, the trio were remarkably much more relaxed about the whole ordeal.
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“It’s fun!” Vickers told us calmly. “But it’s a strange feeling. When you press, you get so used to talking about the subject in a certain way. Of course you have to be careful what you say. Halbrand manifested himself in something very real in my discussions, but it’s nice to talk about everything down there now.”
“I had my suspicions from the start!” said Clark. “And I know Charlie did too, when he was asked to read something that was actually like a speech from the devil. So it’s like ‘Hmm, that seems kinda bad’. I think Charlie did a great job for a press appearance, which I don’t know how he did. I’d be terrified if I had such a big secret.”
“It feels very weird [to discuss Sauron]Edwards added. “You know, we’ve had to carry this weight on our shoulders for so long. It’s a blessing to finally have it in the world.”
For more exclusive Rings of Power content, find out or learn all about when Vickers learned he’d be playing Sauron That Strange reveal from the show’s cast.