The Rings of Power is Amazon Prime Video’s most expensive series ever produced, with a budget over $400 million. After a Canadian exclusive set visit for season two, I can see why it’s an expensive entry.

While New Zealand brought lush landscapes to the forefront for the first season of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth saga, the second season of the series was filmed in picturesque pockets of the U.K. Last year, I had the exclusive opportunity to visit the set at Bray Studios near Windsor, just outside of London.

TOP: Photos courtesy of Ross Ferguson / Prime Video.
BOTTOM: Photo courtesy of Ben Rothstein / Prime Video.

The series, now streaming on Prime Video, has been described by many as “epic” due to its grand scale and production. Season two builds on that reputation with even more epic battle scenes and action-heavy choreography, which is much more evident in the second half of the series.

Recently purchased by Amazon, the historic Bray Studios is a massive complex of soundstages and workshops, spread across roughly ten square miles near River Thames. Each room is dedicated to a craft: in one, costume designer Luca Mosca works on hundreds of costumes; another hosts production designer Kristian Milsted, who rebuilds sets shipped in from New Zealand. Yet another room houses several 3D models and orc heads for prosthetic artists Barrie and Sarah Gower. They’re creating orc masks (and silicone ones for the orcs with speaking roles).

Photo courtesy of Ben Rothstein / Prime Video.

In the scene I saw filmed, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) becomes an unlikely guest of Adar (Sam Hazeldine), the lord of Mordor. Filmed outdoors, hundreds of orcs surround the place while extras are on standby.

Meanwhile, on a different stage at Bray Studios, there’s an exquisite courtyard set in Númenor, where the cast films another scene. The level of detail, from the leaves to the tiny details on the doors, are all carefully planned and created.

“The amount of work that people have put in to tell the story, even if it only has a split second of screen time — and that’s from everyone, including the stunt crew — it continues to blow my mind.”

Charlie Vicker on filming ‘The Rings of Power.’

During their breaks, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay spoke with journalists about why season 2 is “darker.” Payne and McKay said they wanted to focus on the villains at the centre of the story —namely Sauron.

“The first season was always going to be about the heroes and bringing the audience back to Middle-earth,” the showrunners said. “Season two is about the villains. The chess board has been set… the game is now afoot.”

Photo courtesy of Ben Rothstein / Prime Video.

Continuing, they added: “This is not a story about several different worlds; this is a story about one world and Sauron is the spine that connects all of it.”

As one of the most iconic villains in literary history, the role of Sauron in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth saga is a daunting challenge for any actor. For Rings of Power, that responsibility fell to rising star Charlie Vickers.

The Australian actor, a relative newcomer to the world of high-profile fantasy epics, was tapped to bring Tolkien’s dark lord to life for a new generation of viewers. Taking on such a legendary role, the actor has felt both privilege and pressure.

“Trying to tell the stories, and do what Tolkien would have wanted, that’s the biggest challenge, I suppose. It’s one of the most privileged jobs in the world.”

Charlie Vickers on playing Sauron.

“It’s a privilege to have been entrusted with being the torch bearer of the role at this point in history,” Vickers said in an interview. “I understand that it’s been adapted before, and it will be again, but for now — and hopefully for the near future — I’ll be able to continue making this role my own, which is a really special thing to do.”

Vickers has immersed himself in Tolkien’s legendarium, studying Sauron’s motivations and evolution of throughout the writings. This deep dive into the source material has given the actor a nuanced understanding of how to portray the character’s transformation from a cunning deceiver to the embodiment of pure evil.

Charlie Vickers. Photos courtesy of Charlie Gray / Prime Video.

“The nature of the material is really challenging, and that will forever be the case, because it is such complex, deep material, and doing it justice is a real challenge. And trying to tell the stories, and do what Tolkien would have wanted, that’s the biggest challenge, I suppose. It’s one of the most privileged jobs in the world,” he said.

“There’s a lot of really amazing stuff; it’s juicy,” Vickers teased, hinting at Sauron’s pivotal role in key events in season two.

“It’s one of those moments that you wish you could go back to your boyhood self — who’s running around in the woods, with a bow and arrow that’s made out of a stick and a shoelace — and go, ‘Guess what you’re gonna get to do?’”

Benjamin Walker on playing King Gil Galad.

By all accounts, Vickers has risen to the challenge, bringing a captivating blend of charisma and menace to his portrayal of the Dark Lord. As The Rings of Power unfolds with the finale, audiences will no doubt be transfixed by Vickers’ interpretation of one of fantasy’s most enduring villains. With his deep understanding of the character — and his passion for the source material — the young actor seems poised to leave an indelible mark on Sauron’s legacy.

Photo courtesy of Ben Rothstein / Prime Video.

Even Vickers was in awe of the production sets. “I was walking onto the New Zealand set. It was very crazy to see the scale of it,” he said. “Once we got back to England, I was more adjusted to the idea of working on a set this large. So, when I walked on to this set, I mean, the scale still is kind of like, ‘Wow, the resources of this production are amazing.’ It’s a real gift.”

Vickers continued, “As an actor, I was still surprised at the forge set where Charlie [Charles Edwards] and I worked. It’s huge. It’s like a cathedral, and the fact that they built it for us to act in… Even the roof is just incredibly detailed. How often does the camera capture the roof? The amount of work that people have put in to tell the story, even if it only has a split second of screen time — and that’s from everyone, including the stunt crew — it continues to blow my mind.”

Charlie Vickers. Photos courtesy of Charlie Gray / Prime Video.

Benjamin Walker, who plays King Gil Galad, described how the first season’s world-building is quickly deconstructed, as Sauron’s return shakes the foundations of Middle-earth. “The world building that takes place in the first season kind of gets set on fire right out of the gate,” he said.

The production team, with their commitment to practical effects and world-building, also left a lasting impression on Walker. He marvelled at the level of detail, from the 100,000 unique gold leaves to the impressive CG work that exceeded his expectations.

“I keep being surprised by how much of it is practical,” Walker said. “When they do use CG or green screen, I’m looking out there — and I’d like to think I have a pretty good imagination; I know what I see — but then when you see it on the big screen, you see it blown up, and you see what they’ve painted. You get to see the work of another artist and go, ‘Man, that’s way better than what I was imagining.’”

Charlie Vickers. Photos courtesy of Charlie Gray / Prime Video.

Walker added that the set was “like going to Disneyland on some level. Just the level of detail — it just goes on and on and on. It’s impressive.”

For the actor, riding into battle with the spear was a highlight, describing the moment as “pretty epic.” Walker explained: “It’s one of those moments that you wish you could go back to your boyhood self — who’s running around in the woods, with a bow and arrow that’s made out of a stick and a shoelace — and go, ‘Guess what you’re gonna get to do?’”

Benjamin Walker in ‘The Rings of Power.’ Photo courtesy of Amazon Video.

“It is simply fun, but also humbling at the same time, especially when you’re on a high horse. You can see all the moving parts, all the people that it takes to get a machine like this show to turn over.”

Season two far exceeds expectations, in terms of its storyline, battle sequences and production set. The season is a dark, transformative journey through Middle-earth; the cast gives a committed performance, delivering an immersive and authentic experience for old and new fans alike.

Season Two of ‘The Rings of Power’ is now streaming on Prime Video.