LOTR Star Shares His Hopes For The Rings Of Power Cast

The Lord of the Rings star Dominic Monaghan shares his hopes for the new The Rings of Power cast. Based on the J.R.R. Tolkien books of the same name, Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy was released from 2001 to 2003. The epic high-fantasy films immediately became a phenomenon, and the franchise has been regarded as one of the greatest film series of all time. Though all three films in the trilogy won various Academy Awards, the third movie, Return of the King, would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2004. Monaghan appeared in all three films as Merry Brandybuck, one of the three hobbits that follow Frodo on his journey to Mordor.

In November of 2017, Amazon Prime Video bought the rights to a Lord of the Rings television series for $250 million, and filming on season 1 began in February of 2020. It wasn't until January 2022 that the series' title was revealed to be The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series will not follow any plot lines or characters set up in Lord of the Rings or in its prequel films, The Hobbit; instead, the show is set thousands of years beforehand, detailing the rise of Sauron and the forging of the Rings of Power. Prime Video clearly has high hopes for the project, as it is poised to be one of the most expensive shows of all time.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant at San Diego Comic-Con, Monaghan says that he wishes the best for the Rings of Power cast. Upon reflecting on how strange it is to see The Rings of Power get promoted all around him, the actor shares his hopes for the next generation of Tolkien performers. Read Monaghan's full comment below:

It's a little peculiar. We were lucky enough to be taken out for dinner last night by the wonderful people at Audible and TreeFort, and we went to Nobu, which is an amazing Japanese restaurant. And directly opposite from Nobu was a massive, 100-foot Rings of Power thing. I sat just looking at these characters for the rest of the evening, and I kind of said to the guys, "That's kind of weird." It's strange to see it.

I wish it a lot of luck. I hope that it goes well, and especially for the actors - because I'm inclined to actors. I hope they're having fun. I hope they don't feel the pressure of expectation or from what had occurred with the Peter Jackson trilogy. I hope they just think, "This is a great job, made some great friends, hope that it continues," and they embrace it, because these types of jobs - the jobs that end up being the best jobs that you ever do - can disappear in the blink of an eye. You can be like, "Oh, I'm going to do this for years," and then suddenly, three years go by and you're like, "What, where's that gone?" And it's done.

I hope that they enjoy it, I hope they're having a nice time, I hope that it's a huge success.

Since Lord of the Rings, Monaghan has moved onto several major projects, including starring in J.J. Abrams' series Lost and appearing in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Currently, Monaghan is featured in the Audible exclusive Moriarty: The Devil's Game. Though Monaghan has starred in several notable works since his Lord of the Rings days, he still reflects on the years of shooting and film releases with great love and nostalgia, and wants the Rings of Power cast to be able to do the same. No one knows better than Monaghan how incredible it can be to work in a world like Middle-earth. His comments about hoping the Rings of Power stars embrace the moment must be rooted in his own experience; Lord of the Rings probably flew by, and now he wants others to appreciate what they have.

Alongside spectacular cinematography, action sequences, and heartfelt dialogue, what sets Lord of the Rings apart from other film series is its ensemble cast. The main cast had a palpable connection with one another that extended off-screen, and many of them remain close friends to this day. Though Monaghan experienced great notoriety for his role in The Lord of the Rings, it's the friendships and the experiences that he remembers most about his time on-set. That he wants the same for the The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power cast is a sweet way of passing the baton on to Middle-earth's newest ensemble.