The highly anticipated fantasy series premiered on September 1 and has garnered a bevy of positive reviews, with many highlighting the cast, storyline, music, and cinematography as positives. Prime Video has already renewed The Rings of Power for a second season, which is set to begin filming this October.
Set thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power will cover the events of Middle-earth’s Second Age. The series features iconic characters, such as Galadriel and Elrond, alongside newcomers to the Middle-earth mythology.
While this is an exciting moment for fans of author J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, The Rings of Power has been partially overshadowed by the aforementioned racist backlash. So-called Tolkien enthusiasts have taken issue with the casting of people of color, a response that has become sadly common when it comes to beloved properties.
Many have spoken out against these attacks, including Neil Gaiman and several Lord of the Rings stars.
In a new statement shared to social media, The Rings of Power condemns the cowardly harassment. It writes that Tolkein’s work is about uniting people of different cultures for common good, and how fantasy has never been all about white men.
The series gives love to all the fans of color who’ve been caught in the wave of racist attacks, explaining how their support makes the fandom a richer and stronger place. See the tweet below:
Since The Rings of Power is setting out to do something new with Tolkien’s canon, there was always going to be backlash from certain people. However, the threats and harassment made towards actors is both backward and disrespectful to Tolkien’s legacy.
It doesn’t matter what the source material says, or how previous adaptations have done it. Middle-earth is a fantasy world where anything can happen, so to say women and BIPOCs don’t have a part in that is absurd and insulting. The Rings of Power may have taken a little too long to respond to this backlash, but their statement is both strong and affirming.
It’s unfortunate that so many conversations when discussing media are now dominated by the cacophony of the internet, that silences any real discussion in analyzing the merits of entertainment.
The backlash isn’t even about The Rings of Power itself, but is instead just another pointless distraction from those who are unwilling to look outside their own world. In the end, The Rings of Power will become an excellent addition to The Lord of the Rings canon thanks to all the talented people that bring it to life, and the series’ confidence in that belief is inarguable.
The Rings of Power releases new episodes Thursday nights on Prime Video.
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Andrew Lincoln is the name most commonly associated with AMC’s The Walking Dead. The actor, also known for his work in the film Love Actually, the Strike Back series, and the TV movie Old Vic in Camera: A Christmas Carol has played the main character Rick Grimes for 9 of the 11 seasons of the walker (zombie) apocalypse series.
His absence has left a hole in the popular series that hasn’t quite been filled regardless of which characters took leadership roles or plots that followed his departure. Thankfully Lincoln will be returning to The Walking Dead Universe in a spinoff with Danai Gurira, who also left the show in season 10.
Together they will be reprising their roles as the power couple Rick and Michonne, the king and queen of the apocalypse. While fans are overjoyed to see his return in the currently unnamed Rick and Michonne spinoff, the talented actor hasn’t shied away from the horror genre.
In fact, fans will be able to see Lincoln’s stellar acting capabilities once again in the upcoming Netflix series Cabinet of Curiosities. Created by the brilliant Guillermo del Toro, the eight-episode series might just be the type of show to truly embody the thrills and chills of spooky season.
What role will Andrew Lincoln play in Cabinet of Curiosities?
Don’t believe us? You can watch the official teaser trailer here:
Joining Lincoln in the cast are the likes of talented individuals such as Rupert Grint, Nia Vardalos, Ben Barnes, DJ Qualls and F. Murray Abraham. Just what kind of scary stories does del Toro have in store for his impatient fans and viewers?
Which role do you think Lincoln will be playing, hero, villain, or someone else entirely? Cabinet of Curiosities airs on Netflix October 25.
Will you be watching Cabinet of Curiosities? Share your thoughts about the upcoming series in the comments below!
Say it ain’t so! That’s the general consensus from Outer Banks fans after the show’s lead Chase Stokes took to Instagram to debut a new hairstyle that has left his fans shocked and devastated.
In a new Instagram photo dump, Stokes celebrated 30 with a series of photos including one shot that showcased his new haircut which has left fans speechless. Gone are Stokes’ signature long and wavy locks, as the actor is now rocking a high and tight new do.
Stokes definitely has no problem pulling off the look and still looks amazing, the new style has caught fans by surprise as Stokes has long been known for his long hair which is a signature to John B’s look in Outer Banks.
“You literally just shocked the whole world,” commented one fan summing up the effect Stokes’ new look has had on his fans. “We weren’t ready for that, Chase,” echoed another.
Why did Chase Stokes cut his hair? (2022)
So what exactly inspired Chase Stokes to cut off his signature locks leading to his new look? While Stokes has not directly commented on the new look, it appears his haircut is connected to his upcoming role in the new film Valiant One.
In the film, Stokes is set to star as a member of a group of U.S. Army non-combat tech soldiers who must band together to protect a civilian tech specialist and find a way out of North Korea after their helicopter crashes on the North Korean side of the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
While little is known about Stokes’ character, the fact that he’s a member of the military seems to suggest that Stokes cut his hair for the role.
The new hairstyle Stokes is rocking in the above Instagram photo matches up with the signature high and tight style members of the military have been known to rock.
Chris Evans shares what his first reaction was to seeing Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. Although de Armas has been acting since she was a teenager, it wasn’t until her roles in films like Blade Runner 2049 and Knives Out that the star became well-known to American audiences.
Knives Out saw de Armas take on the role of Marta Cabrera, a nurse who becomes embroiled in a complex murder mystery plot alongside Evans’ nefarious character, Ransom. De Armas later collaborated with Evans again on this summer’s The Gray Man, an action thriller from Netflix in which she played a supporting role.
After a fan-favorite turn in No Time to Die, de Armas is next slated to appear in Blonde, a fictionalized account of the life and death of 1950s icon Marilyn Monroe. The film, which is written and directed by Andrew Dominik, is based on a book of the same name by author Joyce Carol Oates.
The first trailer for Blonde has already shown off de Armas’ impressive transformation into the late starlet, with the actor boasting a noticeable physical transformation and accent.
The NC-17-rated Blonde earned a 14-minute standing ovation at its Venice Film Festival premiere but relatively mixed reviews from critics. Most agreed, however, that de Armas’ performance is particularly impressive.
In a new interview with Variety, Evans recalls his first reaction to seeing de Armas’ camera test as Monroe in Blonde. Speaking more generally, Evans says that he thinks Blonde was “incredibly demanding” for his Knives Out co-star and that he remembers de Armas being very excited about the role. Check out Evans’ full comment below:
“I think this was one of the first opportunities she had to really sink her teeth into something incredibly demanding. I didn’t see one bit of fear; I saw excitement. I remember looking at [her camera test] and saying, ‘OK, that’s Marilyn … where’s your shot? That’s you? Holy s–t! You’re going to win an Oscar for this!’”
Could Ana de Armas Win An Oscar For Playing Marilyn Monroe?
Although de Armas is now a very well-known actor in Hollywood, Blonde marks the actor’s first major transformation for a leading role.
Trailers for the film have already shown off just how immersed de Armas became in the world of Monroe and, as has been seen with a number of films in the past, the Academy Awards does have a penchant for recognizing actors who undergo significant transformations, especially when it comes to embodying iconic historical figures.
While reviews for Blonde may be mixed overall, Evans’ suggestion that de Armas could be a contender for Best Actress is certainly not without precedent.
It remains to be seen how Blonde will fair with general audiences upon its release on Netflix, but if early reviews are any indication, de Armas’ performance alone will be reason enough for many viewers to seek the film out.
Despite glowing reviews for de Armas’ performance, however, Blonde’s graphic subject matter and NC-17 rating could deter at least some audiences. However, it’s unclear if the controversial rating will have any impact on her Oscar chances.
Thankfully, fans of de Armas now have less than a week to wait before Blonde releases on Netflix and they can see whether Evans’ glowing endorsement rings true.
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