Even thoughThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings Of Powerisn’t exactly connected to Peter Jackson’s belovedLord of the Ringsfilm trilogy, it seems a given that fans are almost as excited for the new series' music as they are for every other part of it. While Howard Shore didn’t reprise his position as a composer from Jackson’s movies (aside from writing the main theme forThe Rings of Power), the new show on the block did manage to nab talented veteran songwriter Bear McCreary, and he seems more than ready for the job.
In an interview withTVLineat the premiere of theLord of the Ringsseries, McCreary recently spoke about his writing process, but not before offering his perspective on how he expects fans to react to the series. “I understand fans being hesitant to embraceThe Rings of Power,” he said. “What I’ve wanted to say to everybody for the last two years is: Every person you would want on every job is there. For a long time, it was just, ‘Who from the movies is there?’ And then they’re not, so ‘I don’t trust you.'” It’s an understandable position, to be sure, but McCreary is adamant that fans should give it a chance, and he’s got the receipts to back it up.
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“I get it,” he continued, “but the person doing the costumes is the right person. The person writing is definitely the right person. The actors, the editors, and me… It’s going to surprise fans in a pleasant way. I think we did it. We made the show I want to see.” Naturally, one might easily assume that McCreary is saying this mostly because he’s part of the project and rarely will any negativity sneak through in interviews in cases like this. But while that may be part of it, he definitely sounds like he’s genuinely proud of what they’ve accomplished and the people he’s been working with.
McCreary also discussed how he came up with some of the themes that audiences will hear throughoutThe Rings of Power. For starters, there’sthe theme of the Harfoots, who are the ancestors of the Hobbits seen in the originalLord of the Ringsbooks and movies. “They are nomadic people,” he explained. “They’re off the grid. So for me, I wanted to draw that influence from British and Celtic folk music that Howard Shore used, but I also wanted something that was more nomadic that took me to another place, and I used West African percussion.”
He was a little more cryptic about his thoughts onthe theme of Sauron, which creeps in all throughout various moments in the series and even incorporates other motifs in creative ways. “I describe it like the beehive in your mind,” he offered. “It’s like an illness in your mind. He affects people in ways that are really cool. In many ways, it’s like, ‘Is that Galadriel’s theme?’ because she is out to get him. There’s a lot of overlap there, but they each have their own melodies.” It’s certainly a vivid thought.
It’s clear that McCreary has plenty of love for the series even outside of his composer position. That means something coming from someone who’s worked on a truly remarkable number of projects in almost every form of media, includingvideo games like 2018’sGod of War, movies likeGodzilla: King of the Monsters, and shows likeBattlestar Galactica. Here’s hoping that passion shines through and connects to viewers in ways that some of the best movies and shows have done for decades.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerwill release its first 2 episodes on September 2nd on Prime Video.
