‘Rings Of Power’ season two to finish filming despite writers strike

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power season two will finish filming amid the ongoing writers’ strike, despite executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay not being present on set.

READ MORE: ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ review: epic fantasy franchise returns to rule them all

The Amazon Prime Video series reportedly has 19 days of filming remaining, but as per the rules laid out by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), Payne, McKay and other writer-producers are prohibited from taking part in any writing-based activities during the strike. This includes making decisions on set.

In their place, non-writing producers, such as Lindsey Weber, directors Charlotte Brändström, Sanaa Hamri and Louise Hooper, and crew members will be overseeing the production for the UK-based shoot.

As reported by Variety, a source close to the production has claimed that there have been multiple units filming on Rings Of Power during the strike, including night shoots.

Payne and McKay also planned for the strike in advance with fellow producers, directors and crew members, so that their absence would not impact production.

Last month, it was reported that a fire broke out on the set of the show. The emergency services were called following reports of smoke.

Plumes of smoke were seen emerging from the Bray Studios in Windsor, after an electrical fire broke out in a warehouse. As a precaution, filming was temporarily suspended. However, cast and crew were not made to evacuate the studio site.

The second season of the fantasy series, which is based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, is expected to stream in 2024.

In a four-star review of the first season, NME wrote: “The Rings Of Power, for all its grand elf lords, biblical storytelling and cinematic scope, retains the wholesome heart that made the films feel so warm and cosy.”