‘The Lord of the Rings’ TV Show’s Next Season Could Be in Major Trouble

Many Hollywood productions have shut down in the midst of the WGA writers strike, but there are some notable exceptions. This week, Variety reported that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will continue filming its second season in spite of the strike, with no writers on set. Since many commenters assumed that the writers’ jobs were finished when the script was done, writers and advocates had to explain the roles they would have played under normal circumstances.

The Rings of Power Season 2 reportedly had just 19 days of filming left when the writers strike began on Monday, but without writers on set, that timeline may go longer. The co-showrunners, J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, are both members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and are therefore not allowed to perform any writing or related duties as long as the strike goes on. That means all the day-to-day tasks of a showrunner will fall on the series’ other executive producers and creative team, including directors Charlotte Brändström, Sanaa Hamri and Louise Hooper. A change in the process and personnel can have a serious impact on the tone and execution of the show, especially if there is a need for re-writes or additional writing at the last minute.

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The showrunners are the only ones who are both writers and producers, either. Many of the shows producers and EPs that would normally be on set will not be able to work during this strike – which is why many other shows simply pause production instead. In some cases, other crew members can’t simply try their best to pick up the slack, either. The studios are obliged to use WGA labor to carry out writing duties, so it would be a contract violation for members of the cast and crew to try and cover for their colleagues.

Insiders said that Payne and McKay did their best to prepare for the writers strike in advance, knowing that work might continue in their absence. That included some night shoots and other scheduling challenges to get as far along as possible while they could. Since the show is filming in the U.K., it may also have some crew non-American crew members it can rely on.

The WGA voted to go on strike after failing to agree on a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The two groups set the terms for how writers on compensated, how their contracts can work and the rules to ensure that union members get their relevant jobs rather than outsiders. In this case, they could not agree on compensation or on issues of job security – for example, the AMPTP wants to use a “day rate” system to keep writers on the payroll for as little time as possible, while the WGA wants producers to commit to a certain length of employment when hiring writers.

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The writers strike could conceivably impact the fall TV schedule if the two groups do not come to an agreement within the next few weeks. Shows like Rings of Power that continue filming in spite of the strike may premiere as planned, but they will suffer some publicity issues – especially if fans are dissatisfied with what they see. Right now, Season 2 is expected to premiere sometime in 2024.