In the end credits of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” episode 8, there is an inset: The Amazon series finale is dedicated to Dr. John Dundee Payne, who died in 2021. In fact, in some ways we owe the series to this man…
Often dedications at the end of a film or series episode are to a deceased person who worked on the piece. In the case of “Rings Of Power” it is a little different: Dr. John Dundee Payne himself was not involved in “The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power”, yet we have him to thank for the series becoming exactly what it is: Dr. Payne was the father of J.D. Payne, one of the two writers and showrunners of the series.
You can see the inset at the end of episode 8, just a few seconds after the beginning of the credits. The dedication is not translated into German, because the translation of the song “Where The Shadows Lie” by Fiona Apple, which accompanies the credits, runs in the subtitles. It says: “Dedicated to Dr John Dundee Payne, 1946 – 2021. Now in the far green land, under a rapidly rising sun. “
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The quote comes from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”. With these words, J.D. Payne remembers his father here, a psychiatrist who, in addition to J.D. (probably doesn’t stand for John Dundee, but for John Daniel), also had the children Jennifer and Heather. Dr John Dundee Payne died on 6 November 2021, when his son was in the middle of post-production on the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
J.D. Payne serves as showrunner of “The Rings of Power” along with Patrick McKay, both of whom also serve as executive producers on the series and wrote the scripts for several episodes.
WHEN DOES SEASON 2 OF “THE RINGS OF POWER” START?
Season 2 of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is also in the hands of Payne and McKay, production in the UK has already begun. Later, filming will possibly take place in New Zealand again, but this has not yet been officially confirmed – the majority of the work will definitely take place in the UK. Season 2 of “The Rings of Power” will again consist of eight episodes, we expect a start in 2024 on Amazon Prime Video.
If you want to know more about the season finale of the first season, you can read what the series creators have to say about the big Sauron reveal in episode 8 here:
