Behind-the-scenes looks at Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” are now available for streaming through X-Ray, providing insight into the making of all eight episodes from the show’s first season. The all-new series of bonus clips is titled “The Making of ‘The Rings of Power.’”
In diving into the elaborate production of the spin-off series, viewers dig deeper into the lore of J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary universe, including the painstaking attention to detail from artisans on staff such as set decorators, costume designers and makeup artists. The new content will also include footage from production, sneak peeks at how the Middle-earth realms were designed and interviews with cast and crew.
“Our team sifted through thousands of hours of behind-the-scenes footage to develop segments that highlight the passion and care that went into creating key moments of the show,” said Craig Muller, senior creative executive for X-Ray.
Each segment is between five and six minutes and correlates to the episode of the same number. To access, fans of the franchise can log in to Prime Video on their mobile device or web browser and tap “X-Ray View All” at the top left of the screen for full-screen viewing. On Smart TVs and other streaming media devices, “The Making of ‘The Rings of Power’” will also be displayed as bonus content in the “extras” section of the show’s main page.
Also in today’s TV news:
PROGRAMMING
For the second consecutive year, NBC will release a live broadcast of “Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party,” hosted by two-time Grammy winning recording artist Miley Cyrus.
This year’s holiday special will be co-hosted by country singer Dolly Parton and executive produced by “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels. The broadcast is being directed by Joe DeMaio, who directed last year’s special as well as the MTV Movie & TV Awards in 2021 and 2022.
A variety of undisclosed musical performances and special guests will be announced closer to the event.
The party takes place in Miami, Florida on Dec. 31 from 10:30 p.m. ET to 12:30 a.m. ET on New Year’s Day. The special will be available for streaming on Peacock, complete with live audio description on the Secondary Audio Program channel for visually impaired viewers.
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NBC has launched the new game show “The Wheel” with a two-week takeover beginning Dec. 19.
Created and hosted by comedian Michael McIntyre, the U.S. version features a colossal spinning wheel of celebrity guests who help contestants win a cash prize. The all-star lineup includes Clay Aiken, Carole Baskin, Brie Bella, Tom Bergeron, Bobby Berk, Bre-Z, Jaime Camil, Christine Chiu, Margaret Cho, Deepak Chopra, Taye Diggs, Sheila E., Shawn Johnson East, Josh Flagg, Kate Flannery, Vivica A. Fox, Debbie Gibson, Todrick Hall, Tony Hawk, Matt Iseman, JoJo, Chris Kattan, Steve Kornacki, Ricki Lake, Lyric Lewis, Loni Love, Judge Greg Mathis, Mark McGrath, Chrissy Metz, Christina Ricci, Andy Richter and more.
The takeover begins Dec. 19 with new episodes airing at 10 p.m. ET, and continues the second week with new episodes airing at 8 p.m.
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Fremantle and Richard Brown’s Passenger have optioned author Tessy Gunty’s “The Rabbit Hutch,” which received the 2022 National Book Awards in the fiction category.
“Tess Gunty has written a wildly inventive and mesmerizing novel populated with irresistible characters, including a heroine for the ages,” Brown said. “We’re delighted that she has trusted us to adapt it for the screen.”
Brown will produce with Gunty serving as an executive producer.
CASTING
Fox has added Keith Carradine, Jason Ritter, Betsy Brandt and Wrenn Schmidt to the cast of the upcoming drama series “Accused,” which premieres Jan. 22 at 9 p.m. ET.
based on the BBC’s crime anthology, “Accused” consists of 15 stories of crime and punishment. The project comes from “24” executive producer Howard Gordon, Sony Pictures Television and Fox Entertainment.
Emma Nelson, Joanne Boland, Brad Austin, James Udom, Anne Bedian, Matthew James Thomas, Evan Gamble, Skywalker Hughers, Lyla Porter-Follows, Skylar Gaertner, Janet Porter and Damon Redfern have also joined the cast with previously announced stars Michael Chiklis, Abigail Breslin, Whitney Cummings, Margo Martindale, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Wendell Pierce, Rachel Bilson, Jack Davenport and Molly Parker.
In addition to Gordon, Alex Gansa, David Shore, Glenn Geller, Erin Gunn, All3Media America’s Jacob Cohen-Holmes, Frank Siracusa and John Weber serve as executive producers. Sita Williams, Roxy Spencer, Louise Pedersen and Jimmy McGovern, the original show creator, also executive produce for All3Media International.
ACQUISITIONS
Tubi has acquired the U.S. streaming rights to the STXfilms supernatural thriller “Bed Rest.”
Starring Melissa Barrera, the film follows Julie Rivers (Barrera), a pregnant woman who must fight to protect herself and her unborn baby from ghostly experiences in their new home.
“Best Rest” is written and directed by Lori Evans Taylor. William Sherak, James Vanderbilt and Paul Neinstein produce through their Project X Entertainment banner, along with Evan Taylor and Barrera.
EXECUTIVES
Rain Management announced Nov. 17 that Dallaslyn Lamb and Lucius Gary were brought in to the company as junior managers, effectively immediately.
“Dallaslyn and Lucius are two of the brightest emerging talents in the literary space with a passion for representing artists,” said Rain COO Rob Wolken. “As we continue scaling the company to become the premiere destination for writers and directors who want a curated and personal representation experience, we are so excited to have them on the team.”
Prior to her new gig, Lamb worked as a junior literary manager at Art/Work Entertainment and amassed a wide breadth of experience in management and voiceover work. Before that, she also operated as a coordinator at Fortitude International.
Cary’s introduction to the field of representation started at an assistant level for companies like ICM Partners and Paramount Television Studios. Over the last year and a half, Cary was credited as a coordinator at Foxxhole Productions — actor Jamie Foxx’s personal production company.
TRAILERS
Netflix has shared the teaser trailer for upcoming children’s animated series “My Dad the Bounty Hunter,” which follows a pair of close-knit siblings who secretly tag along with their dad on his latest work trip and discover he is a highly-regarded bounty hunter.
Voice cast for the series includes Laz Alonso, Yvonne Orji, Priah Ferguson, Yvette Nicole Brown, JeCobi Swain, Leslie Uggams, Rob Riggle, Jim Rash and Jamie Chung. The 10-episode series comes from creators and executive producers Everett Downing and Patrick Harpin, and chronicles a warp-speed adventure that underscores the importance of family amongst its action-packed sequences.
The show is set to premiere on the streamer on February 9. Check out the trailer below.
FIRST LOOKS
Netflix has revealed the first look of “Vikings: Valhalla” Season 2, set to premiere Jan. 12, 2023 on the streamer.
The eight-episode second season takes place after the tragic fall of Kattegat, an event that has altered the destinies of Leiff Eriksson (Sam Corlett), Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson) and the Nordic prince Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter).
Returning cast members include Corlett, Gustavsson, Suter, Bradley Freegard, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Laura Berlin, David Oakes, Pollyanna McIntosh and Soren Pilmark. Bradley James, Hayat Kamille, Marcin Dorocinski and Sofya Lebedeva have joined the cast.
Showrunner Jeb Stuart serves as an executive producer alongside Morgan O’Sullivan, Michael Hirst, Sheila Hockin, Steve Stark, James Flynn, John Weber, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer and Paul Buccieri.
