Howard Shore, the composer for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy, is reportedly in talks to return for the upcoming Amazon series. Shore’s musical contributions to Jackson’s films are a huge part of what made them so successful, evidenced by the composer’s three Academy Award wins for his work on the trilogy. Shore returned to the franchise to collaborate with Jackson once again on his film adaptations of The Hobbit.

In a movie franchise as massive as Lord of the Rings, no single person or aspect of production can fully account for a film’s success. Many different things had to come together for Jackson's Lord of the Rings films to succeed, from the stunning New Zealand vistas and the incredibly talented ensemble of stars to the groundbreaking special effects and the enrapturing production design. While it’s entirely a group effort, no individual besides Jackson himself deserves more credit for Lord of the Rings than Shore, who crafted a hauntingly beautiful score for each film, firmly establishing the energy and feeling of Middle-earth for millions of viewers.

Now, it looks like Shore may be returning to Tolkien’s fantasy world once more. Per Deadline, the composer is reportedly in talks to return to the franchise at Amazon and compose music for the upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel show. Season 1 of the series, which reportedly cost a record-breaking $465 million to produce, is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video streaming on September 2, 2022.


For a show that seems to share very little DNA with Jackson’s films, bringing Shore back could be a big move to entice fans of the films to tune in. The series takes place during Middle-earth’s second age, setting it long before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. That means the show will focus almost entirely on new characters and locations. As such, Shore’s music would be a welcome dose of familiarity to pair with all the newness in the series.

With the biggest budget ever allocated to a single season of television in history, Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show has a lot riding on it. The studio has already ordered a second season as well, which will enter pre-production in January of 2022, months before season 1 releases to the public. All in all, the new Lord of the Rings series seems like a big and expensive experiment in modern TV production, and the addition of Shore as the show’s composer could ensure that at least one part of it will deliver on its promise.