Howard Shore Returns Lord Of The Rings Amazon Series Bear McCreary score – Deadline

As San Diego Comic-Con gets underway, the fan boy crowd can revel in Amazon Studios confirming what Deadline told you a long time ago: Howard Shore, 3-time Oscar winner for his work on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, has returned to compose the original main title theme for its blockbuster $465 million series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. At the same time, Emmy-winner Bear McCreary has composed the full episodic series score.

McCreary is known for his world-building scores and use of innovative musical approaches in the worlds of television, film, and video games. He turns that toward a series that Amazon describes as the Second Age of Middle-earth as written in the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien. Over the past year, McCreary has recorded and composed hours of music for the score, weaving together his original themes into a sonic tapestry for a full symphonic orchestra, alongside vibrant folk instruments and choral singers. His past works include Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead. 

While there was long rumor that Oscar winning LOTR trilogy director Peter Jackson would have a hand in the series, that didn’t happen. That makes Shore the connective tissue to this new iteration of Middle-earth, which Amazon Studios premieres September 2, with first season episodes rolling out weekly this fall. Aside from LOTR, Shore was also the composer on the Jackson-directed The Hobbit trilogy.

“With their deep understanding of the Tolkien legendarium, coupled with two of the greatest musical talents of our age, we’re thrilled that Howard and Bear are joining us on this epic journey to Middle-earth,” said Bob Bowen, Worldwide Head of Music for Amazon Studios.

Said McCreary: “As I set out to compose the score for this series, I strove to honor Howard Shore’s musical legacy. When I heard his majestic main title, I was struck by how perfectly his theme and my original score, though crafted separately, fit together so beautifully. I am excited for audiences to join us on this new musical journey to Middle-earth.”

Two new pieces of music composed for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power by McCreary—Galadriel and Sauron — have been made available to stream on Amazon Music.

Shore and McCreary join Showrunners and Executive Producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay in a series that takes place thousands of years before the events of both movie trilogies but once again features characters confronting the long feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. Additional Executive Producers are Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, J.A. Bayona, Belén Atienza, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Bruce Richmond, and Sharon Tal Yguado, and producers Ron Ames and Christopher Newman. Wayne Che Yip is co-executive producer and directs, along with Bayona and Charlotte Brändström.