THE RINGS OF POWER Season 3 Star Looked to Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS Movies for Inspiration When Wielding Narsil
One of the most legendary weapons in Middle-earth is getting its moment in the spotlight in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3, and Lloyd Owen went back to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies to make sure he got it right.
The weapon in question is Narsil, the iconic sword that will eventually become Andúril, wielded by Aragorn. Fans got their first look at the sword in The Rings of Power Season 2 finale when Queen Míriel presented it to Elendil, played by Owen.
Now, with Season 3 on the way, Elendil will finally get to put the legendary blade to use. A previously released behind-the-scenes video confirmed that Owen will wield Narsil in the upcoming season, and the actor wanted to give the weapon the same kind of importance it carried in Jackson's films.
Speaking with GamesRadar+, Owen explained that he revisited the moment when Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn receives the reforged sword from Elrond in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
"For a visual reference, I watched the movies when Viggo Mortensen pulls it out when Elrond gives it to him. With Charlotte Brandstrom, who was the director of that episode, we tried to replicate something of that unsheathing of that sort and the effect that it has."
That’s a cool connection to Jackson's trilogy, especially considering the history of the weapon. Narsil appeared in the opening prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring, where it was shattered during the battle against Sauron. Its broken blade ultimately played a crucial role in the Dark Lord's defeat.
Thousands of years later, the sword would be reforged into Andúril and become an important part of Aragorn's journey to reclaim the throne of Gondor.
For The Rings of Power, bringing Narsil to life also meant respecting a design that fans already know so well. Alex Francis, the show's armor master, recently showed off the weapon at an event celebrating the craftsmanship that goes into the Prime Video series.
He explained that the team had plenty of existing material to work from and wanted to stay faithful to the sword's established appearance.
"There's already a pre-existing world, right? So there's an understanding that this has already been established, and so there are already blueprints of it, there's already relatability to it. So when you start with Narsil, it's an amazing piece, and so therefore it is from the originals. It's from the original books. It's from the original blueprints. So then you just go down to the manufacturing."
The goal wasn't to reinvent such a recognizable weapon. "You want to keep it as iconic as you possibly can," he adds. Narsil is a weapon with a massive history, and seeing Elendil carry it during the Second Age gives fans a chance to experience an earlier chapter of that story.
I also like that Owen looked to Mortensen's performance for inspiration. Those little connections to Jackson's films are fun for longtime fans, and they help give the weapon the importance it deserves.
With Elendil now carrying Narsil, it'll be interesting to see how much action the sword gets in Season 3, especially knowing the fate that eventually awaits both the weapon and its wielder.
The Rings of Power Season 3 premieres on Prime Video on November 11 with four episodes.