Following a serious filming accident, this highly anticipated series is in turmoil

This phenomenal series, whose return is expected like the messiah by millions of fans around the world, is facing an accident that could well tarnish its image.

With House of The Dragons et The Last of Usthe series derived from the universe of JRR Tolkien Rings of Power are in the list of the most impressive television projects of recent months, due in particular to the colossal budgets allocated for their production. Indeed, the challenge for these monumental series is to offer a show that meets the expectations of fans, and not to disappoint them. Sometimes, however, certain scandals tarnish their image. In recent days, for example, the Prime Video event series has been in turmoil. In question ? The accidental death of a horse on the set of season 2.

The Rings of Power: the series crushed by the defenders of the animal cause

On March 21, a horse died of cardiac arrest before production rehearsals for the fantasy series, confirmed a statement released by Amazon Studio. “The incident happened in the morning while the horse was training before rehearsals (…) The independent autopsy confirmed that the horse died of heart failure“, said a spokesperson for the American firm. Sources close to the production of the Rings of Power indicate that more than 30 horses were employed on the day of the incident, relays Variety in an article. Since then, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) association has been demanding that productions no longer use real horses to perform their shows.

Precedents on the set of the Peter Jackson trilogy

As revealed by the American media, this case is far from being an isolated case. In 2012, director Peter Jackson also suffered the wrath of animal rights activists after the death of three horses during production of the film. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Later in July 2022, another horse dies of “natural causes” on the set of the HBO series The Guiled Age. To the showrunners of the Rings of Power, PETA is now asking to “no longer exploit animals for their art”, because “no one wants to see a spin-off on television whose theme is torture”, insists Lisa Lange, the vice- president of PETA.

Article written in collaboration with 6Médias