The Rings of Power: an animal found dead on the set

The Rings of Power, a prequel and serial spin-off series of Lord of the Rings, was one of the of the third quarter of 2022. The direct competitor to another prequel series of a very similar genre, that of the cult show Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon. Still available on Amazon Prime Video, The Rings of Power is today at the heart of the turmoil and at the center of the controversy. The reason ? An animal was reportedly found dead on set. We take stock.

In fact, a horse died of a heart attack on the set of Rings of Power. At least that's what Amazon Studios announces in an official press release: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of a production horse on March 21. The incident took place in the morning as the horse was warming up before rehearsals. The trainer was not in costume and filming had not yet started. A veterinarian and a representative from theAmerican Humane Association were present at the time. The autopsy confirmed that the horse died of heart failure.” has taken over.

The Rings of Power: PETA blames those responsible for the animal's death

PETA, very influential association with United States, which works for animal rights, has also issued a press release. The latter condemns the incident and tends to point the finger at those responsible for the tragedy. The statement of the association, reported by the media Variety, is very incriminating against Amazon Studios: “They [the studios, editor’s note] have the ability to use CGI and other methods that would prevent the death of vulnerable horses on set. PETA therefore appeals to the creators of the series – and to the producers – to no longer use real horses. If they can't avoid exploiting animals for their art, they should change careers because no one wants to see a spin-off whose theme is animal abuse.” Harsh words for a tragic event on the sidelines of the filming of the future second season of Rings of power. In addition, an anonymous source close to the production indicates that thirty horses were employed that day. The studios' willingness to use real horses in the series is a priori to their credit. It falls within the artistic guideline of going against the will of the use of special effects which often discredit entertainment in terms of visual appearance. Special effects which often attract harsh criticism from social media fans. However, this is not the first time that an incident of this kind has tainted the franchise of Lord of the Rings, as reported by our colleagues from Première via their website . On the set of the Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey, in 2012, three horses were killed in addition to other animals. We finish the horses well, to quote a cult film by way of conclusion to this sad affair.