Let's talk about Gil-Galad.
Despite all the devoted Tolkien fans out on the 'net who are horrified - purely on the basis of the difference from canon, and definitely nothing else that rhymes with dracism - by such things as a non-white elf and a non-white dwarf, you know what I haven't seen? Any complaints about Gil-Galad, who looks
nothing like his canon self.
His sword was long, his lance was keen
His shining helm afar was seen
The countless stars of heaven's field
Were mirrored in his silver shield
Gil-Galad's colours are blue and silver; they're the colours on
his emblem, and descriptions like "into darkness fell his star" imply that he actually wore star-silver. It's even in his name! But the series has put him in gold.
Also, we know now the colour of his hair, and it's not black. From NoME, 2.IV (dated 1969):
As in the name 'Gil-galad' 'star of radiance' given to Finwain, last High-king of the Eldar, because of the radiance of his silver hair, armour, and shield that, it is said, could even in the moonlight be seen from many leagues afar.
So - unlike dwarf or Nandor skin colour - we have an explicit, late statement from Tolkien that aligns with his later thoughts on Gil-Galad's ancestry (as a descendent of Finarfin, he is kin to Elwe and thus has silver hair in his ancestry, same as Galadriel). And yet the showmakers choose to ignore that.
But y'know what? That's actually fine. Tolkien changed his mind about Gil-Galad's name and ancestry often enough that treating one comment on his hair as definitive is silly; and the point of putting him in gold is to a) show him to be royal, b) distinguish him easily from the other elves, and c) tie him thematically to the apparently mallorn-bearing Lindon. A visual adaptation is very different to a written story; you have to consider different things. (Most notably: written dialogue says everyone's name every couple of lines! Nobody wants TV to have to do the comic book thing, "
Gil-Galad! It is I,
Galadriel, returned from my meeting with
Elrond here!")
Looking at both the trailer and
his poster, we can see that Gil-Galad is carrying that tall, 8-pointed star that also appears on Galadriel's armour. It's
not the Star of Feanor, which has even arms and 8 additional rays. It could be partly based on the uneven star on Gil-Galad's emblem, but my guess is it's just a generic "Star of the High Elves".
He's also wearing a lot of rings - at least five. I'm not sure I like the look - though really, how often are we going to get a closeup of his hands? I guess it's a reference to the fact that he winds up carrying both Vilya and Narya; or perhaps it's just implying that rings are a massive Elvish vice, and that's why Celebrimbor started making them?
As for the robes: they kind of look like they were made for the poster. There's all that overlaid gold wrapping in intricately embroidered cloth; and then, when you get above the poster, it's a plain gold ?tunic / ?sheet of metal with crossed bandoliers.
And no crown. From Turgon and Finrod we know that elven kings did wear crowns, and the movies even gave Elrond a tiara - so why does the High King not get one? Maybe he just doesn't wear it except on state occasions (perhaps this shot takes place in his back garden).
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Originally Posted by mhagain
I don't buy that the creators have rights to nothing aside from the Hobbit and LotR material. That map of Númenor they released is straight out of Unfinished Tales, and Unfinished Tales is the only place it exists, so there must at least be some kind of arrangement for selective use of other material.
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This has been speculated. They've
bought the TV rights to LotR + Hobbit, but the Estate is involved in a way they weren't for the movies. As you say, they
must have granted specific permission to use the map, so they're clearly considering things on a case-by-case basis.
Personally, I hope they're being 'generous'/lenient enough to let the story run as it does in Tolkien's texts. Things like: Tar-Miriel should be forcibly married to Pharazon, and should attempt to climb Meneltarma at the last. Otherwise, you'd be doing the character a complete disservice. Some things (like how Finrod dies) can be worked around, but to do that with Miriel would mean writing her out entirely.
hS