Creative forces behind Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explain why the Orcs look different from the Lord of the Rings’ original trilogy. Penned by J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings is one of the best-selling fantasy novels of all time and spawned a slew of epic film adaptations helmed by Peter Jackson. In 2017, Amazon shook the fantasy world when it ordered a Lord of the Rings TV series with a multi-season commitment.

Set in a period long before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, Amazon’s series takes place in the Tolkien timeline known as The Second Age. Lasting 3,441 years, marking the One Ring’s conception, and ending with the defeat of Sauron’s army, The Second Age offers plenty of fresh faces and arcs for the saga. Last August, Prime Video announced that The Rings of Power would premiere in September 2022. Earlier this year, The Rings of Power unveiled its first trailer, which teased a look at a younger version of Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), and strong connections to Jackson’s films. Recently, The Rings of Power revealed images of the series’ Orcs, which showcases a version of Orcs different from the films.

Now Lindsey Weber, The Rings of Power’s executive producer, explains why the ghastly protagonists look different in the Lord of the Rings series. Speaking with IGN about the Orcs’ design, Weber says the Second Age is a drastically different era for the creatures, and they aren’t organized into an army. Weber explains that the Orcs in Rings of Power exist in a more raw period of Middle-earth. Unlike the battalion of Orcs in Jackson’s films, the Orcs in Rings of Power have been in hiding and aren’t conditioned for battle, which led to their design having more wild features. Read what Weber said about the Orcs’ design below:

We spent a lot of time talking about what it would mean to be an Orc in the Second Age. It felt appropriate that their look would be different, part of a wilder, more raw, Second Age, Middle-earth, closer to where the First Age ends. As we meet them, they’re not yet organized into armies, they’re a little more scattered and they’ve been scavenging. So it’s just a different time in their total story.

Indeed, while the orcs in Rings of Power are fine-tuned to fit into the Second Age, the creatures are still recognizable as the villains from the live-action film adaptations. According to Weber, The Rings of Power could unveil more stories on the origins of the Orcs and even introduce the franchise’s first female Orc. Weber said, “There’s some female Orcs that I truly loved. But there’s one Orc in particular, who’s very, very tall and strong, who has a particularly enjoyable fight with one of our Elvin characters.” For now, it’s unknown if The Rings of Power season 1 will touch on the creation of the Orcs, which takes place in the First Age.

Helmed by Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power could be the most expensive, exhaustive, and extensive series of all time. Slated for five seasons, The Rings of Power could offer new insight into Tolkien’s legendary work. For now, the first look at the different versions of Orcs has added a new level of anticipation for the series. Expectations continue to rise for Prime Video’s fresh take on the Lord of the Rings saga.