Often, dedications at the end of a film or series are to a deceased person who worked on the work. In the case of “Rings Of Power” it’s a little different: Dr. John Dundee Payne didn’t think of The Lord of the Rings: The Power Rings, but we have him to thank for making the series what it is: dr Payne was namely the father of JD Payne, one of the two writers and showrunner of the series.
You can see the overlay at the end of episode 8, just a few seconds after the credits begin. The dedication is not translated into German, because the subtitles include the translation of the song “Where The Shadows Lie” by Fiona Apple, which is used to underline the credits. It reads: “Dedicated to Dr. John Dundee Payne, 1946 – 2021. Now in the far green country, under a rapidly rising sun.”
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Overlay in the end credits of Episode 8 of “The Rings of Power”
The quote is from JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. With these words, JD Payne reminds us of his father, a psychiatrist, who, in addition to JD (probably doesn’t stand for John Dundee, but for John Daniel), also had the children Jennifer and Heather. dr John Dundee Payne died on November 6, 2021 while his son was in the midst of post-production on Season 1 of The Lord of the Rings: The Power Rings.
JD Payne serves as showrunner on The Rings of Power along with Patrick McKay both are also executive producers on the series and wrote the screenplays for several episodes.
Payne and McKay are also in the hands of Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, with UK production already underway. Filming may also take place later in New Zealand, although this has not yet been officially confirmed – most of the work will definitely take place in the UK. Season 2 of “The Rings of Power” will again consist of eight episodes, we expect to start in 2024 on Amazon Prime Video.
If you want to know more about the season 1 finale, here’s what the series creators have to say about the big Sauron reveal in Episode 8:
