The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power faces immense pressure to live up to the original trilogy. The films, directed by Peter Jackson, are some of the most beloved ever to hit theaters. The prequel trilogy, The Hobbit, wasn't met with the same reception as the original movies but was generally liked by audiences and critics. In both cases, the filmmakers had a direct source from which they could pull plot points, dialogue, and characters.

That won't be the case with The Rings of Power, which is based solely on the appendices of The Lord of the Rings. To ensure the new Prime Video show has a coherent beginning, middle, and end, Amazon tasked the writers with creating an outline for the entire series, according to Empire. The crew went into such detail that they already know what the final shot of the last season will be, according to showrunner JD Payne.

"The rights that Amazon bought were for a 50-hour show. They knew from the beginning that was the size of the canvas – this was a big story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. There are things in the first season that don't pay off until Season 5."

Related: Early The Rings of Power Reactions Praise Amazon's Vision for The Lord of the Rings Prequel

With a strict five-season timeline, the show's writers can craft storylines that don't overstay their welcome and intertwine seamlessly with the rest of the series, or at least that's what they hope. Unfortunately, all too often, shows begin without a clear story they want to tell and get lost in the messy narratives that emerged over the series lifespan. Amazon's Prime Video is hoping to avoid these common pitfalls by carefully crafting its plot, something that's required with a series as delicate as The Lord of the Rings. In the exclusive with Empire, Payne spoke on the importance of Tolkien's mythology and history within the show:

"It was like Tolkien put some stars in the sky and let us make out the constellations. In his letters [particularly in one to his publisher], Tolkien talked about wanting to leave behind a mythology that 'left scope for other minds and hands, wielding the tools of paint, music and drama.' We're doing what Tolkien wanted. As long as we felt like every invention of ours was true to his essence, we knew we were on the right track."

We will have to see if Prime Video can pull off the monumental task of adapting the appendices to a five-season program, but it seems like they have the right mindset going forward.

Related: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Images Reveal New Look at Galadriel, Hobbits, & Dwarves

The Wait is Nearly Over for The Rings of Power

Lord of the Rings - Rings of Power
Amazon Studios

It won't be long before audiences are transported into Middle-earth, a land with Elves, Dwarves, Trolls, and Orcs. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will land on Prime Video on Sept. 2nd, bringing us back to the world that Tolkien constructed. The epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of the original trilogy, taking viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien's pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Peter Mullan, Benjamin Walker, Robert Aramayo, and Morfydd Clark are set to star in the series. Wayne Yip, J.A. Bayona, and Charlotte Brändström will direct episodes in Season 1. Look to Amazon's Prime Video later this year to check out the series.