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One show to rule them all

Amazon‘s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ series: What we know so far

By Kara Santos Published Feb 14, 2022 5:27 pm

Prime Video

The highly-anticipated epic fantasy series adaptation of The Lord of the Rings on Amazon finally has a trailer.

A 60-second official first look video teaser dropped during Super Bowl LVI Sunday (Feb. 14, Philippine time) giving fans a better look at what to expect from the high fantasy series set to premiere on Sept. 2, 2022.

The series, based on the incredibly popular and complex fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, takes place in the Second Age of Middle-earth.

In case you were wondering, Amazon is not remaking the entire LOTR film series directed by Peter Jackson from 2001 to 2003 and The Hobbit film series from 2012 to 2013.

While both the series and film saga are set in Tolkien's Middle-earth, according to Amazon, the prequel series will feature original storylines thousands of years before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring.

The series does feature a few familiar immortal characters in their youth, including a young Elrond, the eventual lord of Rivendell (played by Hugo Weaving in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies) and a young Galadriel, the ethereal elven queen played by Cate Blanchett in the movies.

Back in November 2017, Amazon bought the television rights for The Lord of the Rings for $250 million, making a five-season production commitment worth at least $1 billion. 

Here’s what we know about the most expensive television series ever made so far.

What is the series called? 

In January, Amazon’s streaming platform revealed that the upcoming series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic is called The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The teaser features a woman (Morfydd Clark, who plays Galadriel) narrating a portion of Tolkien's popular Ring Verse, which reads:

“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”

Where can you watch it?

Developed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, The Rings of Power will premiere on Amazon's Prime Video service, which is available in the Philippines.

The multi-season drama will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world beginning Sept. 2, with new episodes available every week.

What is the series about?

The series will take place before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books and Peter Jackson's films. This means that many of the beloved characters, including Frodo, Samwise, Aragorn, Arwen, Bilbo and Gimli, and others have not yet been born and will not be part of the story.

"From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone," a portion of the synopsis reads.

The series will feature epic battles between Elves and Sauron's forces as the fate of Middle-earth is decided. The Second Age culminates in a final fight between Sauron and a last alliance of men and Elves, which is portrayed in the opening sequence of The Fellowship of the Ring.

Who stars in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’?

The sprawling series will reportedly juggle 22 stars and multiple storylines from deep within the dwarf mines to the elven kingdom of Lindon.

Vanity Fair has shared exclusive first look images of the series prior to the trailer's release.

Some of the actors and the characters that have been confirmed so far include:

  • Morfydd Clark as Galadriel: an Elven warrior who believes evil is returning to Middle-earth
  • Charlie Vickers as Halbrand: a human running from his past whose destiny is entwined with Galadriel's
  • Robert Aramayo as Elrond: a half-human, half-Elven architect and politician
  • Owain Arthur as Prince Durin IV: prince of the Dwarven city of Khazad-dûm
  • Sophia Nomvete as Princess Disa: princess of the Dwarven city of Khazad-dûm
  • Ismael Cruz Cordova as Arondir: a Silvan Elf with a forbidden love for the human healer Bronwyn
  • Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn: a human mother and healer who owns an apothecary in the Southlands
  • Maxim Baldry as Isildur: a human sailor who will eventually become a warrior and king (Aragorn's ancestor)
  • Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor: the Elven smith who forges the Rings of Power
  • Benjamin Walker as Gil-galad: the High King of the Elves who rules from the realm of Lindon

    Is there a trailer for ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’?

    Following the teaser trailer and title reveal released in Jan. 2020 which showed a river of molten lava flowing through a canyon, and teaser images on social media, the first official trailer was released on Sunday, Feb. 13, during the Super Bowl.

    How many seasons will ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ have?

    Amazon has made a five-season production commitment worth at least US$1 billion for the series. The planned five seasons of the show will seriously compress the thousands of years of history of Tolkien’s Second Age.

    Pre-production for the second season is expected to begin in the UK by the summer of 2022. Amazon Studios confirmed that they would be filming its second season in the UK rather than New Zealand, where shooting on the first season wrapped in 2021.

    Bray Film Studios and Bovingdon Airfield, both outside of London, will be the initial production locations for the season.

    TAGS: The Lord of The Rings JRR Tolkien Amazon Prime Video TLOR The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power

    About the author

    Kara Santos

    Kara Santos is a freelance writer and photographer based in Manila. Her blog at www.traveling-up.com is where she writes about travel, motorcycling, and food trips.