Get ready to return to Middle Earth. Amazon Prime Video is bringing subscribers a lavish new television series based on J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings, set during the Second Age, thousands of years before the events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit. As a previously-released synopsis stated, this series “will take 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.” That villain was Sauron and the Second Age is when he forged the powerful One Ring, so expect that to perhaps be the show’s main storyline.
Amazon has announced that filming for Season 1 has wrapped. It was filmed in New Zealand, as were the previous movies. The streaming service also announced a premiere date: September 2, 2022.
And now, on top of that, here is the first look at the sweeping new drama:
(For a massive panoramic version, head over to EW.)
J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay serve as co-showrunners. In a joint statement, they expressed:
“As Bilbo says, ‘Now I think I am quite ready to go on another journey.’ Living and breathing Middle-earth these many months has been the adventure of a lifetime. We cannot wait for fans to have the chance to do so as well.”
The new image depicts a mysterious figure, cloaked in white, standing before Valinor, the home of the angelic Valar. In the background are Telperion and Laurelin, the Two Trees of Valinor, which provided light to Middle Earth before the existence of the sun and moon.
Telperion and Laurelin were destroyed long before the Second Age, indicating that there will be flashbacks to times before then. This image was taken from the first episode, so perhaps there will be a history lesson before jumping into the action of the show’s main story.
The Lord of the Rings’ massive fellowship includes Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.
With a reported budget of $464 million, this is the most expensive TV series in history! Are you excited to see how The Lord of the Rings translates to the small screen?
