In a surprise move Thursday, Amazon dropped its first extended look at The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and it is absolutely epic.
Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and its appendices, The Rings of Power is set thousands of years before Peter Jackson’s first and second film trilogies and will introduce viewers to an entirely new cast, covering all major events of Middle-earth’s Second Age, including the rise of Sauron, the fall of the Kingdom of Numenor, and the last alliance of Elves and Men.
The Rings of Power has yet to generate the kind of buzz that Amazon would have probably liked (the latest teaser is still sitting at just 100k views or so), but if the new trailer is representative of the experience viewers can expect from the new series, that may be about to change.
Starring Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Miriel, a human and queen regent on Numenor, Robert Aramayo as Elrond (played by Hugo Weaving in The Fellowship of the Ring), a half-Eleven architect and politician, Owain Arthur as Durin IV, prince of the Dwarven city of Khazad-dum (yes, that Khazad-dum), Maxim Baldry as Isildur, a human sailor and future warrior king, Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn, a human mother and healer, and Morfydd Clark as Galadriel (played by Cate Blanchett in the original trilogy), The Rings of Power will take viewers back to a time before Sauron and the Ringwraiths, when the world was flat, before the downfall of Numenor (an interesting spin which will no doubt make for some incredible world building in the Amazon exclusive).
Galadriel and Elrond return in the Rings of Power
After making such a memorable impression on viewers in 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring, Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel returned to the series in The Hobbit alongside Gandalf to push the Dark Lord back.
In The Rings of Power, Galadriel is younger, fierce and determined to eliminate the remnants of Morgoth, the First Enemy, who was eliminated at the end of the First Age. Sensing that Sauron is building his strength, Galadriel will try to build an alliance to prevent him from following in Morgoth’s footsteps.
“May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” — Galadriel – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Elrond plays an advisory role, a narrator of sorts who warns against the dangers of the ring and eventually leaves Middle-earth for the Undying Lands as the events of The Return of the King play out. In The Rings of Power, we’ll also see a younger, more ambitious Elrond, who is described as an “architect,” likely because he has yet to build Rivendell – something that will no doubt unfold in The Rings of Power.
Amazon’s newest trailer is a taste of things to come
Surprisingly, many viewers yawned when Amazon announced it had acquired the rights to the story for a quarter billion dollars back in 2017. However, the newest trailer gives us spectacular insight into what the showrunners have in store. From epic world-building, a solid soundtrack and stacked cast, The Rings of Power appears to be shaping up to be an absolute smash for Amazon Prime this September.
Are you excited for Amazon’s prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age epic on Middle-earth? Don’t forget to leave your comment below!