Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has aired its season finale, and it did not come without intrigue in its own right. The season finale came with tension-packed storytelling and a big reveal. For the first time, we get to see how some of the titular rings of power — Narya, Nenya, and Vilya – the three elven rings — were forged. But the episode’s biggest reveal, and the one most had been waiting for, was that of the identity of Sauron – our chief villain. Not to spoil anything here, but Sauron's reveal helps set up the series for Season 2.
With Sauron now revealed and in play on Middle-earth, the story for the next season will begin to expand and include more canonical characters like the ancient elf, Cirdan. Speaking to Deadline, showrunner Patrick McKay revealed that the character has already been cast, “Cirdan will be a part of the adventure moving forward in Season 2,” he said. “We’ve cast a wonderful actor to play him that we will announce at some future date.” McKay goes on to add that audiences can expect to see more canonical characters in season two and beyond, stating, “part of the fun of telling a story in Middle-earth is that there’s all these wonderful canon characters that you’ve met Season 1 and then there are additional canon characters that we will get to in future seasons. If you know the lore, you know, anybody is fair game who might have been a part of the world at this time.”
For those unfamiliar with J.R.R. Tolkien’s lore, Cirdan the Shipwright is an ancient elf. Skilled more than most in the craft of shipbuilding, Cirdan was one of the noblest of the Sindarin elves. He would serve as Lord of the Falas during the First Age, and during the Second, Third, and Fourth Ages as Master of the Grey Havens. Cirdan by the second age was the oldest elf in Middle-earth but his inclusion in the series would probably revolve around the fact that he was gifted the elven ring, Narya by Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). The ring would eventually pass to Gandalf.
Rings of Power executive producer Lindsey Weber also spoke about what to expect from the show’s sophomore season. With Sauron revealed, Weber noted that “season 2 is fundamentally different in that our main villain is out and about and doing his thing.” Before adding, “I think in some ways, it’s going to be grittier, more intense, maybe a little scarier. Certainly, it has a lot of the same other tonal ranges that you find in the show, which we feel are really sort of fundamental to feeling like you’re in Middle-earth, but once Sauron is openly on the move and working his plans, things get rather interesting.”
The first season of Rings of Power is available to stream on Prime Video.