Prime Video brought us back to Middle-earth with its high-budget series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and it has been special to be back. Now, per The Hollywood Reporter, the second season of the show has begun filming.
Rings of Power is focused on the Second Age of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth and the forging of the titular rings of power. The series sees the gradual banding together of heroes and warriors of all races as they prepare to face the return of evil to Arda. We are yet to meet the new Dark Lord, but we have met some of his fiercest opponents already. The elf, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), and Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) amongst a host of others are those who seek to stand in his way. Filming for the second season per the report began just outside London on Monday, Oct. 3, at Bray Studios. The first season of the show was filmed in New Zealand just like the theatrical trilogy by Peter Jackson. The decision to move locations is believed to revolve around the U.K being more economical, as well as where Amazon is establishing a multi-show hub.
The series is getting set for the release of its seventh and penultimate episode this Friday and the second season is believed to be eight episodes as well. Showrunners, JD Payne and Patrick McKay alongside executive producer, JA Bayona had confirmed previously that they knew how the story ends, “We even know what our final shot of the last episode is going to be.” Payne goes on to add, “The rights that Amazon bought were for a 50-hour show,” he explains. “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.”
Rings of Power has been in a form of silent contest with yet another big fantasy series, House of the Dragon. According to Nielsen streaming ranking, the Tolkien-inspired series is leading the way at least as far as debut week viewership is concerned, racking up 1.3 billion minutes viewed across the platform.
The cast for the series includes Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, 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, Daniel Weyman and Sara Zwangobani. The cast for season two will, however, welcome the character of Círdan, one of the wisest and oldest of elves. The character is yet to be cast.
Rings of Power premiere new episodes weekly every Friday on Prime Video. Check out the trailer for the series below: