The Misty Mountains, the ancient forests, and all the hills and dells of Middle-Earth are beckoning once more. Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterful fantasy world have cause to rejoice with Prime Video's hit series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, exploring a hitherto unseen age of Middle-Earth. This brand-new show takes fans back thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and its sequel trilogy, to a time when legends were made.
The show has been developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, who are also serving as showrunners. There is a lot riding on the show's success, including a price tag of $465 million for the first season alone. With a budget like that and generations of fans waiting in the audience, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has so far proven to be worth the hype, with an expansive world and an intricate story. Read on for all the details you need to know about the series.
Editor's Note: This piece was updated on September 25.
Read more about Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power:
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What Is the Meaning of Elendil's Sword in 'The Rings of Power'?
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How Accurate Is 'The Rings of Power' From a Tolkien Book Fan Perspective?
Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Trailer
The first trailer for Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was released during Super Bowl 2022. Much before that, in August 2021, Amazon celebrated the end of Season 1 filming by revealing the first official glimpse at the series.
The second trailer for Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was released on July 14, 2022, giving fans a more in-depth look at the size, scale, and story of the highly anticipated new series. This was followed by yet another trailer shortly after, released at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. Check out the latest trailer here:
The final trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted on August 24, 2022. The two-and-a-half-minute preview doubled down on displaying the series' stunning visual effects and the epic scope of the series while also giving us a bit more of a hint at what the overall story is.
When Did The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Premiere?
Season 1 of Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series debuted on September 2, 2022. Subsequent episodes are being released weekly on Amazon Prime Video.
Who's In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Cast?
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power boasts a massive star-studded ensemble cast. Nearly 40 actors are in the show.
The cast members who have been announced for the show include Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Tyroe Muhafidin, Daniel Weyman, Joseph Mawle, Markella Kavenagh, Ema Horvath, Morfydd Clark, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Simon Merrells, Geoff Morrell, Peter Mullan, Lloyd Owen, Charles Edwards, Will Fletcher, Amelie Child-Villiers, Beau Cassidy, Augustus Prew, Peter Tait, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Sara Zwangobani, and Sir Lenny Henry.
Will Poulter (We're the Millers) was also initially announced for the cast as well but has since dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. His role was reportedly recast with Robert Aramayo taking over.
Who Are the Confirmed Characters in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
Seven character names were revealed in February 2022 and some of them are key figures in the LOTR mythos. More names were announced after the release of the show's first teaser. Markella Kavenagh was the first actor cast for the show and she plays one of the lead roles. Her character is called Elanor ‘Nori’ Brandifoot and is an early ancestor of the hobbits. It was originally reported that she would play a character called Tyra but it turns out that was just a placeholder name (this is also true of many of the characters who were initially named).
Robert Aramayo plays another lead role, appearing as the half-elven hero Elrond. His character was originally announced as “Beldor" but fans had speculated that he could be Elrond, played by Hugo Weaving in the Peter Jackson movies. Morfydd Clark appears as a young Galadriel, who was played by Cate Blanchett in the movies. A powerful mystic and very important elf at her prime, the younger Galadriel is still on her way to becoming the elf queen we know and love. Owain Arthur plays Prince Durin IV, leader of the dwarves. Believed to be a reincarnation of the legendary dwarf king Durin, the prince would eventually become king of his people and hold one of the rings of power in the books. Sophia Nomvete plays Princess Disa, a princess of the dwarves. Disa is a new character created specifically for the show.
Ismael Cruz Córdova appears as Arondir, another new character created for the show. Arondir is an elf warrior, highly proficient with a bow. He falls in love with a human healer called Bronwyn (also a new character), played by Nazanin Boniadi. Charlie Vickers plays Halbrand, a human who comes in contact with Galadriel. Halbrand is yet another show-only character. Benjamin Walker appears as High King Gil-galad, leader of the Noldorin elves and one of the legendary heroes of Middle-Earth. In the books, Gil-galad and Aragorn's ancestor Elendil join forces to overthrow Sauron, giving their lives to defeat the Dark Lord.
For more on the show's characters, check out our comprehensive Rings of Power Cast and Character Guide.
When and Where Did The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Film?
Filming for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power began in February 2020 in New Zealand. The production was placed on hold in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show was eventually given the go-ahead to resume filming but entered into a production break. Work on the show resumed in September 2020.
J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), who is the director of the show’s first two episodes, confirmed he had completed filming on his episodes in December 2020. Wayne Che Yip (Doctor Who, Doom Patrol) confirmed that he was directing four episodes in March 2021, and filming on those episodes was underway at the time. Charlotte Brändström (The Witcher) was also confirmed as director for two episodes in May 2021. There were reports of a number of stunt-related injuries on the sets. Amazon has since issued a statement that reports of serious injuries on set are “completely inaccurate”.
Season 1 wrapped filming in August 2021 and the second season will move production from New Zealand to the U.K.
When Is The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Set?
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set a couple of thousand years before the events of The Hobbit. For those who are well-versed in Tolkein’s lore, that’s the Second Age of Middle-Earth. It’s a time before the founding of the Shire, when elves still ruled powerful kingdoms, and the great alliances of the Free People were yet to be forged.
Most of the older characters in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were still in their youth, including Elrond, and Galadriel. Elendil, the ancestor of Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) wasn’t even born until a few thousand years into the Second Age. That should give you some idea about the breadth of this show.
This is when the maps of Middle-Earth were redrawn and new alliances made. This age would lay the groundwork for the stories that we know and love but that future was still many thousands of years away. If that’s too much lore for you, just know that this was a time of massive upheaval and the decisions made here would echo through the centuries to come.
How Does The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Connect to the Movies?
For the most part, there won’t be any direct links to the six movies that have already been released. However, the show is expected to be set in the same continuity as the movies, just far back in the past.
Due to a series of copyright restrictions, the show is not allowed to explore the actual events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. So we won’t be seeing a retelling of the movies in any way but we will get some background information on those events.
What Is the Story of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
Tolkien site The One Ring revealed a confirmed synopsis for the series in January 2021 that confirmed a number of locations that will appear on the show. Here’s what it says:
“Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and 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.
Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. 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.”
According to Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey, who is involved with the show, the series’ creative team is only allowed to reference and use content mentioned in the Lord of the Rings books and the extensive appendices attached to them. That still leaves a lot of stories that the show can explore, such as Sauron’s invasion and subsequent capture by the Númenoreans, the Fall of Númenor, and the forming of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men by Elendil and Gil-galad. Amazon has given the series a multiple-season order with at least five seasons in the works, each of eight to ten episodes.
The official synopsis via Amazon reads:
Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and 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. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. 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.