Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an American fantasy television series developed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay for the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. Based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings, the series is set thousands of years before the novel and depicts the major events of Middle-earth’s Second Age. Amazon MGM Studios produces it in association with New Line Cinema.

Amazon acquired the television rights for The Lord of the Rings from the Tolkien Estate in November 2017, making a five-season production commitment worth at least US$1 billion. This would make it the most expensive television series ever made. Payne and McKay were hired in July 2018 for their first credited roles. They developed the story by bridging Second Age references in the appendices with original material, in consultation with the estate and Tolkien lore experts. Per the requirements of Amazon’s deal with the estate, the series is not a continuation of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. Despite this, the producers intended to evoke the films using similar production designs, younger versions of film characters, and a main theme by Howard Shore who composed the music for both film trilogies. Bear McCreary composed the series’ original score.

A large international cast was hired and filming for the eight-episode first season took place in New Zealand, where the films were produced, from February 2020 to August 2021. This included a production break of several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon moved production for future seasons to the United Kingdom. Filming for the second season took place there from October 2022 to June 2023, finishing amid the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Work on a potential third season has begun.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered on September 1, 2022. The first season was released in October, and was the most-watched of any Prime Video original series according to Amazon. It received generally positive reviews from critics, particularly for its visuals and designs, but there were criticisms for the writing and pacing. The second season will be released from August to October 2024. It has been met with lower viewership than the first season and a similar critical response.

Premise:

Set thousands of years before the events of the novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, the series is based on the author’s history of Middle-earth. It begins during a time of relative peace and covers the major events of Middle-earth’s Second Age: the forging of the Rings of Power, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the fall of the island kingdom of Númenor, and the last alliance between Elves and Men.[1] These events take place over thousands of years in Tolkien’s works but are condensed for the series.[2]

Storyline:

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. It 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 familiar and new characters 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.

Casting:

Salke stated in June 2018 that the series would include some characters from the films,[62], and the showrunners intended for the new actors to look like they could feasibly grow up to be their film counterparts.[17] In January 2020, Amazon announced that the series’ main cast would include Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyrone Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, and Daniel Weyman.[63] Aramayo and Clark were cast as younger versions of the film characters Elrond and Galadriel, respectively.[64] Amazon’s co-head of television Vernon Sanders noted that some key roles still had yet to be filled.[63] In December, Amazon announced 20 new cast members: Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Lenny Henry, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Simon Merrells, Geoff Morrell, Peter Mullan, Lloyd Owen, Augustus Prew, Peter Tait, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, and Sara Zwangobani.[65] Baldry, Owen, and Walker portray Isildur, Elendil, and Gil-galad, respectively, characters that appeared in the films during flashbacks.[17][25][64] Budge revealed in March 2021 that Amazon had decided to recast his character after filming several episodes.[66][67] Charles Edwards was cast to replace him that July.[2][68] Will Fletcher, Amelie Child-Villiers, and Beau Cassidy were also added to the cast then.[68]

Boniadi chose not to return for the second season and her character Bronwyn was not recast.[18] In early December 2022, Sam Hazeldine was revealed to have replaced Joseph Mawle in the role of Adar for the second season. Amazon also announced the casting of Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen “Zates” Atour, Ben Daniels, Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle, and Nicholas Woodeson.[29] Daniels portrays Círdan, a character that briefly appeared in the films.[69][70] A week later, Amazon further announced the casting of Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Gavi Singh Chera, William Chubb, Kevin Eldon, Will Keen, Selina Lo, and Calam Lynch.[71] Amazon announced the casting of Ciarán Hinds, Rory Kinnear, and Tanya Moodie in March 2023.[72]

Release:

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered on Prime Video in the United States on September 1, 2022.[123] Episodes are released in more than 240 countries and territories at the same time as the US.