The Lord of the Rings fans raise your goblets in celebration, because the television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be coming back for a second season. As we’re sure you already know, this fantasy series is based on The Lord of the Rings novels and its appendices by J.R.R. Tolkien. The novels were turned into hit films by director Peter Jackson starting back in 2001. The trilogy starred Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sir Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, and Sean Astin.
After The Lord of the Rings trilogy Tolkien’s novel, The Hobbit, was adapted into a film series of three parts in 2012. The Hobbit was the original story and The Lord of the Rings was meant to be a sequel which ended up taking on a life of its own. The last time audiences saw a major production in the world of Middle-earth was in 2014 with the release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. That made the creation of a TV show in this fantasy world highly anticipated among fans. The first season of The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power was produced by Amazon Studios and is known as the most expensive TV show ever made. With such a large budget, there were moments of the show where you actually felt like you were watching a feature film. The visuals were stunning, the costumes intricate, and the locations larger-than-life. Apparently the second season is meant to be even more impressive, according to showrunners. Needless to say, we are pretty excited about Season 2 and all it promises.
The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power takes place thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in the Second Age of Middle-earth. However, because of the immortality of the elves, we see shared characters like the elf, Galadriel. We also see characters that we have only heard about in the future, such as the dwarf, Durin. With the eight-episode season, we will learn more about these characters and meet some new ones as well. Here is everything we know so far about Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power.
6 When and Where is ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Being Released?
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 will be officially released on August 29, 2024. Vernon Sanders, the head of Amazon Studios, revealed to Collider that production for the new season has run smoother than the first.
“There have been some conversations about Season 3, and we are making some investments to make sure that we are ready for Season 3. We are committed to JD (John D. Payne) and Patrick [McKay’s] vision for this, and I’m confident that we’ll be making many more seasons to come, but we’ll announce Season 3 when we’re ready, even as we continue to put stakes in the ground for that. We’re very excited about our future with this one.”
Showrunners Patrick McKay and JD Payne made a deal with Amazon to run the series through until Season 5, although it is still expected that Prime Video will have to give the final say before each enters production. You can catch all of Season 2 on Prime Video upon its debut, with every episode of Season 1 already on the platform. However, excitingly, if you don’t currently have Prime, you can still catch all of Season 1 as it will be airing for free on Samsung devices via Samsung TV Plus until August 28.
5Is There a Trailer for ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’?
The official trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 was released on August 14 and is available to watch above. This trailer is nothing short of epic, with a powerful score rousing fire in the bellies of viewers. The threat Sauron poses to all of Middle-earth looks to be in full effect, as the trailer teases mammoth encounters to come. War and desolation are on the menu, as are the meeting of great characters, headlined by the final moments of the trailer that showcase a heated moment between Sauron and Galadriel (Morfydd Clark). With the second season now closer than ever, the nerves of battle begin to reverberate within the fanbase with this trailer beautifully amplifying the tension.
4Who Are the Stars of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’?
The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power takes place in multiple places involving characters of multiple races. In all of her glowing glory, Galadriel the elf is played by Morfydd Clark. Clark has previously appeared on television in His Dark Materials and Dracula. Her films include Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Saint Maud, and Crawl, among others. Nori Brandyfoot, the young Hobbit is portrayed by Australian actress, Markella Kavenagh. She has appeared in multiple TV series, such as Romper Stomper, The Gloaming, and Bad Behavior. Her films include My First Summer and True History of the Kelly Gang.
Ismael Cruz Cordova (Mary Queen of Scots) plays the elf Arondir, Robert Aramayo (The Empty Man) takes on the role of the elf Elrond, while Benjamin Walker (Flags of Our Fathers) plays the elf-King Gil-galad. Returning roles include Charles Edwards (The Crown) as Celebrimbor, Daniel Weyman (Silent Witness) as The Stranger, Owain Arthur (The Palace) as Durin IV, Charlie Vickers (Medici) as Halbrand/Sauron, Cynthia Addai-Rbinson (Columbiana) as Queen Míriel, and Sophia Nomvete (Swashbuckle) as Disa. One major player from last season has been re-cast, which is Adar the cruel leader of the Orcs. He was originally played by Joseph Mawle (Game of Thrones) and will now be played by Sam Hazeldine (Peaky Blinders).
Many new faces will be joining the cast including Academy Award nominee Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Tanya Moddie (Empire of Light), and Rory Kinnear (Penny Dreadful). Others added to the cast include Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour (Young Wallander), Ben Daniels (The Exorcist), Nicholas Woodeson (Skyfall), Oliver Alvin-Wilson (Murder in Provence), Gabirle Akuwudike (Hanna), Stuart Bowman (Versailles), Gavi Singh Chera (The Undeclared War), Kevin Eldon (Hot Fuzz), Will Keen (Wolf Hall), William Chubb (The Ambassador), Selina Lo (Hellraiser), and Calam Lynch (Dunkirk). We don’t have information about the new characters, but we know that the oldest living elf, Círdan the Shipwright, will show his face.
3What is the Plot of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’?
Now that we know the true identity of Sauron, we will witness how he comes to power and forges the rings. The inclusion of Sauron will mean that the series will venture further into darkness. The creation of the rings from mithril promises the inclusion of the Dwarf mines in Khazad-dûm and possibly the Balrog who lives beneath them. On the other end of the spectrum, we have The Stranger (hinted to be Gandalf) who will be traveling to Rhûn to discover more about himself and his power as an Istar (Wizard). An official synopsis for Season 2 reads:
“Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will. Building on Season 1’s epic scope and ambition, Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.”
2Who is the Creative Team Behind ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’?
With a television series as grandiose as The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, there is bound to be a large and talented team behind the scenes making the magic happen. At the head of the fellowship are directors Charlotte Brändström, Louise Hooper, and Sanaa Hamri. Brändström directed two episodes in the first season of the series. In addition to the lead director (who was previously Wayne Che Yip), she wears another hat for the series as co-executive producer. Each of the other directors has previously worked on fantasy TV shows, with Hooper directing some episodes of The Witcher and The Sandman and Hamri directing parts of The Wheel of Time. As previously mentioned, the showrunners are J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. Composer Bear McCreary uses music to intensify the drama and give audiences an emotional experience.
1Where Was ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Filmed?
Any true fan of the franchise knows that the original films were shot in New Zealand, and the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was no different. However, creators are making a change with the second season, with locations moved to the U.K. They began filming at Bray Studios, which is in Berkshire, right outside London. There are multiple reasons for this change, including it will save on production costs, it is more accessible to other locations in Europe, and it connects to the U.K.’s influence on Tolkien’s writing. Let us hope that the scenes shot in Europe are just as picturesque as in New Zealand because one does not simply choose any old spot for the majestic scenes of Middle-earth. While all major productions had to stop filming due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Rings of Power was lucky enough to conclude filming before the deadline.
