UPDATE [25/07/2022]: Fans patiently waiting for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power to premiere on Amazon Prime later this year were treated to a meaty new trailer for the forthcoming series earlier this month, as part of Prime Day. And while many thought this would be the most comprehensive look we’d get of the new Lord of the Rings series before the Amazon-exclusive premieres on September 2nd of 2022, it seems like San Diego Comic-Con has stepped in with an even longer The Rings of Power trailer.
Providing our best look at the new series to date, the SDCC trailer clocks at just over three minutes. You can watch it above.
Original Article – At Long Last, Amazon’s ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Series Has A Full-Length Trailer
As part of Amazon Prime Day, Prime members were served up an “exclusive” 60-second trailer for the company’s much-hyped billion-dollar series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Of course, this being the age of the internet and all, secrets don’t remain secrets for long (regardless of whatever paywall is in place). But it wasn’t the only thing they had loaded in the chamber for us.
The brief preview – which once again didn’t offer much in the way of story – closed by hinting some more teaser content was on the way. And more teaser content is exactly what we received in the late hours of the evening, providing the most extensive look at Amazon’s Middle-earth to date.
“It will not just be the end of our people, but all peoples. The past is death. We either move forward or we die with it,” audiences are warned in the brand new footage.
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Currently, all we really know about what to expect is that it’ll be set thousands of years before the events of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, depicting the “heroic legends” of Middle-earth’s fabled Second Age history.
Transporting audiences back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, and hope hung by the finest of threads, the “greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen” – Sauron – will make a return to screens, threatening to consume the world in darkness.
Beginning in a time of relative peace, this particular adaptation follows an ensemble cast of characters as they confront this long-feared re-emergence of evil. From the depths of the Misty Mountains to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor and the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will “carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”
The latest teaser ends with a date – July 14th – which isn’t the confirmed release date. Many have speculated this is when we can finally expect a full trailer, one that may hopefully pull the covers and shed some more light on the narrative direction.
On the topic of direction, Amazon Studios recently (double) confirmed it’s going all-in with reports the first five seasons have already been “fully planned out.”
“Across those five seasons, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings Of Power will weave a story of Elves, Dwarves, Harfoots, and more,” explains Empire.
“Set against an epic backdrop of major events from the history of Middle-earth – from the forging of the rings to the rise of Sauron.”
RELATED: Amazon’s ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Series Is Abandoning NZ For Season 2
“It was like Tolkien put some stars in the sky and let us make out the constellations,” showrunner JD Payne told the publication.
“In his letters, Tolkien talked about wanting to leave behind a mythology that ‘left scope for other minds and hands, wielding the tools of paint, music and drama.’”
“We’re doing what Tolkien wanted. As long as we felt like every invention of ours was true to his essence, we knew we were on the right track.”
Considering the hefty financial investment behind this entire undertaking, you can understand why Amazon is so keen to milk the property for all its worth. Acquiring the rights from Tolkien’s estate alone sapped US$250 million / $360 billion from old man Bezos’ coffers.
As alluded to earlier, according to The Hollywood Reporter, history’s most expensive series is expected to cost well beyond US$1 billion / AU$1.4 billion all up; with current estimates placing the cost of the first two seasons alone at around US$500 million / AU$720 million. For reference, Peter Jackson’s original film trilogy only required approximately US$280 million / AU$400 million.
Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been directed by Charlotte Brändström and produced by Christopher Newman. Showrunners John D. Payne and Patrick McKay of Star Trek Beyond fame have also served as executive producers of the series alongside Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, J.A. Bayona, Belén Atienza, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Bruce Richmond, Sharon Tal Yguado, and Wayne Che Yip.
As for when you can expect it to premiere on Amazon Prime Video, September 2nd of 2022 has been locked in as the official release date – check out the latest The Lord of the Rings series trailer above (and the earlier teaser below).
