As the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams battled it out in the Super Bowl LVI’s third quarter, Amazon Prime Video unveiled the very first teaser trailer for its upcoming The Lord of the Rings series.
The billion-dollar adaptation is 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. It’ll transport audiences 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; featuring “the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen”, who threatens to consume the world in darkness: the Dark Lord Sauron.
Beginning in a time of relative peace, Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power follows an ensemble cast of characters as they confront this long-feared re-emergence of evil. From the darkest 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.”
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In the minute-long preview dropped today, Tolkien fans are offered a glimpse of a few familiar characters – such as the younger versions of ancient elves Galadriel and Elrond, portrayed by Morfydd Clark and Robert Aramayo respectively – in addition to a handful of brand new characters created specifically for the show, including wood-elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cruz Córdova) and human healer Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi). Here’s a quick breakdown of the XL ensemble cast’s most notable highlights:
- Robert Aramayo as Elrond: a half-human, half-Elven architect & politician
- Owain Arthur as Durin IV: Prince of the Dwarven city Khazad-dûm
- Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn: a human mother & healer who owns an apothecary in the Southlands
- Morfydd Clark as Galadriel: an Elven warrior who believes evil is returning to Middle-earth
- Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir: a Silvan Elf with a forbidden love for the human healer Bronwyn
- Markella Kavenagh as a curious Harfoot
- Sophia Nomvete as Disa: Princess of Khazad-dûm
- Megan Richards as another curious Harfoot
- Charlie Vickers as Halbrand: a human running from his past whose destiny is entwined with Galadriel’s
- Maxim Baldry as Isildur: a human sailor who will eventually become a warrior & king
- Lenny Henry as a Harfoot elder
- Simon Merrells as Trevyn
- Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor: the Elven smith who forges the Rings of Power
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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.
The world’s most expensive TV show is currently scheduled to premiere on September 2nd of 2022 in 240 international territories via Prime Video, almost eight years since the release of Peter Jackson’s universally panned closing instalment of The Hobbit trilogy, The Battle of the Five Armies.
“As Bilbo says: ‘Now I think I am quite ready to go on another journey,’” JD Payne and Patrick McKay expressed on a previous occasion.
“Living and breathing Middle-earth these many months has been the adventure of a lifetime. We cannot wait for fans to have the chance to do so as well.”
“I can’t express enough just how excited we all are to take our global audience on a new and epic journey through Middle-earth,” adds Jennifer Salke, CEO of Amazon Studios.
“Our talented producers, cast, creative, and production teams have worked tirelessly in New Zealand to bring this untold and awe-inspiring vision to life.”
Check out the first teaser trailer for Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series above.
