Forth Eorlingas! We have our first look at the upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series at Amazon, revealing the setting of the show and also confirming that principal photography has wrapped for Season 1. Amazon also just announced that the series is set to premiere next year.
Lord of the Rings was initially announced by Amazon four years ago, making headlines because of its huge $465 million price tag, but other than that, we still know rather little about the show. We do know that J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay are executive producing the show and acting as showrunners, with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director J.A. Bayona helming the first two episodes.
The ensemble cast includes Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.
The image teases what appears to be the legendary city of Valmar on the continent of Amar, where the Valar reside. It is basically Middle-earth's version of Heaven, where those who shape and ruled the world lived, and where characters like Gandalf, Saruman, and even Sauron come from. If the show truly gets to the realm of Valinor, then we are in for a deep dive into the lore of J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.
While the plot of the series is still under lock, key, and guarded behind the magic Doors of Durin, we do know that it is set during the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of the Peter Jackson movies. it is during the Second Age that Sauron constructed the rings of power and the Nazgûl appeared.
The still-untitled Lord of the Rings TV series will premiere on September 2, 2022 on Prime Video and have a weekly release. In the meantime, check out the first image below.
