A few years ago, it was announced that Amazon was developing a television series set in the world of The Lord of the Rings. Set to be released on Amazon Prime Video and produced by Amazon in co-operation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema, the show was quickly confirmed to be committed to five seasons. This billion dollar deal has already made The Lord of the Rings the most expensive TV series ever mounted.
The beginning of filming was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the first season of the show finally wrapped filming in Auckland on August 2 2021. To coincide with the end of filming, both the release date and a first look picture were released. The Lord of the Rings will premiere on Amazon Prime on September 2 2022.
Most information about this upcoming television series has been kept under wraps. Even the first look picture, while beautiful, is not very revealing. With a lot of post-production left to do and the release date a year away, fans will have to wait quite a while to get more details about The Lord of the Rings. But what information is out there about the show already, and what is known so far?
Crew
The Lord of the Rings was developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, who are also acting as showrunners and executive producers. The two will also be writing on the series alongside Gennifer Hutchison, Jason Cahill, and Justin Doble, with Brian Cogman, Glenise Mullins, and Stephany Folsom acting as consultants. There is a massive amount of talent in this writing room, with writers who have worked on some of the most successful series of all time, including The Sopranos and Netflix's Stanger Things.
The first season of the show will have eight episodes. The first two will be directed by J.A. Bayona, who has directed films such as The Orphanage and The Impossible. Wayne Che Yip, who has worked on TV shows such as Doctor Who, Merlin, and Misfits, will be directing four other episodes. The other two episodes will be directed by Charlotte Brandstrom, who has directed episodes on Outlander and The Witcher. The series was filmed in New Zealand, where The Lord of the Rings movies were also filmed.
Storyline
The Lord of the Rings television series is not telling the story of the books. Instead, the show is said to be an epic drama set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. The show will be bringing to screen the heroic legends of the Second Age of Middle Earth, the Third Age being when the events of the original novels take place. According to the official synopsis, the series begins in a time of relative peace, and will follow an ensemble cast of characters as they confront evil emerging again in Middle Earth.
Tolkien experts act as consultants on the show in order to create a story that feels true to the original series. It has been confirmed that alongside new characters, there will be characters that are familiar to fans as well. In the books, Sauron is known to have been a major villain of the Second Age. While unconfirmed, it is likely that he will play a role in the series at some point, whether in the first season or later in the show's run. There are also rumours that a younger version of elf-ruler Elrond will appear in the show, although this has not been confirmed at this point. A young Galadriel, one of the greatest royal elves in Middle Earth, has already been cast in the series.
Cast
The Lord of The Rings boasts a massive ensemble cast. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch's Will Poulter was originally cast as one of the leads, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. He was replaced by Robert Aramayo, who played a young Eddard Stark in Game of Thrones. Aramayo will play one of the show's heroes. His Game of Thrones co-star and fellow Stark, Joseph Mawle, is said to be playing the show's primary villain.
Australian-born actress Markella Kavenagh will be playing one of the female leads. These characters have been listed as Beldor, Oren, and Tyra, respectively, although many speculate that these names are placeholders. Alongside these new characters, a young Galadriel will be featured in the series, played by Welsh actress Morfydd Clark.
Other members of the cast include; Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Beau Cassidy, Kip Chapman, Amelie Child-Villiers, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Tyroe Muhafidin, Peter Mullen, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani. What roles all of these actors will play in the series is unknown, as well as what familiar faces will make an appearance other than Galadriel.
The Lord of the Rings will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on September 2, 2022.