The return to Middle-earth officially has a date now. There has been a lot of excitement and curiosity about the upcoming Lord of the Rings series that will be released on Amazon Prime. Now a release date has been confirmed, and while the wait is still a long one, a first image of the series has also been released.
The news comes from Amazon Prime itself as they confirmed the airdate on their Twitter account. The Lord of the Rings will debut on September 2, 2022, on Amazon Prime with new episodes being released on a weekly basis. The tweet also included an image showcasing the lavish production value of the show and its take on Middle-earth.
While the image doesn't offer much in the way of the story, it features a lone character looking out at a grand and stunning city in the distance. Recent reports of the series costing over $400 million had many people talking, but this first image makes it clear that the series is attempting the recreate the grand scale and impressive visuals of Peter Jackson's beloved movie trilogy.
As to be expected with the series of this size, the details of the show's plot are being kept under wraps. However, it has been reported that the series will take place in the Second Age of Middle-earth which takes place thousands of years before the events of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The show will be overseen by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay and the first two episodes of the season will be directed by J. A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom).
The series will also feature a large ensemble cast including 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.
Any news of this highly anticipated series is going to be met enthusiastically by fans, even if the news means a year-long wait for its premiere. But with the long legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien's work and the massive love of the movie trilogy, it's easy to see why so many have their eyes on this series. Amazon is clearly hoping this show will become the next Game of Thrones and the strong fanbase certainly gives it an edge. And while the image is only a small hint at what the show will be like, it is impressive and continues to show how the size of television projects is changing. With Marvel's Disney+ shows, they have proven movie quality productions can happen on the small screen. What remains to be seen is what kind of original story the Lord of the Rings series can do with this iconic source material.
Source: Amazon Prime | Twitter