We’ve just gotten another official look at the long-awaited The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. While details about the plot are a bit scarce, we know that the series happens well before the adventures of the Baggins of the Shire. That being said, Middle-earth is not a land of peace. Dark powers are working in the shadows, with the ability to threaten the Elves, Dwarves, and other residents of J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous fantasy world.
The official synopsis is as follows:
This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, and will take viewers 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, and one of the greatest villains that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”
While most people might be familiar with the story of Bilbo told in The Hobbit or his nephew Frodo’s adventure in The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien actually wrote a wealth of stories about Middle-earth. Perhaps the most important of these is The Silmarillion, a collection of stories about its earlier eras. It’s safe to say this series will take a lot of cues from those stories. It’ll also take some inspiration from The Lord of the Rings‘ appendices.
The show was created by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, who will also act as showrunners. Amazon bought the rights for $250 million, and committed to a production schedule that includes five whole seasons. The whole show is said to be worth $1 billion, making it the most expensive TV show ever produced.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will debut on Amazon’s Prime Video on September 2.
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