“One Ring to rule them all” has become a quote synonymous with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but the story as we know it is about to change. Amazon‘s hotly-anticipated TV series based on J.R.R Tolkein’s Middle-earth novels has finally unveiled its official title, as it looks to feature many rings.
In fact, it’s all in the name. As per the announcement video above, the show will be called The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, serving as a prequel set many years before the books and Peter Jackson-directed films. The 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, 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 the greatest villain 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 re-emergence 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 furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.
According to showrunners J.D Payne and Patrick McKay (via THR), this new entry is all about exploring “all the major stories of Middle-earth’s Second Age,” such as the rise of Sauron, the creation of the rings, and the “Last Alliance of Elves and Men”. “Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring — but before there was one, there were many…and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all,” said the duo in the press release.
The ensemble cast includes Westworld‘s Peter Mullan, Game of Thrones‘ Robert Aramayo and Joseph Mawle, The Mandalorian‘s Ismael Cruz Córdova, How I Met Your Mother‘s Nazanin Boniadi, and Lord of the Rings alum Peter Tait, among others. Amazon reportedly forked out a staggering US$465 million for the first season, alongside an additional US$250 million to acquire rights from the J.R.R Tolkien estate. In comparison, Game of Thrones cost around US$100 million per season.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on Prime Video on 2 September 2022, with new episodes dropping weekly each Friday. Elsewhere, Warner Bros. is working on a Lord of the Rings anime movie, while Daedelic Entertainment has made progress on its The Lord of the Rings: Gollum video game project.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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