The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Trailer, release date, plot and everything you need to know

The most expensive TV series of all time is closer than ever, with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power arriving later this year.

Viewers are set to return to Middle Earth for the first time since the last movie in the trilogy, Return of the King, was released in 2003.

Millions of fans around the world will be reunited with beloved characters and settings, as Amazon Prime Video brings back one of the most popular franchises of all time.

It’s estimated that five seasons of the series will cost the studio well over £738 million ($1 billion), with Jeff Bezos said to have a personal passion for Lord of the Rings and investing heavily in the series.

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It features a mix of established stars and up and coming talent, and focuses on an intriguing time in Middle Earth folklore.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Rings of Power.

Plot

Not long to wait now...Amazing Prime Video

While specifics about the plot have yet to be released, we know that the new series will take place in the Second Age of Middle-earth – thousands of years before the events of the films.

The synopsis for the show reads: “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.”

Trailer

Fans will have to wait until the full-length trailer drops during the Super Bowl on February 13, but there was a teaser clip released recently which fans got very excited about recently.

It featured the forging of the show’s title in steel and featured a passage from the books.“Three things for the Elven kings under the sky,’ the voiceover says.

“Seven for the dwarf lords in their halls of stone. Nine for mortal men, doomed to die. One for the dark lord, on his dark throne in the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.”

What’s even more amazing, is that no CGI shots were used in the making of the clip. Instead, melted steel was poured into a masterfully cut outline.

Cast

Lenny Henry leads the cast of the new showStuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

A host of talent is joining the series, helping to bring a new range of characters to life – as well as some familiar to fans of the movies.

Lenny Henry is one of the biggest stars involved in the series. Sophia Nomvete is also playing the franchise’s first woman dwarf character.

Peter Mullan, Cynthia Adlai-Robinson, Benjamin Walker and Trystan Gravelle as playing as-yet-unnamed characters.

One of the most significant bits of casting news sees Saint Maud star Morfydd Clark play Galadriel, who was portrayed by Cate Blanchett in the trilogy.

The actress is playing elf queen GaladrielGareth Cattermole/Getty Images For BFI

Despite widespread positivity among fans, the series creators recently responded to criticism from trolls who hit out at the diverse cast of the show.

“It felt only natural to us that an adaptation of Tolkien’s work would reflect what the world actually looks like,” said executive producer Lindsey Weber.

“Tolkien is for everyone. His stories are about his fictional races doing their best work when they leave the isolation of their own cultures and come together.”

Release date

The Rings of Power will arrive on September 2 on Amazon Prime Video.

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