‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Premiere Date, Cast, Trailers, and More

It’s almost time to return to Middle-earth. Amazon’s lavish new Lord of the Rings show, The Lord of Rings: The Rings of Power, will premiere on Prime Video on September 2. The show will explore a part of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s world hitherto only hinted at in the Appendices and other writings: the Second Age. This is the era in which men lived in peace in Númenor and the Rings of Power were forged. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will finally tell the story of how Sauron deceived the elves, dwarves, and mankind with flattery, trickery, and one ring to rule them all.

In 2017, Christopher Tolkien, the steward of the Tolkien estate, stunned the world when he auctioned off the rights to the Appendices. Amazon spent a whopping $250 million to outbid the likes of Netflix and HBO. So when The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power hits screens, you’re going to be watching one of the most expensive shows ever made.

You can also expect to encounter a version of Middle-earth that will feel both foreign and familiar. Gone are the hobbits and wizards, and in their place we’re getting harfoots and one strange man who arrives on Middle-earth via a meteor. We won’t see the likes of Aragorn or Saruman, but there will be younger, more ambitious versions of Elrond and Galadriel. The Mines of Moria won’t be the creepy tomb the Fellowship fought through, but home to the glittering city of Khazad-dûm.

While Amazon has been coy on many of the details about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, we have been treated to a few teaser trailers, splashy features, and character introductions. Here’s everything we know so far about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Prime Video…

What is The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s Premiere Date?

The first two episodes of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will premiere on Prime Video at 9 PM ET on September 1, 2022, just in time for the long Labor Day weekend. Subsequent episodes will premiere at 12 AM ET on Fridays.

The first episode was written by series creators and showrunners J. D. Payne & Patrick McKay and directed by J.A. Bayona. New episodes will premiere weekly after that.

Is The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power a Prequel?

It is indeed! The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set in Tolkein’s Second Age, which takes place thousands of years before the events of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which in turn mark the end of the Third Age.

During the Second Age, humans had established a utopian society called Númenor, located on a large island southwest of Middle-earth. Galadriel and Elrond were alive, but much younger and more ambitious. Arwen wasn’t born yet. The mines of Khazad-dûm weren’t the wasted tomb Gandalf fell to the Balrog in, but a magnificent royal abode. Oh, and hobbits didn’t exist yet. Instead, the “halflings” we’ll meet are their Harfoot ancestors.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will dramatize some of the key events of the Second Age, including the fall of Númenor, the rise of Sauron, and the forging of the Rings of Power — aka all the rings in that “one ring to rule them all” rhyme. One thing that is exciting to many Tolkien fans is the fact that we only have scant details about this time in Middle-earth lore. Hopefully the show will successfully bring this time to life.

Who’s Who in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Cast?

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a sprawling ensemble show, full of character actors and up-and-coming stars playing iconic characters like Galadriel and wholly original creations like Nori Brandyfoot and the mysterious warrior Halbrand. Amazon has yet to reveal the full cast list for the series, but here’s what they’ve revealed so far through press releases, social media posts, a February feature in Vanity Fair, and a recent feature on Númenor in EW.

ELVES

Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, the leader of the Northern Armies, who is certain a once-defeated evil has returned to Middle-earth. Cate Blanchett plays an older version of this character in the Peter Jackson films.

Robert Aramayo as Elrond, an ambitious, politically savvy elf who is asked to parlay with the dwarves in the series. Elrond happens to be half-human and will eventually sire Arwen. Hugo Weaving plays the older version of Elrond in the Peter Jackson movies.

Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir, a new character created for this show. Arondir is a silvan elf involved in a forbidden romance with a human woman named Bronwyn.

Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor, the elf fated to craft the three elven rings of power. We’ve been told that Celebrimbor is the one who encourages Elrond’s mission to Khazad-dûm.

Benjamin Walker as High King Gil-galad, who, as his name suggests, is the High King of the elves. Gil-galad is technically in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. He dies in the big battle against Sauron that Elrond flashes back to.

DWARVES

Owain Arthur as Durin IV, the dwarf prince of Khazad-dûm. It’s been teased that this version of Khazad-dûm is the “bustling” underground kingdom Gimli boasted of in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Sophia Nomvete as Disa, Durin’s wife and the lady of Khazad-dûm. Vanity Fair calls Disa “scene-stealing.”

HUMANS

Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn, a single mother and healer who is in that secret romance we mentioned with Arondir.

Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo, Bronwyn’s son, whom we’ve seen in promotional images brandishing the hilt of a broken sword.

Charlie Vickers as Halbrand, a warrior who finds himself lost at sea with Galadriel. We don’t know much about him, but he does have a sword with a Rohan-esque horse as a pommel. So that could mean…something.

Maxim Baldry as Isildur, a Númenórean sailor who is fated to survive his homeland’s destruction to one day defeat Sauron, only to eventually fall under the one ring’s spell. He was that guy whom Elrond begged to throw the ring into the fires of Mount Doom. Remember him? Well, he’s just a sailor now.

Lloyd Owen as Elendil, Isildur’s father, whom we hear in the new trailer tell Isildur, “The past is dead. We either move forward or we die with it,” which foreshadows how father and son leave Númenor behind to play important roles in the battle against Sauron.

Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Queen Regent Míriel, the ruler of Númenor at this time. According to EW, she is wrestling with tensions within Númenor. Although populated by humans, these humans have elf ancestry. Some want to hew closer to their ancestors’ ways, while others want to forge a new path.

Trystan Gravelle as Pharazôn, Míriel’s closest advisor and, uh, just a warning, but a key figure in Númenor’s eventual catastrophic collapse. We won’t hold that against him, or will we?

Leon Wadham as Kemen, Pharazôn’s son, whose role is still a bit more unclear.

Ema Horvath as Eärien, Míriel’s sister, and a wholly original character created for the show. Apparently she dreams of being an architect.

Daniel Weyman as the Stranger, a mysterious figure who might be a man and who might be Sauron but who also might not be Sauron. (Halbrand could be Sauron! Any man could be Sauron! He’s in hiding at this time!) The main plot of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power seems to kick off when a meteor crashes into Middle-earth and the Stranger is discovered in the wreckage.

HARFOOTS

Lenny Henry as Sadoc Burrows, who appears to be some sort of elder of the harfoots, given his dress and comment in one trailer that the “skies are strange.”

Markella Kavenagh as Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot, one of two “curious” harfoots who encounter the mysterious Stranger in the series.

Megan Richards as Poppy Proudfellow, the other “curious” harfoot. We’re getting Merry and Pippin vibes.

Sara Zwangobani is Marigold Brandyfoot, another harfoot. We know next to nothing about her character’s personality, though, and if she is directly related to Nori. (I don’t know how harfoot surnames work!)

Dylan Smith is Largo Brandyfoot, yet another harfoot.

Is There a Trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?

Yes! There’s even a brand new trailer which gives Tolkien fans their first glimpses of the Two Trees of Valinor, the splendor of Khazad-dûm, and tension between young Galadriel and young Elrond. You can watch it at the top of the page.

Past teasers for the series introduced us a more battle-ready Galadriel and showed the characters witnessing the comet falling from the heavens.

Will There Be a The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2?

Yes! Amazon has already committed to a second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. (In fact, it’s believed that part of the deal Amazon made with the Tolkien estate was to commit to five seasons of the series.)

While Season 1 of The Rings of Power shot on location in New Zealand, Amazon is moving production to the UK after New Zealand’s strict COVID-restrictions stranded internationally-based crew and cast members in the country for the duration of the long shoot.