It’s our first look at the Second Age of Middle-earth from Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings television series.
Amazon Studios chose the Super Bowl LVI (some sort of sports event?) to premiere the first teaser trailer for their new Tolkien series The Rings of Power.
Set in the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, the new show follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.
It promises to visit the furthest reaches of the map as well as some highlights; the Misty Mountains, the majestic forests of Lindon and the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor all feature.
We think it looks pretty epic, showcasing the series’ broad scope. The UK broadsheets, like the Telegraph and the Independent, have some contrary opinions – but that’s par for the course.
Familiar and new faces
Thanks to a fulsome feature from Vanity Fair, we’ve also got a closer look at some of the characters.
They include an armoured Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), the dwarven princess Disa (Sophia Nomvete), the silvan elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) and Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur), prince of the bustling subterranean realm of Khazad-dûm. You can check out the feature and futher shots here.
In terms of the roles in the story and the implications for Middle Earth, there’s plenty of trailer analysis abroad. Den of Geek’s Juliette Harrisson has an excellent round-up that’s well worth a read.
Casting
Predictably, various corners of the internet are ablaze at the show’s casting choices. Some in terms of in-universe decisions, others with reference to actors’ ethnicity. Frankly, we don’t expect the show can please the hard-core Tolkein fanbase no matter what it does.
In terms of colour-blind casting, you need only look at the success of Bridgerton, another literary adaptation, or a show like Hamilton to see it at work. The Rings of Power might be set in the Second Age of Middle-Earth, but it’s being produced in the 21st century, for a modern audience.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power lands at Prime Video on Friday the 2nd of September. The first season consists of eight episodes which will be released weekly.