The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an Amazon Prime Video fantasy series set in the Second Age of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Its first season premiered on September 1, 2022. The series draws on material from Tolkien’s appendices and other writings rather than adapting a single novel, and follows several storylines across the lands of Middle-earth.

At the center is Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark, who is searching for Sauron after the defeat of Morgoth. Her investigation takes her from the northern wastes to the Southlands, where she encounters Halbrand, a shipwrecked man with a concealed identity. In the island kingdom of Númenor, Queen Regent Míriel and her father, Tar-Palantir, face political conflict over the kingdom’s relationship with the Elves. Meanwhile, the Elven smith Celebrimbor, played by Charles Edwards, works with the Dwarf prince Durin IV and his father, King Durin III, to develop a great forge in Eregion.

Another strand follows Arondir, an Elf soldier played by Ismael Cruz Córdova, and Bronwyn, a human healer played by Nazanin Boniadi. Their story takes place among the people of the Southlands, whose history and loyalties become central to the conflict. The season also introduces the Harfoots, ancestors of the Hobbits, including Nori Brandyfoot, played by Markella Kavenagh. Nori encounters a mysterious stranger, portrayed by Daniel Weyman, whose arrival raises questions about his origins and purpose.

The first season ends with Sauron’s identity as Halbrand revealed. The Southlands are transformed into Mordor after the eruption of Mount Doom, and Celebrimbor begins forging the first three Elven Rings with Galadriel’s help. These events connect the series’ separate plots to the creation of the Rings of Power and the larger struggle against Sauron.

The show was developed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay. Its principal photography for the first season took place in New Zealand, where Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy had also been filmed. The second season premiered on August 29, 2024, with the story continuing Sauron’s rise and the forging of additional Rings. The series features an ensemble cast that includes Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Owain Arthur as Durin IV, Sophia Nomvete as Disa, and Benjamin Walker as High King Gil-galad. Its Second Age setting allows it to depict events and characters that Tolkien’s famous Third Age novels refer to as history, while building a new television narrative from the source material.