For years now, we’ve know that Amazon has been cooking up a lavish new fantasy series set in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth – and for simplicity’s sake, we’ve all been calling it Lord Of The Rings. But no more. The series now has an official title. Hobbits, wizards, and Balrogs alike, get ready for The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, coming to screens across the world on 2 September.
“This is a title that we imagine could live on the spine of a book next to J.R.R. Tolkien’s other classics,” showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay said in a statement. “The Rings of Power unites all the major stories of Middle-earth’s Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, 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.”
The series is set thousands of years before the events of The Lord Of The Rings films and The Hobbit trilogy – so that means no Baggins’, Samwise Gamgee, and no Gandalf. And, as the title treatment suggests, this isn't directly connected to Peter Jackson's films. But, Saint Maud star Morfydd Clark is reportedly portraying Galadriel – and stars in the sprawling cast alongside the likes of Robert Aramayo, Lenny Henry, and Peter Mullan. The first season will consist of eight episodes, with the opening two instalments directed by JA Bayona. The rest are directed by Wayne Che Yip, and Charlotte Brändström.
Get ready for an all-new chapter of Middle-earthian fantasy – now not just with one ring, but twenty. Take that, Shang-Chi.