Did the ‘Lord of the Rings’ Amazon series just reveal its villain?
The Lord of the Rings story isn’t over just yet: Amazon has plans to revive J.R.R. Tolkein’s franchise. Details are emerging about the characters and story for this prequel making its way to Amazon Prime Video.
What do we know about the Lord of the Rings series? Learn more about what we can expect.
Journey across Middle Earth
We can expect to see the latest reimagining of Tolkien’s Middle Earth on Amazon Prime Video in 2021. Amazon bought the television rights to the franchise for $250 million in November 2017, so we’ve been waiting a while. Due to COVID restrictions, filming was delayed this year, but the massive project has since resumed filming in New Zealand last month.
Amazon has recently released a description for the Lord of the Rings series:
“Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history.”
“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.
“Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.
“From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings aims to be a prequel to the Tolkien novels and will take place during the Second Age of Middle-Earth. The Second Age, for context, lasted about 3,441 years so there are a lot of years to cover in the series. Tolkien covered this Middle Earth epoch in his novel The Silmarillion, subsequent epic poems, and letters to his son, Christopher.
One Ring to rule them all
Amazon promises this villain is J.R.R. Tolkein’s greatest. Many fans of LOTR have predicted that Sauron will make its return based on the synopsis. Sauron, the evil ruler of Mordor and, well, the Lord of the Rings himself.
TheOneRing.net released the official description for the Amazon series which promises “the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness”, which many believe points to Sauron. Who or what else could it be?
When will it arrive?
The series is filming its first season and already has been renewed for season 2. Led by J.D Payne & Patrick McKay, they’ll be joined by filmmaker J.A. Bayona, who is directing the first two episodes. Bayona is also serving as executive producer alongside his creative partner Belén Atienza.
The Lord of the Rings show has assembled a massive cast, which includes: Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, and Daniel Weyman. Twenty more actors were announced for the series back in December.
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What do you predict will happen in Lord of the Rings series? Could Sauron make his dreaded return? Let us know your predictions and thoughts in the comments.
