Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: release date of new TV series, how to watch it, cast, and trailer

The much-anticipated Lord of the Rings TV series, The Rings of Power, premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 2 September in the UK.

The drama is set thousands of years before the events of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, exploring the Second Age of Middle-earth’s history.

It follows familiar and new characters as they confront the re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth, and Amazon Prime Video has already committed to five seasons of the show.

This is everything we know so far about the series, including cast members and where it was filmed.

What is The Rings of Power about?

According to a statement from Amazon, the series “brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history”.

Amazon says: “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 one of the greatest villains 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 reemergence 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 farthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”

Speaking about the series, 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.”

They added that they wanted to come up with a title that “could live on the spine of a book next to J. R. R Tolkien’s other classics”.

Is there a trailer?

A teaser trailer for the new series has been released - but it has received a less than enthusiastic response from some fans, with many stating that they feel the trailer looks “cheap”.

One person tweeted: “I can’t put my finger on exactly why, but the Rings of Power trailer somehow looks cheap to me. I don’t know if it’s the lighting or CGI or something, but I’ve watched it twice, and it just somehow feels like a mid-budget series and I can’t figure out why I’m getting that vibe.”

Another wrote: “How do you have the biggest production budget EVER and STILL look this cheap??? #LordOfTheRings > Rings of Power.”

“I was watching the Super Bowl with my dad last night; and we saw the new #LordoftheRings: Rings of Power commercial. Firstly, at parts it looked cheap AF - also, I had no clue who I was supposed to root for, or what the story was even about. Huge fail,” wrote another.

Other fans also said that they got “generic fantasy show vibes” instead of Lord Of the Rings vibes, and that the CGI “makes everything feel fake”.

A short clip was also shared when the title was announced, wherein a woman’s voice can be heard reciting lines from Tolkien’s Ring Verse, over imagery of molten metal being formed into a ring.

She says: “Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, one for the Dark Lord on his dark throne, in the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”

Who is in the cast?

Amazon has announced many of the cast members for the series, including:

• Robert Aramayo (Game of Thrones, Nocturnal Animals) has been cast as Elrond
• Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud, His Dark Materials) has been cast as Galadriel
• Owain Arthur (A Confession, Casualty) has been cast as Prince Durin IV
• Nazanin Boniadi (Counterpart, Homeland) has been cast as Bronwyn
• Ismael Cruz Cordova (The Undoing, Berlin Station) has been cast as Arondir
• Benjamin Walker (Jessica Jones, In the Heart of the Sea) has been cast as High King Gil-galad
• Maxim Baldry (Years and Years, Doctor Who) has been cast as Isildur

Other cast members that have been revealed include:

• Charles Edwards (The Crown, The Terror)
• Ema Horvath (What Lies Below, Don’t Look Deeper)
• Tom Budge (Bloom, Secret Bridesmaids’ Business)
• Will Fletcher (The Road Dance, Conversations at Dusk)
• Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Power, The Accountant)
• Ian Blackburn (Behold the Ghost, Shelter)
• Kip Chapman (Top of the Lake, 6 Days and Fantail)
• Anthony Crum (The Wilds, Hush)
• Maxine Cunliffe (Power Rangers Megaforce, Neighbourhood)
• Trystan Gravelle (The Terror, A Discovery of Witches)
• Sir Lenny Henry (Broadchurch, The Syndicate)
• Thusitha Jayasundera (Doctor Foster, Humans)
• Megan Richards (Wanderlust, Doctors)
• Dylan Smith (I Am the Night, First Cow)
• Charlie Vickers (Medici: Masters of Florence, Palm Beach)
• Daniel Weyman (Gentleman Jack, Dunkirk)
• Sara Zwangobani (Disgrace, Merchant of Fairness)
• Leon Wadham (Go Girls, Bad Seed)
• Alex Tarrant (Tatau, Filthy Rich)
• Peter Tait (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Desperate Remedies)
• Augustus Prew (Morning Show, Kick-Ass 2)
• Lloyd Owen (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, You, Me and the Apocalypse)
• Fabian McCallum (You, Me and the Apocalypse, In Your Dreams)
• Simon Merrells (Legends of Tomorrow, The Musketeers)
• Geoff Morrell (Grassroots, Top of the Lake: China Girl)
• Peter Mullan (Braveheart, Trainspotting)

The series also welcomes television newcomers Beau Cassidy, Amelie Child Villiers, Tyrone Muhafidin and Sophia Nomvete.

When is it on Amazon Prime?

The is streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in more than 240 territories and countries around the world.

It premiered on Thursday 1 September 2022 in the US, and in the UK it’s available to watch from 2am on Friday 2 September 2022, with new episodes released on a weekly basis.

Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios, said: “The journey begins September 2, 2022 with the premiere of our original The Lord of the Rings series on Prime Video.

“I can’t express enough just how excited we all are to take our global audience on a new and epic journey through Middle-earth!

“Our talented producers, cast, creative, and production teams have worked tirelessly in New Zealand to bring this untold story and awe-inspiring vision to life.”

You can sign up for a 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime via the Amazon website. After the trial period is over, Amazon Prime costs £7.99 a month thereafter.

Where was The Rings of Power filmed?

Season one of The Rings of Power was filmed in New Zealand, with production there set to continue through until June 2022.

Vernon Sanders, VP and Co-Head of TV, Amazon Studios, said: “We want to thank the people and the government of New Zealand for their hospitality and dedication and for providing The Lord of the Rings series with an incredible place to begin this epic journey.

“We are grateful to the New Zealand Film Commission, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Tourism New Zealand, Auckland Unlimited, and others for their tremendous collaboration that supported the New Zealand film sector and the local economy during the production of season one.”

It has since been announced by Amazon that the filming of season two will be relocated from New Zealand to the UK.

Amazon said: “The shift from New Zealand to the UK aligns with the studio’s strategy of expanding its production footprint and investing in studio space across the UK, with many of Amazon Studios’ tentpole series and films already calling the U.K. home.”