TAGGED AS: Amazon, Fantasy, Prime Video, television, TV
Roughly five years have passed since Amazon Prime Video first announced its Lord of the Rings prequel, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. In those years, there has been much speculation about its setting, characters, and tone. All the while, Amazon carefully crafted a narrative as it produced maps, teaser images, a title card video, 23 character posters, a teaser trailer during the 2022 Super Bowl, and a longer tease released on July 14.
The teasers offer fans a fuller glimpse of Middle-earth in the Second Age, a time when the title character is recovering from his defeat in the most great war against the Darkness, familiar Elf characters are finding new footing, and the word “Hobbit” has yet to be coined. The teaser mainly concerns itself with Elves, Dwarves, Men, and Harfoots going about their decidedly separate business sometime before the shadow of Sauron rises again, but it seems an unexpected visitor from the sky will upend all their goals.
But the new preview is just one aspect of the key jewel in the service’s iron crown of proposed big-budget genre shows, so let’s take a closer look at what we know about the show so far and what we can glean about their take on the Second Age.
(Photo by Amazon Studios)
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On January 12, 2020, Amazon posted a new series description:
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.
(Photo by Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)
In a January 19, 2022, statement, executive producers and showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne (pictured above) offered a little more clarity on what to expect and how it relates to the Rings of Power title: “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.”
A new age begins September 2, 2022. Journey to Middle-earth with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. #LOTRonPrime #LOTR #LOTRROP pic.twitter.com/KWAokaVeWW
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) January 19, 2022
In Tolkien’s history, those tales span millennia, but as the showrunners revealed in a February 2022 Vanity Fair interview, there will be some time compression to bring key characters from the latter half of the Second Age to its earlier moments. The era is also a time of immortal Elves and long-lived Men, so a continuity of cast is expected.
Both teasers also suggests the program will adopt a narrative structure similar to Game of Thrones. The characters, or groups of characters, will be on separate journeys until key moments of convergence. And considering at least three of them will converge with the Lord of the Rings himself at some point, charting how they arrived at their encounters with Sauron should prove for interesting drama.
Part of the tale will focus on the Elf craftsman who is tricked into forging the Rings of Power. Another part will center on the Harfoots, Second Age relatives of the Hobbits who live a nomadic existence and encounter a mysterious stranger, while yet other parts center on the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, the Men of Númenor, and the Elven survivors of the First Age. As seen in the July teaser, each group is dedicated to their own pursuits. The Elves wish to maintain their hard-won peace even as one of their kind believes the Enemy is still out in the world nursing its wounds. The Dwarves are dedicated to bringing about a new beginning with something which or may not be the fabled metal known as Mithril, an aim which may lead to trouble as an Elf literally appears on their doorstep. The Númenóreans are in ascendance and, so it seems, ready to let go of the past — an attitude which may prove to be their undoing.
(Photo by Prime Video)
Previously, some Tolkien fans worried a Game of Thrones approach would fill Middle-earth with sex and violence, but the showrunners went on record saying the show is meant for all ages — minus some scary scenes, like the snow-troll glimpsed in both teasers.
In a June 2022 interview with Empire, McKay said the show will also feature plenty of action and “set-pieces, creatures, battles, and white-knuckle fights to the death.” Although, he also suggested those things will be more intimate than the large-scale engagements of the Lord of the Rings film series. In lieu of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, a fight may be more about the Orc “up in your face” or the fact a character has never killed anyone — even an Orc — and must process that action.
Payne, meanwhile, said the first season represents the first 10 chapters of a 50-part tale that will told over five seasons. He also claimed some ideas in season 1 may not pay off until the last season and that he and McKay know the final shot of the series finale. We imagine it might feature a certain pair of Hobbit-kind Stoors fishing on the Gladden River, but it is always possible it could be a moment much later in the Third Age.
The July teaser — and some early brief teases a week prior — suggest the being caught up in the meteor glimpsed by many of the main characters will also be a major part of the first season’s story. Dubbed “Meteor Man” in some fan circles, he is also likely the Stranger the Harfoot characters encounter. The sudden importance of the meteor, and a truly curious shot of the being absorbing the its fire at 2:07 of the recent preview, may lead some to assume he is, in fact, Sauron. But other mysterious strangers roam Middle-earth in the Second Age, so it it still possible the mysterious Meteor Man is someone less dedicated to cruelty and malice.
Amazon Studios announced 15 series-regular cast members during the Television Critics Association winter press tour, on January 14, 2020.
Row 1 (in tweet below):
Robert Aramayo
Nazanin Boniadi
Joseph Mawle
Owain Arthur
Ismael Cruz Córdova
Row 2:
Sophia Nomvete
Tyroe Muhafidin
Tom Budge
Charlie Vickers
Morfydd Clark
Row 3:
Ema Horvath
Daniel Weyman
Markella Kavenagh
Dylan Smith
Megan Richards
'The Lord of the Rings' has found its fellowship!
Robert Aramayo, Nazanin Boniadi, Joseph Mawle, Owain Arthur, Ismael Cruz Cordova + more make up the cast of the upcoming Amazon series: pic.twitter.com/UtA9VpGtk6
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) January 14, 2020
On December 3, 2020, Amazon Studios announced another 20 cast members: Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Simon Merrells, Geoff Morrell, Peter Mullan, Lloyd Owen, Augustus Prew, Peter Tait, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, and Sara Zwangobani. Budge subsequently parted ways with the production in March 2021.
(Photo by Amazon Studios)
Aramayo, who U.S. audiences know as young Ned Stark from seasons 6 and 7 of Game of Thrones, plays Elrond, the eventual lord of Rivendell (as played by Hugo Weaving in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies). When the television series begins, though, he is an ambitious young Elf living in the Elven capital of Lindon and trying his hand at politics. He is briefly glimpsed in the first teaser (around the 0:44 mark) looking down at a sword resting against a stone. Context is missing, but it is always possible this shot comes from a look back at the climactic battle of the First Age. More on that later. In the second teaser, he can also be seen entering the splendor of Khazad-dûm and attempt to talk Galadriel from her war posture.
(Photo by Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)
His Dark Materials actress Clark portrays this younger version of Galadriel, the role played by Cate Blanchett the movies. In the series, her journey sees her hunting the remaining dark forces from the First Age of Middle-earth in an attempt to avenge her brother’s death. As it happens, two of her siblings — Angrod and Aegnor — were slain in the Dagor Bragollach, a costly First Age battle we may even see a moment of half-way through the recent teaser (around 1:14). She even tells Elrond her memories of that event eclipse even the horrors he experienced in the First Age. The conversation seemingly sets them up as adversaries, an interesting possibility as they will eventually become family in days to come.
In the earlier preview, another moment of First Age struggle centers on an unidentified Elf who cries out just as Orcs storm his position. The actor in the brief shot resembles Weyman, McCallum, Wadham, and Crum, so it is still possible this moment could be a more recent skirmish with Orcs. Curiously, Amazon subsequently confirmed Weyman as playing “The Stranger” and linked him to the poster of the robed hands holding an apple. If the Elf (pictured below) is the Stranger, than our guess at his identity moves away from Sauron to an Elf called Glorfindel, a hero of such renown in the First Age, he was eventually allowed to return from the Elven form of death back to Middle-earth. Could the meteor be the series’s more explosive take on how his second life begins? One strike against this possibility: the Stranger seemingly appears 1:40 sporting a beard. Facial hair is quite a rarity among the Elves.
(Photo by Amazon Studios)
Galadriel herself is all over the first teaser. At one point, she can be seen brandishing a curious-looking dagger some have speculated is a reference back to the Two Trees from the program’s first publicity still. The still and the dagger offer some credence to the notion that a prologue recounting events of the First Age (and earlier eras when time worked differently) may occur. This idea is only supported by the July trailer, which opens with a shot of the Two Trees and a mention of “a time when the world was so young, there had not been a sunrise. But even then, there was light.” Indeed, in Tolkien’s mythology, the Trees were the second source of day and night before the creation of the sun and the moon. The light of the Trees matter as Galadriel’s hair was said to capture some of their light and that belief may have ultimately influenced all the woe which befell Middle-earth in the First Age. Is her zeal to find the Enemy influenced in some small part by guilt?
Another possibility introduced in the early July teases: Galadriel is seen aboard a white ship with many other Elves sailing west and approaching some great light. They may be trying to return to the Undying Lands they abandoned as the First Age began, but as fans of Tolkien’s work know, she and others of her kind are banned from entering the Uttermost West at this point in Middle-earth’s history. Will a dramatization of this ban leave her adrift in the great sea only to be found by a Man of Númenor?
Vickers plays Halabrand, a Man running from his past, but nonetheless thrown onto Galadriel’s trajectory. In the earlier teaser, the character can only be seen in the distance at roughly 0:27, when a raft is tossed across the waves. His hand is also likely seen when Galadriel’s ears are revealed at the 0:46 mark. As he is a new character, little is known about him, but he is the character holding the weapon with the horse-shaped pommel in one of the poster images, leaving some Tolkien fans to wonder if he is a very early ancestor of the Rohirrim. Indeed, the July trailer features more seeming references to the horse-lords at 1:50 with Men on horseback wearing helmets with a decidedly Rohan-like feel to them despite that kingdom not coming into existence for several thousand more years. Halbarand himself is also glimpsed several times in, announcing at one point that, including a moment (at 1:57) in which he says “the past is dead. We either move forward or die with it.” Nevertheless, he remains an enigma.
Mawle most recognizably played Benjen Stark on HBO’s Game of Thrones. Variety reported in October 2019 that sources say he will play a villain named Oren. (Could he be a certain King of Númenor, the eventual Witch-king of Angmar, or the Dark Lord himself?) He is notably absent from both teasers, only strengthening the thought that he might be a recognizable villain.
(Photo by Amazon Studios)
In July 2021, Kavenagh was said to be in talks to play a character called Tyra — a name new to Middle-earth. Shortly after the teaser aired, Amazon confirmed the character’s name: Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot. She is a Harfoot who, along with Richards’ character, encounters an enigmatic being who is likely Weyman’s Stranger. Granted, the Stranger’s identity is said to be one of the show’s central mysteries. Her voice opens the teaser with a positively Baggins-like (or should we say Tookish?) wish for adventure. In the June 2022 Empire interview, Kavenagh referred to Nori as “inquisitive and resolute,” but that her wish to see more of the world causes plenty of trouble. She can also be seen at 0:15 of the earlier teaser, wishing for something more than the customary wandering of the Harfoots. She can also be glimpses throughout the second trailer reacting to various things. Henry, unseen in the video, will play a Harfoot elder called Sadoc Burrows who is probably none-too-pleased by the presence of the Stranger.
Coinciding with the Empire story, Amazon also confirmed Richards, Smith, and Zwangobani are all playing Harfoots — Poppy Proudfellow, Largo Brandyfoot, and Marigold Brandyfoot, respectively. Although no additional details were offered, Amazon linked the characters to some of the poster images from earlier in the year. Poppy is the character holding figs, Largo grips the handle of either a farming implement or a weapon, and Marigold is the one clutching a potentially pregnant belly. In the Empire piece, Henry mentioned the Harfoots “have big caravans on wooden wheels and we’ve very good at hiding.” This idea is also expressed in the July teaser with a Harfoot character claiming their job is to protect each other safe while the other peoples rein over things like grain and halls of stone.
The addition of Harfoot characters is a partial departure from Tolkien lore as he never declared exactly when either Harfoots or Hobbits first appeared in Middle-earth. Nevertheless, don’t expect to see Bag End or familiar Shire landmarks anytime soon. What we know of early halfling days has them inhabiting the banks of the River Anduin or roaming the wilds; the teasers and Henry’s comments also indicate a fairly nomadic existence.
(Photo by Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)
Córdova plays Arondir – a silvan Elf created for the series. His story intertwines with Boniadi’s Bronwyn, a mortal woman, single mother, and healer living in the south of Middle-earth. The pair are engaged in a frowned-upon love affair that is not without precedent even if their respective cultures find the pairing unpalatable. Arondir can be seen displaying an Elvish aptitude for archery at 0:28 of the earlier teaser and subsequently leaping onto what we believe to be a Haradrim Mûmakil (around 0:48). This athleticism may not work out well form him as he is once again in combat in the July trailer (at 2:03), gracefully avoiding a malnourished Warg or wolf. He is also clearly chained to something in the shot, suggesting he will be a prisoner of someone before too long.
Bronwyn is curiously absent from the teasers. She is featured on one of the posters, though, brandishing a crescent-shaped blade. Amazon subsequently released a clearer photo of her in mid-April and she made a very brief appearance one of the July ad spot alongside Arondir as they witnessed the meteor crossing the sky.
Meanwhile, in the Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm, Arthur plays Prince Durin IV (spotted at 0:43 of the earlier trailer) while Nomvete plays Princess Disa (briefly glimpsed at 0:45). We imagine one of them will come into contact with a Dwarven ring of power — once they are forged, of course.
(Photo by Frances Carter/Prime Video)
Which brings us to Charles Edwards’ Celebrimbor. The Elvish smith lives in Eregion, an Elf settlement not too far from Khazad-dûm. His choice to learn ring lore from Sauron (under the guise of an Elf called Annatar) will cause so much fear and doubt in the centuries to come. But as the series begins, Celebrimbor is lord of the realm and, according to Edwards in a June 2022 Fandom interview, “actively trying to turn Eregion into a place of excellence. And he is working with the Dwarves towards that end to try and capitalize on their talents and their creativity.” A descendant of the Elven lord and craftsman Fëanor — whose great works caused the strife of the First Age — Edwards said the Celebrimbor of the series is a composite of the ideas Tolkien presented in the LOTR appendices, but never completely locked down — vain, cautious, and yet gullible. His desire to create the greatest expression of craft, and surpass Fëanor’s legendary Jewels, opens the way for Sauron to tempt him with the secrets of ring lore. Presumably, the scroll he holds in his character poster contains the very secrets Sauron offers him as Annatar.
Baldry’s character, Isildur, is also tied to the fate of the Rings even if the first season sees him as a young prince of Númenor and a sailing man. Curiously, though, neither of these characters are in the teaser despite their importance to the overall tale. Although, that explosive moment toward the end may bring Celebrimbor and the Dwarves together even more closely.
(Photo by Amazon Studios)
Walker appears in the trailer at the 0:37 mark. Amazon later confirmed he is playing Gil-Galad, the High King of the Elves in Middle-earth. In his brief moment, he sees a comet or meteor crossing the skies above Lindon. The significance is unclear, but in Tolkien lore, at least one sword of the First Age was forged from space material. Perhaps a second will be made. Meanwhile, Walker subsequently told Empire that while the High King deploys people like game pieces to help preserve a hard-won peace, he also “strives to bring out the best in everyone.” In the July teaser, he warns Elrond that a second Darkness would wash over Middle-earth. We imagine those strong words will inspire the younger Elf to take up his diplomatic mission to Celebrimbor’s domain and, eventually, Khazad-dûm.
The earlier teaser ends with a mystery pair of hands reaching out for one another. The smaller would seemingly be that of Nori. While we speculated the larger hand could belong to anyone from one of the Blue Wizards (who arrived before the forging of the One Ring in at least one of Tolkien’s accounts of the age) or Sauron himself, Amazon’s subsequent confirmations leads to Weyman’s Stranger. Then again, just who is the Stranger? If he is the same Elf glimpsed at 0:48, he could be Glorfindel. But we can’t leave behind the thought that he might be Sauron’s “fair” form. And if he is the mystery character who first appears among the Harfoots in the series, it could establish a whole new side to the Lord of the Rings.
(Photo by Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)
In mid-April, Amazon released a new photo of Muhafidin as a character called “Theo.” In the picture, he holds the broken sword featured in one of the character posters. While the streaming service offered no other details about the character, TheOneRing.net claims he is Bronwyn’s son and, therefore, lives in the south of Middle-earth where a confluence of Elves, Haradrim, and even some Numenoreans loyal to Sauron will lead to conflicts. Will Theo grow up to be counted among Sauron’s army? That broken blade definitely puts him in a Morgul frame of mind.
(Photo by Gabriel Maseda/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In July 2019, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director J.A. Bayona (pictured) signed on to helm the first two episodes of the series. The filmmaker behind The Orphanage made key choices about the program’s tone and overall look. He is joined by producing partner Belén Atienza — both will be credited as executive producers — and, of course, Payne and McKay.
Back in the writers room, they were joined by executive producers Lindsey Weber (10 Cloverfield Lane), Callum Green, Bruce Richmond (Game of Thrones); writer/executive producer Gennifer Hutchison (Breaking Bad); writer/executive producer Jason Cahill (The Sopranos); writer/executive producer Justin Doble (Stranger Things); consulting producers Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones) and Stephany Folsom (Toy Story 4); producer Ron Ames (The Aviator); writer/co-producer Helen Shang (Hannibal), and writing consultant Glenise Mullins.
The new 'Lord of the Rings' series on Amazon introduces us to their "Fellowship" #LOTRonPrime pic.twitter.com/SKmqWTn0Sr
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) July 27, 2019
Additional staff include co-executive producer Wayne Che Yip, director Charlotte Brändström, and producer Christopher Newman.
The creative team also includes costume designer Kate Hawley (Suicide Squad); Academy Award-winning production designer Rick Heinrichs (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) for the first two episodes and Ramsey Avery (10 Cloverfield Lane) for the remained of the season; Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor Jason Smith (The Revenant); and renowned illustrator/concept artist John Howe.
“This team is our Fellowship – assembled from around the world, all walking the road together to try and accomplish something far greater than any of us could on our own,” Payne and McKay said in a statement. “We feel humbled and extremely lucky to be surrounded by such inspiring and talented women and men.”
(Photo by Prime Video)
After years of a presumed 2021 debut, Amazon finally announced in late summer that year that the program will instead premiere on Friday, September 2, 2022. Episodes will stream weekly.
“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!” Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, said in a statement. “Our talented producers, cast, creative, and production teams have worked tirelessly in New Zealand to bring this untold and awe-inspiring vision to life.”
SPOILER ALERT: Tolkien book readers will know the information below, but if you haven’t read the novels, then some of this could be considered spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.
(Photo by Amazon Prime Video)
Click to open Amazon Prime Video’s interactive map in a new window.
When the program was first announced, it seemed obvious that it would take place relatively contemporaneous to the events of Tolkien’s novel, but other eras were also immediately available. In Tolkien’s wider mythological framework, LOTR’s titular character, the Dark Lord Sauron, is nearly as old as the universe itself — which means the series could take place in any of the historical ages of Middle-earth (or even the earlier prehistory when the world was shaped by beings with even greater power than Sauron).
Amazon’s first map rendered a number of geographic features specific to the Third Age, including the East Bight of Mirkwood Forest, a square-ish indentation next to the “I” and “N” in “Rhovanion.” The bight was the result of deforestation by a group of Northmen circa 1200 years into the Third Age as they settled in the region. Additionally, the forest would only become known as Mirkwood once Sauron sought refuge there, around 1050 of the Third Age, and his malignant spirit infected the woods formerly known as Greenwood the Great. Other aspects of the map — like the complete lack of Beleriand from the First Age and the use of “Calenardhon” to denote the region near Isengard and Fangorn Forest — definitely set the map, and seemingly the series, in a Third Age context.
Click to open The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring map from 2001 in a new window.
But fans who were hoping to see some of the great stories from earlier days dramatized with Amazon’s production values are in luck. Stories like the sinking of Númenor — Tolkien’s take on the Atlantis myth, in which Sauron corrupted an island of seafaring men to invade the forbidden shores of the world’s far West — and the founding of the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor could make for some spectacular television.
While it seemed Amazon and developers JD Payne and Patrick McKay had a more specific, later Third Age tale in mind, a March 7, 2019, update of the map changed everything. The map now includes the island of Númenor — a very specific marker of the Second Age — and has removed the place names “Minas Arnor” and “Minas Ithil” from the Gondor region. Following the update, the official Lord of the Rings on Amazon Twitter account put all the speculation to rest with one simple sentence: “Welcome to the Second Age.”
And in September of that year, Payne and McKay announced New Zealand would play the “primordial beauty of the Second Age of Middle-earth” in the series. The country is, of course, no stranger to Middle-earth as it served as the production home for both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. In a number of ways, it is fitting that a story of the Second Age would be filmed there as well.
So what does this mean? For one, the series will undoubtedly focus on Númenor. To understand the island’s significance, we need to go back to the end of the First Age and the downfall of the Dark Lord Morgoth.
A final confrontation with the first Dark Lord required the collective might of Elves, Men, and the Valar (a high form of angel tasked with shaping and governing the world on behalf of the Elvish conception of God, Eru Illúvatar). Morgoth weakened himself across thousands of years in a protracted conflict between the Elves and Men who dared to oppose him, and was finally cast into the Void. The Valar looked favorably on the Men who aided in the conflict and created a refuge for them in the great sea: the island of Númenor — established halfway between Middle-earth and the Valar’s home in the Far West land of Aman, the Undying Lands.
Now, here’s where things get complicated. By “Men,” we mean the half-elven descendants of two First Age joinings between Elves and Men: Lúthien and Beren and Idril and Tuor. Given the choice to follow the fate of Men or the fate of Elves, those who chose the fate of Men settled on Númenor alongside another group of Men whose loyalty to the Valar was rewarded with greatly extended lives. But because Eru established that no Man may be immortal, death was an eventuality to their kind. Nonetheless, the kings of Númenor established a high culture of seafarers and explorers. While banned from landing on the shores of Aman, a continent reserved for immortal beings like the Valar and the Elves, the rest of the world was their plaything.
This makes them different from the Men in Middle-earth, who either hid from the War or openly sided with Morgoth. And as the Númenóreans began to establish their kingdom, the Men loyal to Morgoth soon became loyal to his greatest lieutenant, Sauron.
(Photo by Warner Bros.)
At this point in Middle-earth history, Sauron had the ability to take on a “fair” physical form. So instead of the Great Eye of the film series, he will need to have a humanoid, often Elvish, shape. Sauron is a very active participant in the events of the Second Age, and not just in creating the Rings of Power, so he will need to be played by an on-screen actor.
Early on, Sauron began building an army of Orcs, loyal Men, and other creatures. He even controlled territory in the southern region of Middle-earth before Númenóreans began establishing settlements on its shores. Skirmishes were inevitable, leading to Númenor taking up more and more of its resources in a battle against Sauron until, after hundreds of years, they raided his home in Mordor and physically took him prisoner.
Of course, because Sauron was a master manipulator dedicated to perverting all Eru and the Valar established, he allowed himself to be taken back to Númenor. Once there, he began a campaign to sway the king, Ar-Pharazôn, to his side. After a number of years, Morgoth cults — with Sauron as their chief priest — operated in the open and Sauron became a key adviser to the king, promising faith in Morgoth would allow them to step foot in Aman and obtain immortality. Those still loyal to the Valar eventually decamped to Middle-earth, allowing Sauron’s scheme to come to fruition — much to the despair of the Númenóreans.
Oh, also, he did all of this while leaving the One Ring back in Mordor.
The Fall of Númenor is one of the great stories in Tolkien’s mythology (although many also enjoy the incomplete Second Age tale “The Mariner’s Wife”). Since it takes place over a great span of years, there is room for the series to build up characters such as Ar-Pharazôn and Elendil, the Númenórean who defied Sauron and helped establish the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor in Middle-earth.
(Photo by Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)
Thanks to the way Tolkien mapped out the longevity of certain characters, there are a handful of well-known Lord of the Rings figures around to witness the events of the Second Age and the Fall of Númenor. Though nothing indicates any of the film series’ actors will reprise their roles, the Second Age setting allows room for some familiar characters.
Elrond Half-elven (Aramayo above right with Edwards’ Celebrimbor), as his name implies, is a direct descendant of the First Age unions between Men and Elves who chose the fate of Elves. It makes him directly related to the kings of Númenor. During this time, he and Gil-Galad, the High Elven king in Middle-earth, had their own problems with Sauron. They saw the Númenóreans as allies — at least, until Sauron corrupted the seafarers. Nonetheless, it is possible we will see Elrond implore the Númenóreans to restore their ties with the Valar.
(Photo by Amazon Studios)
With news of Clark’s (pictured above) casting as Galadriel, an appearance by Celeborn (played by Marton Csokas in the films) is highly likely. Both hail from the First Age, with Galadriel possessing a firsthand account of an Elvish migration from Aman to Middle-earth. Celeborn’s history is a little more imprecise, as Tolkien could never decide if he was born in Aman or Middle-earth. But both are, by human standards, impossibly old and witnesses to just about every historic event in Middle-earth up until they departed with Frodo to Aman at the end of The Lord of the Rings. As with Elrond, their concerns are local (with Sauron’s forces encroaching on their kingdom by the River Anduin), but it is always possible they will be around to sow the seeds of the Last Alliance of Men and Elves, the epic battle that could very well close out the series as a whole a few years from now.
(Photo by Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)
Should the series continue beyond Númenor’s downfall, it is possible audiences could see two of the five Wizards arrive in Middle-earth. Though the Fall of Númenor left the Valar estranged from the world, they sent five Maiar spirits in the shapes of frail old men to rally the people of Middle-earth against Sauron (who survived the Fall, only losing his “fair” appearance). While most of the Wizards arrived in Middle-earth a thousand years into the Third Age, the two Blue Wizards Tolkien never really developed may have arrived during the Second Age, just after the Fall. Only mentioned in his unfinished tales, the pair quickly made their way to the East and either succumbed to Sauron’s influence or died as they failed to sway the Easterlings away from the Dark Lord. Presuming Amazon’s deal with the Tolkien estate includes unfinished material like the tale of the wizards, they would be ideal characters to utilize in the series. They could be villains, fallen heroes, or anything in between.
Another character worthy of inclusion is the legendary Elf hero Glorfindel. While he “died” during the Fall of Gondolin in the First Age of Middle-earth, he eventually returned from Aman, possibly alongside the Blue Wizards, to aid both men and Elves in their struggle against Sauron during the Second Age. He makes a notable appearance early in The Lord of the Rings as he helps deliver Frodo to Rivendell. But after attending the Council of Elrond, Glorfindel drops out of the narrative until Aragorn’s wedding to Arwen. While other on-screen adaptations have substituted recurring characters for Glorfindel rather than introduce a new character to their stories — Jackson replaced him with Arwen (played by Liv Tyler), giving her an early heroic moment, while animated film director Ralph Bakshi subbed in Legolas — he is an interesting character out in the wide world during the period indicated on the map and fans would be thrilled to see him. (Orlando Bloom played Legolas in Jackson’s films.)
Other characters definitely alive at the time include Tom Bombadil, who himself suggests he’s the oldest consciousness in the world, and Legolas’ father Thranduil (played by Lee Pace in Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy), who has a pretty interesting story in his own right.
(Photo by Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)
As Sauron assails all of Middle-earth in this period, he has vast resources of Orcs and Men at his disposal. But fans of the films will recognize his phantom lieutenants, the Nazgul, as a significant part of this army.
By the time Sauron is in Númenor, the nine kings of Men will already have their rings. For much of the Second Age they enjoyed the wealth and prosperity Sauron promised the rings would give them, but they were his wraiths by the time he left with Ar-Pharazôn. Presumably, they kept his affairs in order even as his capture halted the war against the people of Middle-earth.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. #LOTRonPrime pic.twitter.com/7TuQh7gRPD
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) March 7, 2019
Should the series continue beyond the fall, they could become active antagonists against the likes of Elrond, Galadriel, and Elendil’s sons Isildur and Anárion — conflicts that will eventually lead to the Last Alliance.
(Photo by Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)
That battle is still some time away and, as recently revealed by IGN, the Orcs are in disarray as the series begins. They are also in an earlier stage of development, leaving them looking a little bit more like Elves — the first Orcs were Elves corrupted by Morgoth — and less equipped for war than their Third Age counterparts. The IGN article also makes reference to their rabble uniting under a new leader, so it is possible an Orc character will yet find some sort of prominence within The Rings of Power.
