At long last, fans of the The Rings of Power know when the much-anticipated second season is set to land on our screens, and it may be sooner than many previously thought.
While many assumed that The Rings of Power season 2 may not be released until autumn 2024 at the earliest, Prime Video has delivered the most welcome of surprises – and has confirmed that the new run will premiere on 29th August.
The news was revealed at Amazon’s inaugural upfront presentation today in New York City, and with the exciting release date news also comes an official teaser trailer that gives us a glimpse of the action to come.
And there’s plenty to wrap our heads around in the teaser, as we see the return of Charlie Vickers as Sauron, arguably one of the world’s greatest literary villains.
But this time around, he appears in a new form and, according to the synopsis, it’s “one that will aid him in deceiving the denizens of Middle-earth”.
Of course, The Rings of Power is known for its big-budget and glossy production, taking viewers on quite the journey through the world that JRR Tolkien created, and the teaser clip gives us a taste of just that. Consider us excited!
At the end of season 1, a lot of fans’ questions swirled around how Sauron fit would fit into season 2 after his ruse as Halbrand had been exposed to Galadriel. Well, it’s safe to say that he’s returned in a major way.
According to the synopsis: “In season 2 of The Rings of Power, Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will.”
The synopsis continues: “Building on season 1’s epic scope and ambition, the new season plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity.
“Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.”
We’ll have to wait and see what season 2 has in store for us, with the first run having been met with a mixed reaction.
There were some fans who were critical of the series as a whole, and Galadriel star Morfydd Clark said that she found the critical response “interesting”.
She told Den of Geek: “I do think there is a big difference between critique and abusing people. I’m really proud that the show is cast the way it is, and that there’s diversity in our cast. And it’s been wonderful now to have people critiquing it as a piece of art.”
