The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 is now just weeks away, and the excitement is building. Another trailer has dropped, featuring our best look yet at the upcoming Siege of Eregion, as well as a big reunion on the cards. Not only that but we've had some more exclusive insight into what you can expect from season 2 from Sauron himself, Charlie Vickers. We get into the details of these below, as well as tackling all you need to know about the return of one of the best Amazon Prime Video shows.
Our guide features release date details, all the new characters you need to know about, as well as what we know about the plot. So whether you're a hardcore Lord of the Rings fan or you just love fantasy TV, then you're in the right place. We've got all that's known so far about The Rings of Power season 2. Adventure awaits!
The Rings of Power season 2 release date
The Rings of Power season 2 will release on August 29, 2024. Three episodes will be available at release, with the rest to follow weekly from then.
Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke previously hinted that a quicker turnaround would be happening and speed is of the essence with the new season.
"We're going to get that out into the world as soon as we can," Salke told Variety. "We want the shortest time possible between seasons, but we want to keep the bar just as high. So it'll take what it takes. But there's been some urgency around moving quickly, which is why these guys have been writing all through their hiatus. We're moving fast."
The Rings of Power season 2 trailer
The third trailer for The Rings of Power season 2 has been released, and it gives us our best look yet at the battle ahead. The new season will feature the Siege of Eregion, a huge battle in Tolkien's works. We see all aspects of Middle-earth preparing for the conflict ahead in the new trailer, as well as finally seeing Sauron and Galadriel's reunion. Watch it through the link.
The second trailer for Rings of Power season 2 was packed with upcoming plot details and adventures in Middle-earth. The teaser kicks off by reminding us all of Sauron's plans to control all the rings of power in his quest for total domination.
We also finally see Annatar (aka Sauron's Fair-Form) in the trailer! Annatar is a figure in Tolkien's original work who helped Celebrimbor create the rings of power so that he may control them all with the One Ring. Many fans expected Annatar in season one of the Rings of Power, so seeing him in season 2 is a welcomed surprise.
But canon-speaking, we are still a bit all over the place for all you Tolkien purists. The timeline still doesn't match the one Tolkien set out exactly. This can be seen in clips of the trailer, such as the moments with the Stranger as he seems more likely than ever to be Gandalf (originally only meant to be in Middle-earth during the Third Age).
Celeborn is still also nowhere to be seen, nor is his and Galadriel's daughter (and Elrond's future wife) Celebrían. So keep that in mind before you start contemplating the meaning of Annatar's appearance.
The first trailer for Rings of Power season 2 also had plenty of foreboding warnings about Sauron, who returned to the land during the events of the season 1 finale. You can dive into the first trailer's biggest secrets with our Rings of Power season 2 trailer Easter eggs guide.
The Rings of Power season 2 first images
The Rings of Power season 2 cast – and new characters
The Rings of Power cast will remain mostly intact next season – but we may know a few by a different name.
Morfydd Clark will return as Galadriel. Charlie Vickers is also set to be back as Sauron, AKA the Southlander formerly known as Halbrand.
On the Elven side of things, we can expect Elrond (Robert Aramayo), High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) to continue their journeys. Don't be surprised to see the latter's will he/won't he romance with Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) rage on in a second season. Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) could also be on the hunt for Adar, who will be played by Sam Hazeldine, instead of Joseph Mawle, this time around.
Addressing his exit, Mawle wrote on Twitter: "I loved my time exploring Middle-earth and diving into Tolkien's mythology. I'm so honored that the character was liked. He cared deeply about telling you his story. Though as an actor it remains my wish, my job description, to explore new characters and worlds. Wishing all the best to cast and crew for S2, I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines."
The trail of the Harfoots may go cold, however. Nori (Markella Kavenagh) has set off with The Stranger/Gandalf (Daniel Weyman) and has left her family and friends behind. They may reconnect one day, but the attention will surely be focused on the next step in the pair's quest. The trailer didn't feature the Hartfoots either, which suggests they won't all return for season 2.
Over in Numenor, there's suddenly room at the top. Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) will be mourning the death of her father and coming to terms with her own loss. Elendil (Lloyd Owen) could remain by her side and may have to stave off attention from Pharazon (Trystan Gravelle).
And we haven't forgotten about the Dwarves! Fingers crossed Durin IV (Owain Arthur) and Disa (Sophia Nomvete) are back.
As of writing, there are multiple new characters joining the show. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cirdan "one of the wisest and oldest of the elves" will be cast in the new season. In fact, an unnamed actor has been cast, we just don't know who it is yet.
A whole bunch of fresh-faced cast members were added to the season 2 roster, including Persuasion's Nia Towle, The Witcher's Yasen 'Zates' Atour, The Exorcist's Ben Daniels, Bridgerton's Calam Lynch, and Games of Thrones' Kevin Eldon. They'll be joined on screen by fellow newbies Amelia Kenworthy, Nicholas Woodeson, Will Keen, Selina Lo, Gabriel Akuwudike, Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Gavi Singh Chera, and William Chubb.
On top of that, we've got news that three actors will appear in "recurring" roles. Ciaran Hinds (Game of Thrones), Rory Kinnear (James Bond), and Tanya Moodie (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) have been confirmed to join the swelling cast. Kinnear will be playing Tom Bombadil, the jaunty mystical wanderer who counts among one of Tolkien's oddest creations. Let's hope he's wearing yellow boots.
The Rings of Power season 2 story: where does it go from here?
We now have a synopsis for the new season, courtesy of Amazon.
"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: "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."
"I think in some ways, it’s going to grittier, more intense, maybe a little scarier," The Rings of Power executive producer Lindsey Weber told Deadline.
More intense? Scarier? Maybe it's best to start with the Dark Lord himself. The first season ended with Sauron – who was in disguise as Halbrand – heading towards Mordor and Mount Doom. His end goal? We can point to the Lord of the Rings trilogy for evidence of what's to come, but his short-to-medium term plans will involve getting revenge over Adar and gaining control of the legion of Orcs who want to follow him.
Giving Total Film some exclusive insight, the showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay also teased a little more of what's on the horizon. "We like to say that Season 1 was primarily about our heroes," they told us. "But Season 2 is all about the villains."
The pair also teased a big battle on the way as well. "This time, Sauron’s agenda sets everything in motion: Adar [Sam Hazeldine, taking over the role from Joseph Mawle] and his army of orcs; Galadriel [Morfydd Clark], Elrond [Robert Aramayo] and Gil-galad [Benjamin Walker] and their armies of elves – all of which will come crashing together in the most ambitious battle our show has seen yet, a battle from which many big players may not make it out alive," the showrunners said.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Payne said they want to give Sauron the Galadriel treatment in season two in terms of diving deep into the character's motivations.
"Season one opens with: Who is Galadriel? Where did she come from? What did she suffer? Why is she driven? We’re doing the same thing with Sauron in season two. We’ll fill in all the missing pieces."
Fellow showrunner McKay added, "Sauron can now just be Sauron. Like Tony Soprano or Walter White. He’s evil, but complexly evil. We felt like if we did that in season one, he’d overshadow everything else. So the first season is like Batman Begins, and the The Dark Knight is the next movie, with Sauron maneuvering out in the open. We’re really excited. Season two has a canonical story. There may well be viewers who are like, ‘This is the story we were hoping to get in season one!’ In season two, we’re giving it to them."
And don't forget about those titular rings. Those three Rings of Power may be out of his grasp, though they are certainly items of interest for Sauron should he find himself in conflict with Galadriel again.
Speaking of Galadriel, she is now joined in a pact of balance with Elrond and Celebrimbor. The three rings for the Elven Kings should stave off any unwanted threat to the elven race in Mordor for the time being. Keeping them in their possession – and ensuring that power doesn’t corrupt – is another matter entirely.
Numenor's hierarchy is similarly troubled. The king is dead and Miriel has been blinded. Who's left to pick up the pieces? While Miriel is still a formidable leader and backed by Elendil, there are those who may try and stake a claim to the throne – such as Pharazon.
The most intriguing plot thread in The Rings of Power season 2, though, is that between The Stranger/Gandalf and Nori. Judging by the finale, the unlikely duo will travel east to Rhûn in season 2. Their destination could prove to be a key location in the new batch of episodes. If they make it there, that is – following your nose can only get you so far. Either way, they're sure to bump into some of Middle-earth's major players on their long journey.
One thing that's for sure, though, is that season 2 is going to have an even bigger scope than season 1. "We've never done anything like this. So the whole production model, how to produce a show like this, the scale work, all that were things that we needed to learn for the first time in the process of making the show," Vernon Sanders, Head of Global TV for Amazon Studios, told Deadline.
"We are going to be faster. We are going to be able to put more money on screen, just in terms of the scale and scope of what we're doing now that we know how to do it. And I also think the pace of our story is going to increase in part because the story is demanding that now that everyone's been established, the stakes are established, that we're going to watch some characters in some lands go to war."
Disa star Sophia Nomvete also gave a tease about season 2 at the Deadline Contenders TV panel. Speaking about the big Sauron reveal, she explained they'll be tackling "how does every single world navigate his time, his reign and his force? And it is absolutely mind-blowing."
Whatever comes to pass, don't expect the story (which is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth) to bump into the events in The Lord of the Rings, nor Peter Jackson's movie trilogy. We're still some way off that. The Rings of Power is, and always will be, a prequel set well before the likes of Aragorn and Frodo enter Middle-earth.
However, saying that, the series does need to correct some of its choices from season 1 in season 2 if it wants to keep its prequel status. For instance, without the introduction of Celeborn (Galadriel's husband throughout the First and Second Age; and Arwen's grandfather in The Lord of the Rings movies), we are truly breaking canon and discarding Tolkien's plot. So, hopefully, he will appear in the story this season and isn't dead as season one claimed he may be.
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