‘The Lord of the Rings’ series on Amazon Prime sets premiere date
The highly-anticipated epic fantasy series adaptation of The Lord of the Rings on Amazon officially has a premiere date.
As reported by Variety, the upcoming series will debut on the streamer on September 2, 2022, with new episodes dropping weekly after that.
Filming on the first season of the show concluded last August 2 in New Zealand. Along with the news on the release date, Amazon Prime also shared the first official image from the series on Monday, August 2.
The first glimpse shows off an expansive location of Middle-earth with a vast city nestled into hillside on the horizon all bathed in a golden hue. A figure in a flowy white garb stands in front of the landscape, illuminated by the light in the sky.
On September 2, 2022, a new journey begins. pic.twitter.com/9tnR7WqDoA
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) August 2, 2021
“The journey begins September 2, 2022 with the premiere of our original The Lord of the Rings series on Prime Video,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “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 and awe-inspiring vision to life.”
“As Bilbo says, ‘Now I think I am quite ready to go on another journey.’ Living and breathing Middle-earth these many months has been the adventure of a lifetime. We cannot wait for fans to have the chance to do so as well,” said showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay.
The show’s plot details were revealed earlier in January this year courtesy of the fandom portal TheOneRing.net which was confirmed and reshared by the show's official Twitter account.
We’re just as excited! Here’s to visiting places never before seen and old kingdoms at the height of their glory. https://t.co/uIMHpBHPQ1
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) January 14, 2021
"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."
While no details have been given regarding the location in the latst image, according to ScreenRant, it could possibly show a "new conception of Elven city Rivendell," which was a key location in the original trilogy, and "the person in white standing outside city could be an Elf." Another possibility for the location of the city in the image is Gondolin, another Elven city founded in the First Age.
The Lord of the Rings series produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, is planned to have a five-season production worth at least $1 billion, becoming the most expensive television show yet.
The series cast includes Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.
(Images via Amazon)