Amazon is currently working on the 2nd season of the fantasy series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Here you can find out everything you need to know about the start, the new cast, the plot and further developments.
After Amazon’s series launch of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in the fall of 2022 on Prime Video is now the 2nd season shot and in post-production. After we already informed you about everything important regarding Season 1 of The Rings of Power, we will now keep you up to date with constant updates regarding Season 2. Here you can find the following information:
An anime feature film called The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim has been announced for 2024 and has been pushed back to Christmas. There are also plans for more new Lord of the Rings real films from Warner (a Lord of the Rings 4 and more, so to speak), which could bring back a wide variety of Lord of the Rings characters. However, these projects have nothing to do with the Amazon series The Rings of Power.
Warning, spoilers for season 1 of Amazon’s The Rings of Power follow.
The Lord of the Rings Season 2 Release Date: The Rings of Power launch on Amazon?
After season 1 of The Rings of Power ran on Amazon Prime in September/October 2022, the launch of season 2 is expected to be two years away. An official date has not yet been set. Looking at the elaborate production history so far, it is expected to launch in the second half of 2024 on Prime Video, while another fantasy series on Amazon will fill the gap in fall 2023. Filming began on October 3, 2022, with this time filming in the UK instead of New Zealand. Season 2 will again have 8 episodes.
Amusing Lord of the Rings “accidents” by cast members kept fans entertained during the mystery-filled filming. In addition, spy photos from the set revealed important new locations in advance.
The most important facts about the Lord of the Rings series at a glance
- The series creators behind The Rings of Power are Patrick McKay and John D. Payne. Amazon is working with J.R.R. Tolkien’s heirs the Tolkien Estate.
- The Lord of the Rings series is set for 5 seasons, which are already (roughly) planned through to the end.
- Amazon’s cost for the world’s most expensive series now totals $1 billion and is expected to rise even further. About $465 million budget was spent on season 1, so about $50 million per episode.
- The Rings of Power is based on Tolkien’s extensive work: Officially, the series is based (according to the legal situation) only on the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, although the Tolkien Estate forbade a remake, sequel or Middle Earth cannibalization along MCU lines. Unofficially, the series also repeatedly draws on The Silmarillion.
The Lord of the Rings Season 2 Cast: Who is in the cast of the 2nd Lord of the Rings Season?
Many cast members of the 1st season will also be seen in season 2. In the Rings of Power character ranking, clear favorites have already emerged. Especially the non-Tolkien characters have an enormous advantage. The return of the following actors is as good as certain:
- Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), Elbe who hunts Sauron
- Halbrand/Sauron (Charlie Vickers), villain who wants to rule Middle-earth
- Nori (Markella Kavenagh), Harfoot girl, i.e. Hobbit precursor
- The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), meteorite-crashed wizard
- Elrond (Robert Aramayo), elf with amazing history
- Durin IV (Owain Arthur), dwarf prince
- Disa (Sophia Nomvete), dwarven princess, wife of Durin IV
- Durin III (Peter Mullan), dwarf king of Khazad-dûm
- Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), elvish blacksmith
- Elendil (Lloyd Owen), human Númenor captain
- Isildur (Maxim Baldry), Elendil’s son
- Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), healer of the Southlands
- Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), former elven guardian of the Southlands
- Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin), Bronwyn’s son
- Waldreg (Geoff Morrell), southern defector to Adar
- Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), Elven High King
- Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), Númenor’s queen-regent
- Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), Númenor’s chancellor
- Kemen (Leon Wadham), Pharazôn’s son
- Eärien (Ema Horvath), Elendil’s daughter
- Valandil (Alex Tarrant), friend of Isildur
- Largo (Dylan Smith), Noris Harfuß’s father
- Marigold (Sara Zwangobani), Nori’s stepmother
- Poppy (Megan Richards), Nori’s best friend
- Malva (Thusitha Jayasundera), Harfoot’s gossip base
- Vilma (Maxine Cunliffe), Harfoot’s wife
For many Lord of the Rings stars of Season 1, their Middle Earth involvement brought them worldwide fame, with one speaking of his former homelessness for the first time. Beyond that, however, the ranks of the cast in Season 2 will naturally be bolstered with new cast members.
The appearance of 5 new Lord of the Rings characters like the lost Galadriel husband Celeborn was already hinted at in season 1. In December 2022, 6 new Rings of Power stars were announced for season 2 and then 8 more actors were added. Also, in March 2023, three new ones joined including a Harry Potter star.
- Adar (Sam Hazeldine replaces Joseph Mawle), orc father and fallen elven villain
- Celeborn (Calam Lynch) clears up the absence of Galadriel’s husband
- Narvi (Kevin Eldon) is the dwarf who will create Moria’s doors along with elven friend Celebrimbor
- Gabriel Akuwudike
- Yasen Atour
- Nicholas Woodeson
- Nia Towle
- Ben Daniels
- Amelia Kenworthy
- Stuart Bowman
- William Chubb
- Will Keen
- Selina Lo
- Oliver Alvin-Wilson
- Gavi Singh Chera
- Ciarán Hinds
- Rory Kinnear
- Tanya Moodie
- Círdan, the elvish shipbuilder, is expected to appear, though who will play him is not yet known
- Rumor has it that newcomer Jamie Bisping will also play an as yet unknown role (alias: Viran).
That Jed Brophy, who has made appearances in all of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films as well as the series so far, will return again (as an orc) is not unlikely. In addition, a guest appearance by the giant spider Kankra has already been leaked.
The series crew of Amazon’s 2nd season The Rings of Power
Behind the scenes of the Lord of the Rings series, 3 female directors are taking Season 2 in hand:
- Charlotte Brändström (who directed episodes 6 and 7 of season 1) returns for 4 episodes.
- Sanaa Hamri directs 2 episodes of the Lord of the Rings return.
- Louise Hooper also takes over as director for 2 episodes.
In the wake of the Hollywood 2023 writers’ strike, series showrunners John D. Payne and Patrick McKay stayed away from the set for the final 19 days of filming on Season 2. In their strike absence, others took over. Officially, filming ended in early June 2023.
The Rings of Power: The plot of season 2 (and beyond)
The entire Lord of the Rings series is devoted to the Second Age’s struggle against the resurgent Sauron, who seeks to seize power over Middle Earth after his evil master Melkor (or Morgoth). Season 2 will further this conflict with two versions of Sauron. With only three of the 20 Rings of Power having been created so far, the jewelry making must now pick up steam. After the Elves, the next rings to be made should be the 7 Dwarven rings and then the 9 Human rings before Sauron forges his Master Ring.
According to the showrunners, we can expect a big season 2 focus on Sauron after the half-brand reveal: the perhaps misunderstood villain, who veiled his identity in season 1 despite numerous clues, may now become more complex along Breaking Bad lines and freely unleash his malice before our eyes. His story as the shapeshifter Annatar, as told by Tolkien, is also to receive attention.
It is likely that Sauron will first meet his old enemy, the fallen elf Adar and his light-shy orcs, in the newly created Mordor. Thereby he could also run into Isildur, who is believed to be dead. There is also speculation about his negative influence on the dwarf Disa . In addition, the conflict on Númenor between “faithful” and Pharazôn’s followers (i.e. Elven supporters and haters) comes more into focus.
Individual storylines for Season 2 have already been hinted at in the Lord of the Rings series:
- After the stranger is revealed as a wizard, his path leads the meteorite man with Harfoot girl Nori to eastern Middle Earth: to Rhûn. For there alone is visible the constellation of stars he has been seeking since his arrival. Will they perhaps meet the Eastling Khamûl here, who later becomes a Ringwraith?
- With the introduction of the invisible world in the season 1 finale, the magical parallel dimension of the Nazgûl and mystics is also likely to play a greater role in the continuing narrative of The Rings of Power.
- In the island kingdom of Númenor, on the other hand, a change of rulers is pending after the death of Míriel’s father Tar-Palantír, which could set the course for the predicted catastrophe.
- The now homeless southerners, on the other hand, flee to the port city of Pelargir.
- Among the dwarves, on the other hand, the last Mithril word has not yet been spoken. The (Balrog) fall must eventually follow the rise to greatness. And is Durin IV still heir to the throne of Khazad-dûm after the quarrel with his father?
- How the Elves now proceed against Sauron with their three mighty rings, especially since Galadriel kept his true identity to herself for the time being.
- The Lord of the Rings showrunners are also already teasing a massive new battle spanning two episodes. Secret set photos here refer to the start of the war between Elves and Sauron in Eregion.
- In addition, Elrond in the fantasy series will probably consider the foundation of Rivendell, so that the series can return to one of the most beautiful Middle Earth ordeals.
Furthermore, it is already becoming apparent what the Lord of the Rings narrative will ultimately come down to after 5 well-planned seasons: the battle of the Last Alliance against Sauron. A hidden scene in season 1 already hinted at the partly tragic end of the finale.
Whether we will see more of the Middle Earth backstory of the Valar and Maiar after the secret meaning of the series intro remains to be seen.
Criticism and controversy surrounding The Rings of Power
Whether it’s short-haired elves, dwarven beards, or frustration over added characters, the Lord of the Rings series has been met with controversy from audiences. Reactions were divided into two main camps: After the finale, there were fan voices ranging from “horrible mess” to “best series of the year.
Judging by audience figures for the series’ success, streaming competitor Netflix would probably have canceled The Rings of Power after one season. Nevertheless, Amazon pressed ahead with plans for its Lord of the Rings franchise and even commissioned a new Middle-earth video game.
In addition, hostility because of the color of their skin was not uncommon for many Rings of Power actors:ins. Lord of the Rings stars condemned the racist attacks on the new Middle-earth personnel. In the wake of the wave of hatred, Amazon even shut down its comments feature. For stars like Ismael Cruz Córdova, this led to Amazon hiring a set therapist after death threats to help affected performers deal with the hostility.
Tolkien hardcore fans disliked, not least, the chronological liberties the series took to have important events take place over a shorter period of time (rather than constantly swapping out short-lived human protagonists over thousands of years). Also, throughout Season 1, there was much Galadriel criticism of the new portrayal of the familiar character.
In addition, Lord of the Rings film actor Bernard Hill criticized the Lord of the Rings series as pure money-making, with no intentions of watching it. Legolas actor Orlando Bloom, on the other hand, praised The Rings of Power as “brave” and was looking forward to more.
The replacement of the Adar actor also caused a stir as a setback for the series, even though his replacement brought plenty of fantasy experience.
The criticism (including angry fan petitions) about nude hobbits that flared up after the casting calls for nude scenes did not find any further targets in the course of season 1, as there were no sex scenes or the like for the time being. The level of violence also remained limited to an age rating of 12 and up on Amazon, although the series had been shot much more brutally.
Among the more bizarre events was a garbage company that referenced the Lord of the Rings franchise: It was threatened with a lawsuit if how did not change its name. The Twitter blunder of a Rings of Power star, on the other hand, was accepted with meme humor.
After a horse died on the Lord of the Rings set, animal rights group PETA condemned it and called for the use of CGI instead of real animals.
In April 2023, a Lord of the Rings lawsuit over plagiarism allegations arose, with Demetrious Polychron claiming Amazon had stolen from his novel The Fellowship of the King. Shortly thereafter, the author was sued in reverse by the Tolkien heirs for his banned Lord of the Rings sequel.
