The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 got a trailer and a release date on Wednesday, so mark your calendar for Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. The epic fantasy series looks to be more focused in its upcoming installment with even more action. However, it could be that the series is simply easier to market this time around without the mysteries that constrained Season 1.
The new trailer does not shy away from spoiling one of the big revelations of Season 1 – the character Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) was actually Sauron in disguise, and he is no going to war with most of Middle-earth. We see Sauron with a surprising new look including Elven ears and hair, along with some ominous voice-over from Galadriel (Morfydd Clark). She says: “I think he has been here. I think he has been among us all along!”
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Along with the trailer and the release date, Amazon gave a synopsis of Season 2, which reads: “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. Building on Season One’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,” the synopsis concludes.
Even die-hard fans can only guess at where Rings of Power is going next, as intellectual property rights issues mean the story is not based on thorough source material. Amazon does not have the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion or The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but only to the appendices of the main series. After Season 1, Tolkien enthusiasts generally agreed that the show is not set in the same continuity as the books or Peter Jackson’s movies, so anything is possible.
The Rings of Power Season 2 premieres on Thursday, Aug. 29 on Prime Video. Season 1 is streaming there now, while Tolkien’s books are available in print, digital and audiobook formats.
