Shows rarely come with such weighted expectations as The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. Whether you’re a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material or Peter Jackson’s era-defining film trilogy, The Rings Of Power has to carry the legacy of one of the most popular fantasy epics ever written.
- READ MORE: ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ review: epic fantasy franchise returns to rule them all
For The Rings Of Power, fulfilling this expectation extends into the long-game. A show based on Tolkien’s appendices was perhaps always going to start with pacing wobbles, yet season one’s final leg felt like the fires of Mordor were finally erupting with life. Can a second season continue that momentum? Here’s what we know so far…
Has The Rings Of Power been renewed for season two?
Yes, before the Second Age began
When Amazon first acquired the global TV rights to The Lord Of The Rings in 2017, it made a five-season production commitment. Each season still needs approving though, giving the studio an ‘out’ if ratings start to plummet or if the storyline is wrapped up sooner than expected. However, an eight-episode second season was green-lit in November 2019, before pre-production had even begun on the first.
Showrunners Patrick McKay and JD Payne have also started early work on a third season after signing a new, three-year deal with Amazon early in 2024.
Head of television at Amazon MGM Studios, Vernon Sanders, said: “We continue to be amazed by the scope and scale of their vision and the enormous global success achieved by The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in its record-breaking first season. We can’t wait for Prime Video customers to experience the epic adventure and high-stakes drama that JD and Patrick are continuing to build throughout season two and beyond.”
Does season two have a release date?
It’s coming later in 2024
According to The Hollywood Reporter, production on season two of The Rings Of Power started late in 2022 and had wrapped by June 2023.
In May 2024, during Prime Video’s Upfront presentation, it was confirmed The Rings Of Power would return August 29 with the first three episodes of season two. The following five episodes will be released weekly, with the season finale hitting the streamer on October 3.
Who’s returning for season two?
Get ready for new faces
A bulk of the main cast will be returning for season two of The Rings Of Power, including Morfydd Clarke (Galadriel), Robert Aramayo (Elrond), Owain Arthur (Prince Durin), Sophia Nomvete (Disa), Ismael Cruz Córdova (Arondir), and Charlie Vickers (Sauron). However Nazanin Boniadi won’t be returning as Bronwyn, confirming the news on social media.
Ben Daniels, who’s taking on the role of Círdan The Shipwright, is one of several new faces joining the cast. Círdan is one of the oldest and wisest of the Elves who, In Tolkien’s writings, is against the forging of the rings of power. When that stance goes south, he’s later entrusted with one by High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker).
Rory Kinnear has also joined the cast as “whimsical” Tom Bombadil alongside Tanya Moodie, Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour, Ben Daniels, Sam Hazeldine, Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle, Nicholas Woodeson, Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Calam Lynch, William Chubb, Kevin Eldon, Will Keen, Selina Lo and Gavi Singh Chera.
What’s changed?
Rings Of Power has left New Zealand
While the first season of The Rings Of Power was filmed in New Zealand ( just like Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings trilogy) production for season two took place at Bray Studios, just outside of London. The move was apparently a financial one, but it’s still received criticism
When it was first announced Elijah Wood, who played Frodo in the original trilogy, shared the news with a face-palm emoji.
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) August 12, 2021
Speaking to Variety, New Zealand politician Todd McClay blamed the country’s economic and regional development minister, Stuart Nash, for not negotiating a deal with Amazon. “Stuart Nash has shown a lack of interest in negotiating with Amazon, despite the huge impact the production could have on our economy,” McClay said. “Stuart Nash needs to be transparent with Kiwis about why he didn’t even ask for future seasons of the show to be filmed in New Zealand.”
In response, Nash claimed Amazon simply made a “commercial choice” which doesn’t reflect the “the capabilities of our local film industry or the talents of the people who work in it”.
Since then, Amazon has bought Bray Studios as it looks to create a hub for a number of different shows. As well as The Rings Of Power, the second season of the Russo Brothers’ spy thriller Citadel will also be filmed at the complex.
Who’s behind Rings Of Power season two?
Leaders emerge to take up the fight
In 2022, Amazon announced the creative visionaries looking to steer season two to even greater heights.
Charlotte Brändström has directed four episodes of the new season, after directing two episodes of season one (Udûn and The Eye) while Sanaa Hamri will be helming two. The Moroccan born director isn’t new to carefully protecting a beloved franchise after she served as an executive producer and director on Prime’s The Wheel of Time. British director Louise Hooper has also directed two episodes, after working on the first season of Netflix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman and The Witcher.
Have the creators said anything about the plot in season two?
Sauron, come on down
A major focus of season two will be Sauron, who shows up in his “fair form” over the flaming eye on a tower seen in Peter Jackson’s trilogy.
That form was revealed in the season one finale as Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), confirming many long-running fan theories. Following the reveal, the actor teased the direction for Sauron in season two.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Vickers said: “I think it’s a really exciting season because you start to see Sauron for who he is. We’ve been seeing him in this period of repentance. We’re going to move into this period of watching his plans unfold. You’re with him as he moves the pieces on the chessboard.
“There are parts of the lore that are so rich and so exciting and thrilling and things that I adored reading in The Silmarillion that we’re going to see. Those really famous stories are going to unfold next season.
In a separate THR interview, showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay compared the second season to director Christopher Nolan’s sequel The Dark Knight.
Payne said: “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.”
Sauron can now just be Sauron,” McKay added. “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 Dark Knight is the next movie, with Sauron manoeuvring 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.”
As reported by THR, it’s been revealed season two will feature an epic two-episode battle, although specifics are unknown.
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