The Lord of the Rings original series may be a few years away, but it’s easily one of Amazon’s most anticipated projects. Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy is still beloved by fans, and there’s not a lot of demand for a rehash. Fortunately, Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series is going to focus on a rarely explored era of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth.
Via Entertainment Weekly, Amazon’s LOTR twitter account revealed a new map of Middle-Earth, and confirmed that the show will be set in the Second Age. That places approximately 3,000 years of history between the series and the beginning of LOTR.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. #LOTRonPrime pic.twitter.com/7TuQh7gRPD
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) March 7, 2019
Welcome to the Second Age: https://t.co/Tamd0oRgTw
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) March 7, 2019
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Casual fans may not realize it, but Jackson’s Fellowship of the Rings actually depicted the end of the Second Age, when the last alliance of elves and men confronted Sauron’s forces. The Second Age covered nearly 3,441 years, and it began after the banishment of Morgoth, the dark lord before Sauron. There’s a lot of story potential in that time, including the rise of Sauron, the creation of the One Ring, and the emergence of the Ringwraiths.
Amazon’s map also includes Númenor, an island kingdom of men that was lost beneath the sea to a cataclysm. In Tolkien’s mythos, Sauron was captured by the king of Númenor, but he slowly corrupted the kingdom from within. Only the intervention of the deity, Eru, prevented Sauron’s plans and led to the destruction of Númenor.
Production has yet to begin for Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series, but is expected to premiere in 2021.
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