The first official The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power photos for Amazon Studios’ highly-anticipated TV adaptation has been released (via Vanity Fair), providing us with our first look at the main cast, which consists of familiar and new characters. These include the younger versions of Galadriel and Elrond who will be portrayed by Morfydd Clark and Robert Aramayo, respectively. The said fan-favorite elves were famously portrayed by Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving in Peter Jackson’s acclaimed film trilogy.
The series will make its worldwide debut on September 2, exclusively on Prime Video. It will then be followed by new episodes dropping weekly each Friday. Its first teaser trailer is expected to drop this Superbowl Monday.
#TheRingsOfPower, set within Tolkien’s Second Age, will juggle 22 stars and multiple storylines—from deep within the dwarf mines to the elven kingdom of Lindon. Here, the adventures of the fellowship are still some 2,000 years in the future.
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— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 10, 2022
Robert Aramayo plays Elrond, the elven statesman who is just beginning to build his reputation—starting with mending the relationship between his people and the dwarves of Khazad-dûm.
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— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 10, 2022
In a bold move, #TheRingsOfPower condenses Tolkien’s Middle-earth timeline and adds entirely new characters. Sophia Nomvete’s dwarven princess, Disa, and Ismael Cruz Córdova’s Silvan elf, Arondir, broaden the notion of who lives in Middle-earth.
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— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 10, 2022
At its core, #TheRingsOfPower takes its biggest cue from the heart of Tolkien’s books. “It’s about friendship,” says McKay. “It’s about brotherhood and underdogs overcoming great darkness.”
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— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 10, 2022
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According to the outlet, the high-profile fantasy drama is expected to cover multiple storylines, “from deep within the dwarf mines of the Misty Mountains to the high politics of the elven kingdom of Lindon and the humans’ powerful, Atlantis-like island, Númenor,” which would eventually converge on the creation of the titular powerful rings.
“The forging of the rings,” co-showrunner Patrick McKay said about the show’s plot. “Rings for the elves, rings for dwarves, rings for men, and then the one ring Sauron used to deceive them all. It’s the story of the creation of all those powers, where they came from, and what they did to each of those races.”
On the show’s decision to enlist the franchise’s first-ever diverse main cast, executive producer Lindsey Weber explained the importance of adapting a story that would actually reflect what the world actually looks like. “It felt only natural to us that an adaptation of Tolkien’s work would reflect what the world actually looks like. Tolkien is for everyone. His stories are about his fictional races doing their best work when they leave the isolation of their own cultures and come together.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. The new epic drama will feature an ensemble cast led by Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Maxim Baldry as sailor Isildur, Nazanin Boniadi as human village healer Bronwyn, Ismael Cruz Córdova as silvan elf Arondir, Charles Edwards as elven smith Celebrimbor, Sophia Nomvete as dwarven princess Disa, and Charlie Vickers as Halbrand.
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Additional cast includes Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Owain Arthur, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is developed and executive produced by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, who are serving as showrunners. Even before it went into production for the first season, Amazon Studios granted the project a second season renewal.
