If you’ve been missing Middle Earth since the 2014 release of The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, then get ready because Amazon will be releasing a prequel to the original Lord of the Rings films in the form of a TV show!
Here you can find all you need to know about the Lord of the Rings TV show, from cast members to plot, release dates, and everything in between.
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
Lord of the Rings TV Show Release Date
So far, it doesn’t seem as though there is an official or even tentative release date for the series. Amazon first acquired the rights to produce the show back in November of 2017 for a whopping $250 billion, but since then, there hasn’t even been a rumor of a release date. This makes sense since the show hasn’t even entered into production yet, but will do so sometime in 2020.
Lord of the Rings TV Show Plot
Most of the information about the plot of the Lord of the Rings TV series is still under wraps. What we know so far is that the series will take place around the Second Age of Middle Earth, which lasts for over 3,000 years. This time frame includes the defeat of Sauron that we see at the beginning of the LOTR films.
This means that the films probably won’t feature most of the characters we know and love. However, we might be able to see characters like Elrond, Gandalf, and Sauron. The great thing about having such a wide timeline is that there are a lot of routes the show can take.
Since Amazon has committed to multiple seasons of the series when they bought the rights to the show, there are opportunities for really diving deep into the Second Age, which hasn’t been explored on screen before.
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Lord of the Rings TV Show Cast
Up until this past week, there hadn’t been any official cast members announced for the show. However, as of right now, Markella Kavenagh is the first actress to be cast in the series as a character called Tyra.
Image Source: IMDb
You might recognize Kavenagh from films like Romper Stomper, The Cry, and Picnic at Hanging Rock. Besides her character’s name, the rest of her character’s details have been kept a secret, so at this point, we don’t even have an idea what race Tyra could be.
If Elrond and Gandalf are featured in the series, then it might not be too far fetched to expect Hugo Weaving (Elrond) and Ian McKellan (Gandalf) to reprise their original roles. However, considering that the Second Age takes place at least a few thousand years before the films, Amazon might choose to cast some new faces in these roles.
Lord of the Rings TV Show Creative Team
In July 2018, it was revealed that JD Payne and Patrick McKay would be assisting in the production of this series as writers and developers. You might know of this duo from their work on Star Trek 4.
With rumors that there may be some moments included from the original films, it is to be expected that Peter Jackson will play a part in the development of the series. However, his role will probably be minimal.
In terms of directing, it was announced this month that J.A. Bayona, director of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, will be directing the series’ first two episodes. Belén Atienza will also join him as an executive producer. Bryan Cogman, former co-executive producer on Game of Thrones, will join the team as well as a consulting producer. Here is the rest of the creative team announced during the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour.
- Executive producers: Bruce Richmond (Game of Thrones), Lindsey Weber (10 Cloverfield Lane), Sharon Tal Yguado, Gene Kelly (Boardwalk Empire)
- Consulting producer Stephany Folsom (Toy Story 4)
- Writers/executive producers Jason Cahill (The Sopranos), Gennifer Hutchinson (Breaking Bad), and Justin Double (Stranger Things)
- Producer Ron Ames (The Aviator)
- Writing consultant Glenise Mullins
- Writer/co-producer Helen Shang (Hannibal)
- Production designer Rick Heinrichs (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)
- Costume designer Kate Hawley (Suicide Squad)
- Illustrator/concept artist John Howe
- Visual effects supervisor Jason Smith (The Revenant)
- Tolkien scholar Tom Shippe
Lord of the Rings TV Show Filming Locations
It should come as no surprise that Amazon’s LOTR TV show will be filming in New Zealand, just like the original LOTR and Hobbit trilogies did. There are no confirmed locations yet, but according to Gamespot, Auckland and Queenstown could be potential filming spots.
Gamespot also mentioned the possibility of Scotland, but until there is an official announcement, we really have no way of knowing if the Lord of the Rings TV show will take place in one specific area or several.
Latest News
Since there hasn’t been much information released about Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV show, it feels safe to say that they are in the very early stages of production.
With only one cast member officially announced, no clear plot, and limited updates, I think it’s okay to speculate that we won’t be scheduling any watch parties for at least a year or two. With 3,000 years of timeline to work with, the creative team has their work cut out for them!
We will be updating this section periodically as we get more information.
Conclusion
This is what we know so far about the new Lord of the Rings TV show from Amazon. What are you most excited to learn more about? Are there any actors or actresses that you think would be great additions to Middle Earth? Are there any characters from the original film trilogies that you’d like to see reprise their roles?
Personally, I’d love to see Ian McKellan as Gandalf again! Is there anything specific that you’re hoping to learn more about from the Second Age of Middle Earth? Are you hoping for more battles or backstory?
I want to hear from you as more announcements are made! Be sure to comment down below or find me on social media so we can discuss all the details of this new Lord of the Rings TV series!
Megan Subsick
Contributor
Hi all, I’m Meg and I first fell in love with the Harry Potter Universe when my third grade teacher began reading it aloud in class. That day after school I got home, snuck into my older brother Alex’s room, and stole his copy of Sorcerer’s Stone. It was the first chapter book that I ever read in a single day. The rest is history (of magic).
Each year I counted down the days for the next film or book to come out in an effort to rejoin the magic of the wizarding world. When the series ended, I thought that the magic was over. Fast forward to July 30th 2016. I had been studying Shakespeare abroad in London for a few weeks when I realized I would still be in the city for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (which I have since seen 4 times and counting). Despite being a huge fan of the series, I had never been to a midnight release and this was my chance!
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