Amazon Studios released a new synopsis for Prime Video's forthcoming Lord of the Rings series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
The synopsis reads, "Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and one of the greatest villains that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone."
Amazon committed to multiple seasons of The Lord of the Rings in 2017. "The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen," former Amazon Studios Head of Scripted Programming Sharon Tal Yguado said at the time. "We are honored to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth."
"We are delighted that Amazon, with its long-standing commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever multiseason television series for The Lord of the Rings," Tolkien Estate and Trust and HarperCollins representative Matt Galsor added. "Sharon and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writings."
Much has been made of The Rings of Power's budget, which was at one point said to be nearly $500 million for just the first season. "LOL. Imagine if you actually had the correct numbers and didn't report fake news," Yguado, who was no longer with Amazon Studios at the time, said in response to this figure.
"This is a title that we imagine could live on the spine of a book next to J.R.R. Tolkien’s other classics," showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay said when the Lord of the Rings series' official title was announced. "The Rings of Power unites all the major stories of Middle-earth’s Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring – but before there was one, there were many… and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all."
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres Friday, Sept. 2 on Prime Video.
Source: Amazon Studios