The Lord of the Rings TV show is scheduled to arrive on Amazon Prime Video next year. It's been a lengthy wait for the live-action series, which will depict the Second Age of J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic franchise, and it'll be another 12 months before viewers can settle in for a new Lord of the Rings adventure.
With season 2 already greenlit by Amazon, most fans had expected the show to continue being shot in New Zealand. Despite the country being the spiritual home to Lord of the Rings, though, the show's second season is to be shot elsewhere, and you'll have to read on to find out where that'll be.
That aside, what else do we know about Amazon's The Lord of the Rings? After months of waiting, we know when its release date is, as well as who is part of its sizable cast, whether Peter Jackson's two movie trilogies tie into it and more.
To get the lowdown on everything worth knowing about Amazon's Lord of the Rings season 1, we've compiled every piece of relevant news relating to the forthcoming TV show. Get comfortable and let's dive in.
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Cut to the chase
- What is it? Amazon's TV adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth book series.
- Where can I watch it? Amazon Prime Video.
- When will it be released? September 2, 2022.
- What did Amazon pay for Lord of the Rings? $250 million for the rights alone – and that's before you enter production.
- Are the Lord of the Rings movies on Amazon Prime? Yes.
Lord of the Rings on Amazon release date: September 2022
After what feels like the longest wait imaginable, Amazon's Lord of the Rings has a release date – but it'll be another year before we see it.
The Lord of the Rings TV show won't arrive on Amazon Prime Video until September 2, 2022. It's disappointing we won't see it sooner but, given how production has gone so far, it's not overly surprising.
Much like more recent Amazon Prime TV shows, Lord of the Rings season 1 episodes will be released weekly, so don't expect to be able to binge watch it over a single weekend.
The announcement was made on the series' official Twitter account, which also gave us a first-look image to pour over:
On September 2, 2022, a new journey begins. pic.twitter.com/9tnR7WqDoAAugust 2, 2021
Filming has been underway since February 2020 (per Stuff.co.nz), so it'll be over two-and-a-half years before the series premieres on Amazon Prime Video.
There's a reason for that, though, with filming not being without its issues. Stunt injuries have apparently been common on set, and it seems that those problems have continued throughout the show's production.
Stuntwoman Elissa Cadwell was injured just days into filming the first two episodes, while the New Zealand Herald and Variety have carried quotes from "furious" stunt personnel about the dangerous work they've had to carry out.
Amazon has stated that it takes the health and safety of all cast and crew "extremely seriously", but it seems that not everything is rosy on set. Here's hoping that things improve.
Another big issue that's plagued the series has been the Covid-19 pandemic. Its arrival led to a shut down in production in March 2020 (per New Zealand Herald), before pre-production recommenced in July 2020. (h/t Stuff.co.nz).
Filming resumed in late September, according to Deadline, with principal photography starting up again in January 2021 following a two-break Christmas break (h/t New Zealand Herald).
Amazon has since confirmed that filming on season 1 officially wrapped on Tuesday, August 3.
That’s a wrap! Thank you to our amazing cast and crew and to New Zealand for being the incredible place we have been privileged to call home as we bring the Second Age and Middle-earth to life. #LOTRonPrime (1/8)August 3, 2021
Of course, the end of principal photography doesn't necessarily mean that reshoots might not be needed. Pick ups may be required to help with the editing process but, for now, season 1 has finished shooting.
Meanwhile, season 2 of Amazon's The Lord of the Rings will be filmed in the UK instead of New Zealand. Per Variety, Amazon Studios TV co-head Albert Cheng revealed that principal photography would begin on British shores in the first half of 2022 and multiple UK news outlets – including the Scottish Herald, the Argus and Birmingham Live – have already seemingly begun to lobby for the show to film in their respective districts and countries.
In a separate Variety article, New Zealand Film Commission CEO David Strong said it was "shame" that Amazon would no longer shoot the series in the country, before going on to state that he would welcome new productions to New Zealand in a bid to keep affected crew members employed by other means.
Lord of the Rings on Amazon cast: who is playing who?
A series on this scale needs a huge cast, and Amazon's Lord of the Rings ensemble is absolutely stacked.
There are 39 actors listed to appear, according to the official casting page and, while we don't have confirmation on who is portraying who, we have some ideas based on various inside sources.
According to Variety, Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud) has been cast as young Galadriel. Lord of the Rings fans will know that the powerful elf was played by Cate Blanchett in the film trilogy. As this series is set during the Second Age, though, Galadriel will be younger than her movie counterpart.
Another role that we're fairly certain of is Simon Merrells. According to the actor's biography page on the Warring and McKenna management agency website, Merrells (Good Omens) will be playing an original character called Trevyn.
There are also rumors surrounding the identities of other actors' roles.
Robert Aramayo, who played a young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, is believed to have replaced Will Poulter as Beldor, one of the TV show's main heroes (per Deadline).
The Hollywood Reporter has claimed that Markella Kavenagh (The Cry) had signed on to play a character called Tyra, while Deadline has suggested that Lloyd Owen (Monarch of the Glen) would portray someone known as Loda.
Joseph Mawle, who played Benjen Stark in Game of Thrones, is also thought to have been cast as the series antagonist Oren (h/t Deadline). However, it's unclear if this character has ties to Sauron – more on him later – or if he'll be a supporting villain.
Regarding Kip Chapman's character, the Fellowship of Fans Twitter fan account alleges that the Westside actor is portraying someone called Selin. Finally, A Discovery of Witches' Trystan Gravelle recently gave us a hint at his character's potential look for the show, but we're not sure who this individual is yet.
Thrilled to welcome them to the @LOTRonPrime family! https://t.co/Medxxvz07NJuly 1, 2021
One thing that is certain is that we won't see the likes of Frodo, Sam or Aragorn in this adaptation. These characters were born in Middle-Earth's Third Age, which places the show outside of their timelines so they're not expect to show up.
There are key Second Age players, including elven High King Gil-galad, elven smith Celebrimbor, dwarf King Durin III, and Numenorian King Elendil, who haven't had their castings revealed yet, though, so hopefully we'll get official confirmation on which actors will portray them soon.
Lord of the Rings on Amazon plot: what is the story about?
In January 2021, TheOneRing.net revealed Amazon Studios' official synopsis for the series:
Our servers haven't crashed & burned like this since 2003, so here's the official show synopsis for Amazon's LORD OF THE RINGS series. 📺 #LOTRonPrime pic.twitter.com/O9k0Q8VkuzJanuary 13, 2021
The synopsis doesn't give much away, but it's enough to go on for now.
Amazon's Lord of the Rings will be set during Middle-Earth's Second Age, which lasted for nearly 3,500 years and ended with Sauron's defeat thanks to the alliance between men and elves. This is the battle that opened Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, so it's possible that we may see this adapted again at some point in Amazon's series.
However, that is some way off if it does appear. There's plenty of Middle-Earth history that Amazon's Lord of the Rings could cover, and we're hopeful that we'll be seeing live-action debuts for new areas of Tolkien's world in the TV show, such as Numenor and Lindon.
It sounds like we'll be seeing one of those locations on screen, too. According to the Fellowship of Fans Twitter fan account, leaked set reports have suggested that Numenorian guilds (weapons dealers, food traders and more) will be part of the show.
While we wait for more news on the story front, we have also seen a map of what Middle-Earth looked like during the Second Age:
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/7TuQh7gRPDMarch 7, 2019
Amazon is reportedly committed to producing five seasons of its Lord of the Rings series, according to a IGN. Per GameSpot, though, only two of those have been greenlit.
With Amazon focusing on the Second Age, then, we should see how Sauron returns and almost ends up ruling over Middle-Earth. The Lord of the Rings' big bad has a huge role in how this era plays out, so we can expect to see his rise to power again and the eons-spanning fallout after he tries to enslave men, dwarves, and elves with the Rings of Power.
Another element of Amazon's adaptation is that it could be more adult than some fans have envisaged. According to TheOneRing.net, Amazon hired a well-known New Zealand intimacy coordinator – Jennifer Ward-Lealand – back in October 2020.
It's unclear what level of intimacy Ward-Lealand has been brought on board for, but some Tolkien fans have already voiced their displeasure over Ward-Lealand's hiring. Why? Well, intimacy – as an industry term – usually refers to nudity or sex scenes. Think along the lines of HBO's adaptation of Game of Thrones and you'll be on the right track.
If, and it's a big if as we don't know Amazon's plan for its adaptation, nudity is a part of the company's Lord of the Rings series, you can expect it to receive a high age rating when it finally airs.
Lord of the Rings on Amazon cost: how much will it be to make?
Amazon bought the rights to the Lord of the Rings TV show for $250 million in November 2017 (h/t Deadline). If Amazon completes its five-season run, it'll be expected that the entire production will have cost $1 billion, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This would make Amazon's Lord of the Rings the most expensive series of all-time.
That $1 billion mark is moving closer to reality, if not more, too. As New Zealand-based publication Stuff revealed, season 1 will reportedly cost $650m New Zealand dollars to produce. Converting that into US dollars, season 1 is valued over $465 million.
However, Amazon Studios will get a portion of its production costs knocked off the bill by the New Zealand government. Reuters has reported that Amazon is getting an extra five per cent from the nation's Screen Production Grant due to the jobs and work it has generated for the country's economy. This means that Amazon Studios is eligible to receive a rebate of NZ$162 million (US$116 million) from the New Zealand government – funds that will reduce Amazon's financial outlay for season 1.
That reduction in costs won't be carried over when production moves to the UK, but the British government also offers financial incentives for movies and TV shows to be shot on UK soil. Amazon can expect, then, receive some form of reimbursement.
Lord of the Rings on Amazon crew: who is involved?
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and A Monster Calls director J.A. Bayona is leading production on Amazon's Lord of the Rings, while J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have been on board since July 2018 (h/t The Hollywood Reporter) to write and co-executively produce the show.
Other executive producers include Bayona, Lindsay Weber, Callum Greene, Jason Cahill, and Gennifer Hutchinson. Kate Hawley is leading costume design on the series, while concept artist John Howe – one the film's chief conceptual designers – is also part of the crew.
Bayona directed the series' first two instalments, including the pilot episode. Hunters director Wayne Che Yip has directed four of season 1's eight episodes, while Charlotte Brändström (The Witcher, Jupiter's Legacy) is helming the final two entries.
One person who hasn't returned for Amazon's adaptation is Peter Jackson. The director of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies had been tapped by Amazon, but ultimately declined to be involved.
Finally, Howard Shore – who scored all six Lord of the Rings movies – has revealed that he hasn't been contacted about writing the music for Amazon's TV show. Back in January in an interview with Observer.com, the composer admitted that he would "consider it" if the streaming giant approached him, but we'll have to wait and see if there's movement on this front.
Lord of the Rings on Amazon: will The War of the Rohirrim movie tie into it?
No. Amazon's Lord of the Rings is set centuries before The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim, so don't expect there to be any crossover between these events.
For those who may have missed this announcement: Variety has reported that Warner Bros. Animation is developing a Lord of the Rings anime movie.
Focusing on the history of Helm's Deep, the legendary Rohan stronghold that was the scene for Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' massive battle, War of the Rohirrim will tell the tale of King Helm Hammerhand, whose reign is remembered for a long and costly war that occurred throughout his time on the throne.
Anime filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama, who has helmed Netflix's Ultraman series among other projects, will direct War of the Rohirrim, which will supposedly tie into the six main Lord of the Rings films.
However, given that King Hammerhand's reign took place around 260 years before Lord of the Rings' main events, it won't be linked to Amazon's TV series. The latter is set during Middle Earth's Second Age, so it'll precede events in War of the Rohirrim.
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