After a long three year wait, a little peek inside the upcoming The Lord of the Rings series has been revealed.
Released exclusively on theonering.net, the official synopsis for the series from Amazon:
Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series 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 the greatest villain 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 re-emergence 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 furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.
Last month, 20 of the cast members were announced, but no other details of their characters are known. The series is likely to center on the great villain Sauron, a name familiar to fans of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and how the Rings of Power came to be. The Second Age came to an end at the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, so we may get a grander backstory of Elendil, Isildur, and Narsil, along with Elrond and the Elves. Another story seemingly set to be explored is the rise and fall of Númenor, the lands and people that can be traced back to Aragorn’s grand lineage.
Currently, the Lord of the Rings series for Amazon is set for a five season minimum with eight to 10 episodes per season. Seasons 1 and 2 are currently filming back-to-back in New Zealand. No release date has been set.