Carl Roberts 
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series confirms Second Age setting. Everything we know so far…
Hard to believe but it’s been almost twenty years since the first Lord Of The Rings film opened around the world. The Oscar-winning trilogy and its prequels, The Hobbit Trilogy has become much loved to audiences across the globe. We can’t seem to get enough of this world and all its characters, good, evil and creature on the big screen or at home on Blu-ray and DVD.
Back in 2017, Amazon Studios announced they had won the rights to produce and make five seasons at the very least of a Lord Of The Rings show. It seemed like all our favourite characters would be even more accessible via a streaming site. While we are going to get a ‘Rings’ series, it’s not quite what we were expecting. However, considering the volume of material that legendary author J R R Tolkien wrote during his lifetime and all the research and dedication he put into his classic middle earth saga, there are many avenues that Amazon could take us down.
Here’s what we know so far:
Amazon signed on to make the series within two years and with the fact that the deal was signed in 2017, production will be starting this year.
Amazon has revealed that the series will be set approx 3,441 years prior to the opening events in The Fellowship Of The Ring. This will set the series in the Age Of Númenor or if you will, the second age. This entails that we can’t be too sure what exactly we will see on screen. The rise of Sauron takes place at the end of the second age. In addition, again at the end of the second age, the last alliance of Elves and Men was formed.
It’s possible that the series writers may decide to set the show during the downfall of men. This event is described in the book as part of the bloodline that Aragon was descended from. Rumours abound that Aragon’s past may play a part in the series. If this turns out to be true, can we expect a cameo appearance from Viggo Mortensen or maybe even just a voice over? We can hope the showrunners pull out all the stops to bring back several vital actors and actresses from the films to keep the continuity going.
The news that the show will be set 3,441 years before the events of the first film bring to an end the rumours that the original cast will play a big part in the show. Obviously, their characters don’t exist or haven’t been born yet in this period. Gandalf existed in spirit during the second age but only became human during the third so he probably won’t be making an appearance, ending fans hopes that Sir Ian McKellan will return as the legendary wizard during the run of the show. Nothing is impossible but its highly unlikely.
Peter Jackson will NOT be involved in the series in any capacity. His involvement with the saga has now ended. It would have been nice if his involvement or creative input was requested or attained but it’s obvious that the showrunners have decided to go in a new and different direction.
Since February of this year, maps of Middle Earth have been appearing on the shows Twitter feed. The maps have gradually been filled in over time. What does this mean? Could it be that Amazon is now moving forward with the show? Could it mean that an announcement trailer is on its way to us? Can we assume that a casting announcement is imminent? In this respect, all we have are rumours and conjecture.
Hopefully, all will be revealed shortly. It will be quite interesting to see what direction the show takes, who they cast for the series and what storyline they decide to go with. The show will have to do things right. It will need to fit alongside and within the classic saga we know and love. Anything other than that will be a waste of time and money. We don’t want to see what we have seen before, it needs to be fresh but contained within Tolkien’s world he created.
We at Future Of The Force will keep you up to date with any developments or announcements pertaining to the series when it breaks.
Until next time.
“Three rings for the Elven-Kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for mortal men doomed to die,
One for the dark lord on his dark throne,
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie,
One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them,
One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them”
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Source: The Lord of the Rings on Prime
Carl Roberts is the News Editor for The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force frequently!
