Lord Of The Rings Brings Stunning Big-Budget Special Effects To New Series Trailer

Now, Amazon is taking a crack at the beloved Lord of the Rings universe, with an all-new series coming to the streaming service this fall.

By Erika Hanson | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

lord of the rings

It’s been 21 long years since Peter Jackson first brought the world’s most popular story to life in modern culture. Now, Amazon is taking a crack at the beloved Lord of the Rings universe, with an all-new series coming to the streaming service this fall. With anticipation rising for the show following last week’s first look photography, the first trailer premiered during last night’s Super Bowl as fans got their first taste of the stunning big-budget special effects the most expensive series ever created is sure to boast. 

See the first trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power below.

The one-minute teaser did nothing to give away any key plot focusing points of the upcoming prequel series, however, it did showcase the epic scale of the show–which was certainly enough to excite fans of the beloved universe. The opening shot depicts a breathtaking city surrounded by water, with high topped stone buildings and a large carved out monument in the background as we hear the first words spoken by yet again a curious Hobbit-like character, begging the question, “Haven’t you ever wondered what else is out there?” Keeping a focal point on a much younger Lady Galadriel, we see the young elf scaling an icy mountain and taking on mammoth waves in an angry sea. Showcasing the vast landscapes strewn throughout Middle-Earth, Amazon’s trailer makes one thing clear: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is going head to head with Peter Jackson to boast what they hope to be the biggest fantasy series yet.

Lord of the Rings
Cave Troll Shown In Trailer

Set to premiere on September 2nd exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will take viewers back to the Second Age of Middle-Earth. Thousands of years before the events that saw the formation of the Fellowship of the Ring with Frodo and his fellow hobbits Merry, Sam, and Pippin, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the Dwarf, and Gandalf, the new series will introduce new faces, while showcasing some familiar as well. Beginning during a period of relative peace, The Rings of Power will portray the time period leading up to the creation of The One Ring forged by the Dark Lord Sauron.

With an ensemble cast, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will feature Ismaeal Cruz Cordova playing a skilled archer called Arondir, Morfydd Clark as a younger Galadriel, and Robert Aramayo as a young Elrond. With plenty more characters being introduced in the series, the show will also feature Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.

Even two decades ago, Peter Jackon’s long-brewing Lord of the Rings trilogy was a costly production. Altogether, the trilogy cost over $281 million to create. However, Amazon’s The Rings of Power is making Peter Jackson’s costly budget look more like pocket change, as reports have confirmed that Amazon spent $465 million on just the first season of the new series. While that figure contains unavoidable one-time costs like securing the rights to material from J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate, the show’s planned five seasons will put the project well into the billions. The Rings of Power is set to release on Amazon on September 2nd, as fans will surely get an epic first taste at the high-priced special effects hinted at in the trailer.