We love the gorgeous, epic visuals in the new LOTR: Rings of Power trailer

From HBO House of the Dragon debuting with a record about 10 million viewers, one could forget that another new big-budget fantasy series is waiting for its time. Prime Video reminded us of this with a new trailer The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Based on the notes and stories of J. RR Tolkien, the eight-episode series will be set around the late author’s “Second Age” era. According to the official description:

This epic drama takes place thousands of years before the events of J. RR Tolkien The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will transport viewers to an era when great powers were created, kingdoms rose to glory and fell, heroes were unlikely to pass the test, hope hung on a thin thread, and the greatest villain ever to emerge from Tolkien’s pen threatened to engulf the entire world by darkness Beginning in a period of relative peace, the series follows a group of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront what has long been feared, the resurgence of evil in Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elven capital Lyndon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will create a legacy that will live on for a long time. they are not there.

Like us reported earlier, the large cast includes Morfid Clarke as the young Galadriel, “now a tough warrior who leads the armies of the North” who is determined to track down her brother’s killer. She finds herself at sea with a new character named Halbrand (Charles Vickers). Charles Edwards plays the hardcore Celebrimbor LOTR fans will recognize the elven smith who forged the legendary rings. Robert Aramaia will play a younger version of Elrond, while Maxim Baldry will play the infamous Isildur, Aragorn’s ancestor who eventually defeated Sauron but fell victim to the corrupting power of the One Ring. Peter Mullan plays Dwarf King Durin III.

There is also a breed of hobbits known as Harfoot who mostly try to hide and keep to themselves. But two curious young hobbits, Poppy Proudfellow and Nora Brandyfoot (Megan Richard and Markell Caven, respectively), are more adventurous and somehow encounter the Stranger (Daniel Wayman), a mysterious man “who falls from the sky in a flaming meteor. “

The first teaser landed in February during the Super Bowl and gave us some spectacular visuals to match the budget is rumored to be $500 million for the series. Prime Video released nearly two and a half minute long teaser trailer in July, two weeks before San Diego Comic-Con. This was followed full trailer during the convention. Attendees were presented with four exclusive clips from the series, each dedicated to a different character. As Ars Tech Culture Editor Sam Mackovich reported:

Dwarven Prince Durin IV competes in a stone-breaking contest; the leading pair of Harfoots of the series are confronted and almost captured by a sleeping giant; Arondir manages to defeat a number of orc kidnappers while they were chained; and leading elven duo Galadriel and Elrand share a moment of solemn conversation that, at least in the context of the occasion, could be seen as flirtatious.

This latest trailer opens with Galadriel’s voiceover telling her that her brother gave his life “hunting the enemy.” She takes up the matter instead of him. She asks the others to stand by her side as we see shots of several of the central characters, who we can assume will be her comrades in arms. Or maybe they’ll decline the offer. That seems to be the case with Halbrand, who insists, “I’m not the hero you’re looking for,” suggesting a dark secret to his past. “Whatever you do, get over it,” Galadriel tells him.

Galadriel appears to be the main character, but we also get new footage of several other characters scattered across Middle-earth, including dwarves and hobbits. The latter, although modest, have their strengths. “There’s one thing we do better than any creature in all of Middle-earth: we stay true to each other, and our hearts are even bigger than our feet,” says Nora’s father, Largo Brandyfoot (Dylan Smith). It looks like different kinds of struggles and battles will be fought on different fronts, as befits a sprawling epic series of this scale.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on Prime Video September 2. Amazon launches series in “more than 240 territories” simultaneously.

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