Following a successful inaugural season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” Prime Video’s expensive, big genre series returns in August. And today, out of San Diego Comic-Con, the studio released the new full trailer for the series, teasing that “darkness will bind them” all in Middle Earth.
What’s to know about the last season? For one, Suaron (Charlie Vickers) was unmasked, initially disguising himself as the human Halbrand and now posing as the elf Annatar to deceive the people of Middle-earth. And for those that know of the original lore of the Rings, in the end, three Rings of Power, for the elves, were forged. The Tolkien books and “LOTR’ movies tell us the rings were initially intended by Sauron to seduce the rulers of Middle-earth to evil, and there were nine more for men (humans) and seven for dwarfs.
READ MORE: Summer TV Preview: Over 35 Must-See Series To Watch
And that seems to be where the story is headed, the forging of more rings, but this time for the isolated dwarves.
“Due to some very powerful rings, there’s a shift in dynamics among the dwarves,” said Owain Arthur, who returns as Prince Durin IV of the kingdom of Khazad-dûm, teased to EW recently. “The rings certainly have an effect on the king, and therefore the entire kingdom, really. We see the positives of the rings, but Durin certainly also feels the negative aspects of them.”
The initial teaser trailer introduced more of Tolkien’s Second Age, demonstrating Sauron’s ascending evil presence as he continues his vengeful quest for power.
‘Rings Of Power’ obviously has a massive cast of over thirty players. Still, the main ones, Morfydd Clark, Robert Aramayo, Maxim Baldry, Charles Edwards, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Peter Mullan, Benjamin Walker, and many more, will return for season two.
New cast members joining the ensemble include Ciarán Hinds, Tanya Moodie, Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen’ Zates’ Atour, Ben Daniels, Sam Hazeldine, and Rory Kinnear playing the fan-favorite character Tom Bombadil, who was featured in the “The Fellowship of the Ring,” book, but not Peter Jackson’s movie, evidently cut from an already jampacked narrative.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will. Building on Season 1’s epic scope and ambition, Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” was created and developed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and they return as showrunners among a host of writers and directors like Gennifer Hutchison, Charlotte Brändström, Sanaa Hamri, and Louise Hooper. ‘Rings of Power’ returns on August 29 on Prime Video. Watch the new San Diego Comic-Con trailer below.