The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2: everything we know about the new season
The Rings of Power is officially coming back for a second season. In fact, as per Amazon, there are plans for five entire seasons of The Lord of the Rings series on Prime Video. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. After all, The Rings of Power season 2 has just started filming and, even though the streamer has already underscored its desire to bring it viewers sooner than expected, it's still a way off.
How soon can we return to Middle-earth? That we don't know. We can add that to the pile of mysteries that The Rings of Power season finale recently dropped into our laps. We do know, however, that a new character is on the way. Plus, we've dug a little deeper to speculate on a Rings of Power release date, the upcoming darker tone, and what the show might have in store for us next. Yes, The Stranger's identity has been revealed – and Sauron has been unmasked – but there's a wide open Middle-earth out there to be explored. Where will The Rings of Power take us next?
The Rings of Power season 2 release date speculation
The Rings of Power season 2 doesn't yet have a release date – but it is filming. Production began (in the UK, with the series no longer filming in New Zealand) on October 2022.
It's unlikely that the second season will take 18 months to wrap filming as the first season did. Not only is production relatively free of COVID interruptions this time around, Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke has hinted that a quicker turnaround is happening and speed is of the essence with the new season.
"We're going to get that out into the world as soon as we can," Salke told Variety. "We want the shortest time possible between seasons, but we want to keep the bar just as high. So it'll take what it takes. But there's been some urgency around moving quickly, which is why these guys have been writing all through their hiatus. We're moving fast."
While we can't accurately predict what that means for Rings of Power season 2, we'd be surprised if filming isn't wrapped by mid-2023. If that's the case – and all the post-production that goes with it – we can expect an early 2024 release date. Late 2023 is an outside bet too, given Amazon's desire to seemingly keep the Middle-earth pipeline flowing far quicker than it has before.
The Rings of Power season 2 cast – and new characters
The Rings of Power cast will remain mostly intact next season – but we may know a few by a different name.
Morfydd Clark will return as Galadriel. Charlie Vickers is also set to be back as Sauron, AKA the Southlander formerly known as Halbrand.
On the Elven side of things, we can expect Elrond (Robert Aramayo), High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) to continue their journeys. Don't be surprised to see the latter's will he/won't he romance with Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) rage on in a second season. Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) could also be on the hunt for Adar (Joseph Mawle).
The trail of the Harfoots may go cold, however. Nori (Markella Kavenagh) has set off with The Stranger/Gandalf (Daniel Weyman) and has left her family and friends behind. They may reconnect one day, but the attention will surely be focused on the next step in the pair's quest.
Over in Numenor, there's suddenly room at the top. Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) will be mourning the death of her father and coming to terms with her own loss. Elendil (Lloyd Owen) could remain by her side and may have to stave off attention from Pharazon (Trystan Gravelle).
And we haven't forgotten about the Dwarves! Fingers crossed Durin III (Owain Arthur) and Disa (Sophia Nomvete) are back.
As of writing, there's also one new character coming in season 2. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cirdan "one of the wisest and oldest of the elves" will be cast in the new season. In fact, an unnamed actor has been cast, we just don't know who it is yet.
The Rings of Power season 2 story: where does it go from here?
"I think in some ways, it’s going to grittier, more intense, maybe a little scarier," The Rings of Power executive producer Lindsey Weber told Deadline.
More intense? Scarier? Maybe it's best to start with the Dark Lord himself. The first season ended with Sauron – who was in disguise as Halbrand – heading towards Mordor and Mount Doom. His end goal? We can point to the Lord of the Rings trilogy for evidence of what's to come, but his short-to-medium term plans will involve getting revenge over Adar and gaining control of the legion of Orcs who want to follow him.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner JD Payne said they want to give Sauron the Galadriel treatment in season two in terms of diving deep into the character's motivations.
"Season one opens with: Who is Galadriel? Where did she come from? What did she suffer? Why is she driven? We’re doing the same thing with Sauron in season two. We’ll fill in all the missing pieces."
Fellow showrunner Patrick McKay added, ""Sauron can now just be Sauron. Like Tony Soprano or Walter White. He’s evil, but complexly evil. We felt like if we did that in season one, he’d overshadow everything else. So the first season is like Batman Begins, and the The Dark Knight is the next movie, with Sauron maneuvering out in the open. We’re really excited. Season two has a canonical story. There may well be viewers who are like, ‘This is the story we were hoping to get in season one!’ In season two, we’re giving it to them."
And don't forget about those titular rings. Those three Rings of Power may be out of his grasp, though they are certainly items of interest for Sauron should he find himself in conflict with Galadriel again.
Speaking of Galadriel, she is now joined in a pact of balance with Elrond and Celebrimbor. The three rings for the Elven Kings should stave off any unwanted threat to the elven race in Mordor for the time being. Keeping them in their possession – and ensuring that power doesn’t corrupt – is another matter entirely.
Numenor's hierarchy is similarly troubled. The king is dead and Miriel has been blinded. Who's left to pick up the pieces? While Miriel is still a formidable leader and backed by Elendil, there are those who may try and stake a claim to the throne – such as Pharazon.
The most intriguing plot thread in The Rings of Power season 2, though, is that between The Stranger/Gandalf and Nori. Judging by the finale, the unlikely duo will travel east to Rhûn in season 2. Their destination could prove to be a key location in the new batch of episodes. If they make it there, that is – following your nose can only get you so far. Either way, they're sure to bump into some of Middle-earth's major players on their long journey.
Whatever comes to pass, don't expect the story (which is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth) to bump up into the events in The Lord of the Rings, nor Peter Jackson's movie trilogy. We're still some way off that. The Rings of Power is, and always will be, a prequel set well before the likes of Aragorn and Frodo enter Middle-earth.
In the meantime, check out the best shows on Amazon Prime Video and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.
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