Lord of the Rings fans attending Comic-Con have been given further glimpses of the new Amazon TV series based on JRR Tolkien’s books.
Clips of The Rings of Power were shown to thousands of fantasy fans at the event in San Diego, California, on Friday.
The series, which will be released on Amazon on 2 September, is set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings books and tells the story of events leading up to the forging of the famous rings.
The event was hosted by US TV talkshow host and Tolkien fan Stephen Colbert.
A panoramic screen stretching across three walls showed a teaser of the series at the start of a panel event, featuring showrunners and the cast.
As well as the latest official trailer for The Rings of Power, which debuted at the event, snippets were shown featuring dwarves, elves, the realm of men and hobbit-like creatures. There was a live orchestral performance of music from the show, conducted by composer Bear McCreary.
“We thought the war, at last, was ended,” a voice says in the trailer. “We thought our joys would be unending, we thought our light would never dim.”
But a darkness rises as elvish queen Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark – a Swedish-born Welsh actor – places her hand on a globe and causes carnage to ensue.
“Together we can survive this,” adds the voiceover. “Fight with me. Each of us must decide who we shall be.”
Other clips included a stone-breaking contest between Elrond, played by Robert Aramayo, and dwarf-lord Durin, played by Owain Arthur. Harfoot friends Poppy Proudfoot and Nori were seen examining a fiery crater, and meeting a mysterious figure known as The Stranger.
Arthur said there had been “similarities and connections” to his Welsh home town, Bangor, and it had been a challenge to wear prosthetics for the first time in a role.
Clark said that taking the role of Galadriel – played by Cate Blanchett in the films – was “beyond my wildest dreams”.
“I grew up reading the books, I was 11 when the films came out,” she told the panel. “These books have been part of my family’s jokes and life, we’ve had conversations about her and now it’s my job.”
