In what could be some of the most exciting news of 2022 for fantasy fans, the world has been given its first look at the new Amazon Lord of the Rings TV series - Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
In a trailer that debuted during the Superbowl in the USA (one of the most sought-after slots of the year for advertisers), fans finally got their first glimpse of Middle Earth since 2014's "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies."
Reportedly paying around $250million for the TV rights, Amazon has committed to five series of the new show, which will reportedly come with an eye-watering final bill in the region of $1billion.
Read more: How many Jack Reacher books are there and who played him in the 2012 movie?
As such, it is expected to be the most expensive television show of all time.
The first series is set to debut on Prime on September 2, 2022, with the second due to be filmed in the UK.
What did we learn from the Lord of the Rings Super Bowl teaser trailer?
"Before the King, before the Fellowship, before the Ring – a new legend begins this fall," the trailer tells us.
While plot specifics are still shrouded in mystery, we are starting to get more of a sense of when and where the show will take place.
The trailer gives us our first look at Middle Earth - the rolling green hills, icy mountains, and tall forests will remind many viewers of the scenery in Peter Jackson's films (both were filmed in New Zealand).
The accompanying press release gives a much clearer sense of what to expect from the new series, stating: "Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history.
"This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien's pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.
"Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.
"From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone."
The show's IMDB page tells us that there will be some familiar characters in the series, including Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), Elrond (Robert Aramayo), and Isildur (Maxim Baldry).
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
