Lord of the Rings series image, release date revealed

Last Updated on August 10, 2021

Grab yourself some Lembas bread and an ounce of pipeweed because Amazon, at long last, has announced that its Lord of the Rings TV series will debut on September 2, 2022. The series will debut on Amazon Prime in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide, with new episodes available weekly.

The new epic drama brings to screens for the very first time J.R.R. Tolkien’s fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history. Beginning in a time of relative peace, thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, 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.

In addition to revealing the show's premiere date, Amazon also dropped a gorgeous first-look photo from the upcoming series:

Headlining this ensemble cast are Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.

The series is led by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay; they are joined by executive producers Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, J.A. Bayona, Belén Atienza, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Bruce Richmond, and Sharon Tal Yguado, co-executive producer Wayne Che Yip, director Charlotte Brändström, and producer Christopher Newman.

“The journey begins September 2, 2022, with the premiere of our original The Lord of the Rings series on Prime Video,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “I can’t express enough just how excited we all are to take our global audience on a new and epic journey through Middle-earth! Our talented producers, cast, creative, and production teams have worked tirelessly in New Zealand to bring this untold and awe-inspiring vision to life.”

Despite getting extended editions of both Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, fans of Tolkien's timeless fantasy series are more than ready to dive back into Middle Earth for another epic adventure. Who could blame them? I mean, would you look at that first-look image? If the rest of the series looks half as gorgeous as what we've been shown today, we're in for a real treat. Grab your fireworks and Vorpal swords, and let's go!