Thanks to TheOneRing.Net, we finally have the official plot synopsis for Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings series. As expected, it doesn’t give us a great deal of information. However, it does reveal some locations that will feature in the series, as well as a few clues as to who will appear.
Feast your eyes on the full synopsis right here:
“Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series 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.”
So, there you have it. Not only will we be journeying to familiar locations such as The Misty Mountains (where the Balrog, Durin’s Bane, dwelled until he was slain during the Third Age), but we will also be visiting brand new locations. For context, here is a brief rundown of the other two locations.
Lindon: In the Second Age, Lindon became Gil-Galad’s kingdom. Who is Gil-Galad? He was an Elf who was friends with Elendil- The original owner of Narsil and the Father of Isildur. Gil-Galad helped overthrow Sauron, prior to that he was entrusted with two of the three Elven Rings. He met his end on the battlefield when he faced Sauron.
Númenor: Was a giant island home to Men. After years of prosperity and peace, the Men rebelled against the Valar (basically Gods). As a result, the One God (called Eru Ilúvatar) sunk the entire island. Very similar to Atlantis, right? When Númenor sunk, the waters actually impacted Lindon and some of their land was taken by the sea.
So, What will Amazon’s show cover?
What is important to highlight here is that the Second Age of Middle Earth covers well over 3000 years. The Second Age pretty much starts with Morgoth’s banishment. Morgoth was the original Dark Lord before Sauron. Sauron was actually a servant of Morgoth before he began consolidating power.
It was in the Second Age that Sauron tricked the Elves. Through Celebrimbor, Sauron makes the Rings of Power. 20 rings were crafted in total. 3 rings for the Elves. 7 for the Dwarves. 9 for Men (who later become the Wraiths). Then 1 Ring for Sauron himself. The One Ring was forged by Sauron in Mount Doom. The wearer of the One Ring could control the other lesser rings.
After the sinking of Númenor, the remaining men, led by King Elendil, created the Kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor. With his sons and the Elven Kings, Gil-Galad and Elrond, the Last Alliance was formed and they waged a massive war against Sauron.
Of course, there are a lot of gaps. 3000 years is a long time and to cover it all in its entirety would require an insane amount of reading. What we have provided is a very brief summary of some of the key events that transpired in the Second Age. Just to put things into perspective. Sauron first began forging the rings in the year 1500. The Last Alliance is formed 1500 years later and the Dark Lord finally falls in 3441. Considering that we’ll be visiting Númenor, it is safe to assume that the series will focus on the years leading up to its sinking… Which is over 100 years before Sauron’s defeat. So, we still have a lot of ground to cover.
Who are the familiar faces?
This really depends on when the Amazon series takes place. It is very likely that the “greatest villain” refers to Sauron. According to Tolkien, Sauron began his conquest in the year 500 of the Second Age. So he endures most of the Second Age. With this, Sauron appearing is a huge possibility. Although, as a master trickster, it is possible that we will see Sauron take many different forms.
These “familiar faces” will probably consist of some of the Elven characters who have been around for thousands of years. They’ll be characters who have endured. Elrond and Galadriel are possible contenders. When we talk about familiar characters are we talking about characters that we’ve physically seen in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings or are we talking about characters that have played a role in Tolkien’s books. While the cast has grown exponentially, no characters have actually been confirmed so it is very difficult to distinguish who we’ll see and who will be carried over from the books and films.
One aspect that we would love to see is the creation of the Rings of Power. As someone who has played Shadow of Mordor, while not strictly accurate, the story of the Rings is a fascinating one and it would be fantastic to see that visualized more accurately.
We hope this cleared things up slightly. There is still a lot that we don’t know but we’re hoping that as time goes on, we’ll learn more. We are very excited for Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series. As a fan, we can’t wait to see how they bring Tolkien’s work to the screen. Of course, this series is taking a lot of risks. It’s adapting some of the most well-known and celebrated books out there and we’re going to see it in an entirely new format. Will it succeed? We hope so.
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