Amazon Prime Video's new The Lord of The Rings series will be called The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and it will launch on September 2 this year.
The streaming service made the announcement with a live action 'title announcement’ video, which reveals the multi-million dollar drama’s title forged from molten metal in a foundry.
The weekly series will be available 240 countries, with plans under way to make a multi-season drama.
Season one was shot in New Zealand, while season two was filmed in the UK, marking the first time the fictional world of Middle Earth has moved from New Zealand.
The new series is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s celebrated books, which were adapted into a big screen trilogy by Peter Jackson.
According to showrunners J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay, "The Rings of Power unites all the major stories of Middle-earth’s Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
"Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring - but before there was one, there were many… and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all."
Amazon spent about $465 million filming the first season of the show, according to the New Zealand government.
Amazon Studios is expected to produce five seasons of the show, making it one of the most expensive TV series ever.
A new age begins September 2, 2022. Journey to Middle-earth with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. #LOTRonPrime #LOTR #LOTRROP pic.twitter.com/BRS8nyuNJE
— Amazon Prime Video UK (@primevideouk) January 19, 2022
The cast for the series includes Morfydd Clark, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, 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.
Speaking about moving filming to the UK last year, Amazon said, "The shift from New Zealand to the UK aligns with the studio's strategy of expanding its production footprint and investing in studio space across the UK, with many of Amazon Studios' tent pole series and films already calling the UK home," Amazon said.
