Explosive New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Trailer Brings Blood and Brutality Back to Middle-Earth
It never rains in Middle-Earth, but it certainly does pour. For the second time in a week, Amazon Prime Video has dropped an all-new trailer for the long-awaited Lord of the Rings prequel The Rings of Power, sending fans into a frenzy. Unveiled as part of a panel discussion at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), the new teaser revealed more about the burgeoning evil that threatens to destroy quarrelling nations in the world’s geekiest enchanted forest. Get ready for more dwarves, bigger battles and a fiercely bloodthirsty new approach to Tolkien’s classic works.
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Image: Ben RothsteinAmazon Prime Video
Premiering in front of 6,500 eager fans, the new clip was prefaced by an engaging discussion with series showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, alongside executive producer Lindsey Weber and 21 members of the ensemble cast. Moderated by The Late Show host and Tolkien superfan, Stephen Colbert, the panel allowed Lord of the Rings fans to delve a little deeper into the long-awaited new iteration, probing for answers amid a sea of mystery.
Since The Rings of Power was first announced last year, not much has been revealed about the new series, aside from the fact that it will be Amazon Prime’s biggest and most expensive production to date. The initial synopsis confirmed that the series will be set thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings and will showcase some of the franchise’s best-loved characters in an entirely new light.
Image: Ben RothsteinAmazon Prime Video
In the three-minute SDCC trailer, fans learned a little more about the unique relationship between Elrond and Durin, which forms when the former visits a dwarven mine to engage in a test of endurance. Tasked with hammering rocks until their body can take no more, the trail is brutal, but the stakes are high. Should Elron lose, he will be banished from dwarven lands forever, however, if he wins, he will be granted a single boom from the dwarves.
Aside from the test of wills, the new Lord of the Rings trailer also puts warfare back on the menu. A bruising scene that shows Ismael Cruz Córdova’s Arondir attempting to free a group encaptured by what appear to be goblins was a major hit with attendees, highlighting the series’ impressive focus on martial arts choreography. But perhaps the most interesting reveal of the new SDCC trailer arrived in trademark fleeting fashion.
Image: Matt Grace/Amazon Prime Video
In a flash across the screen that was gone in an instant, The Rings of Power trailer seemed to show a familiar creature, etched into the memories of long-serving LotR fans. A flicker of a tall, menacing being, humanoid in nature appears to suggest the presence of the Balrog, the fiery nemesis that Gandalf was forced to duel in Peter Jackson’s original trilogy. Importantly, nothing has been confirmed just yet, but considering the amount Amazon is spending on the new prequel, they’d be silly not to throw in a Balrog or two.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on September 2. You can watch the new trailer above and for more information on the new series, check out our guide.
