Following in the footsteps of real-life knights Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Christopher Lee and Sir Ian Holm, Sir Lenny Henry himself has joined the series in an undisclosed role, while Power’s Cynthia Addai-Robinson has also joined the sprawling cast.

Other stars involved in the series include, Ema Horvath (Don’t Look Deeper), Megan Richards (Wanderlust), Dylan Smith (Maze Runner), Charlie Vickers (Medici), Daniel Weyman (Silent Witness) and screen newcomers Tyroe Muhafidin and Sophia Nomvete. 

Just as filming was finishing in July 2021, Amazon announced yet more cast members – namely Charles Edwards (The Crown), Will Fletcher (The Girl Who Fell), Amelie Child-Villiers (The Machine) and newcomer Beau Casidy.

Elsewhere, Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in all six of the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit films, has expressed his interest in reprising his role for the TV series — sort of. During an interview on Graham Norton’s BBC radio show back in December 2017, Norton asked whether McKellen would be annoyed to see another actor playing Gandalf.

“What do you mean, another Gandalf?,” McKellen responded, before adding: “I haven’t said yes because I haven’t been asked. But are you suggesting that someone else is going to play it? Gandalf is over 7,000 years old, so I’m not too old.”

Meanwhile, Orlando Bloom – who played Legolas in the films – has all but ruled himself out, telling Entertainment Tonight: “I don’t know where I would fit in now in that world. If I think you’re saying [I’d come back] as Legolas, they probably got a 19-year-old kid.”

Likewise Andy Serkis, who told /Film that there are “no plans for [him] to be involved in it at all” as Gollum/Smeagol. “I’m really excited that there’s going to be an Amazon TV version of it,” Serkis said. “I think it’s a world that will continue to be explored.”

On the other hand, Hugo Weaving recently said told Variety that he had “more than enough” of Lord of the Rings the first time around, denying any return in the future.

“Matrix might have happened,” he said. “But Lord of the Rings, no, I would never — I’m not interested in that at all. Look, I loved being in New Zealand with all those great people, and it was like going back to a family but actually, to be honest, I think everyone had more than enough of it.”

How many seasons of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings will there be?

When Amazon acquired the rights to Lord of the Rings for a hefty sum, they made a multi-season commitment that also included a potential spin-off series.

Nonetheless, each season will still need to have formal approval to go-ahead from the Amazon execs, in the unlikely scenario that the series is an utter commercial disaster.

The company seems to have faith that won’t be the case, as it has confirmed a second season already before the first season has even started filming. The series will go on hiatus for about four months before filming begins again.

Where is Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series filmed?

After plenty of speculation, Amazon Studios has confirmed that Middle-Earth will once again be brought to life in the environs of New Zealand, which formed the backdrop for Peter Jackson’s award-winning trilogy.

In a statement, showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay said: “As we searched for the location in which we could bring to life the primordial beauty of the Second Age of Middle-earth, we knew we needed to find somewhere majestic, with pristine coasts, forests, and mountains, that also is a home to world-class sets, studios, and highly skilled and experienced craftspeople and other staff.

“And we’re happy that we are now able to officially confirm New Zealand as our home for our series based on stories from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

“We are grateful to the people and the government of New Zealand and especially Auckland for supporting us during this pre-production phase. The abundant measure of Kiwi hospitality with which they have welcomed us has already made us feel right at home, and we are looking forward to deepening our partnership in the years to come.”

Good news for Tourism New Zealand, then.

What is Amazon Lord of the Rings TV series about?

Rather than being a straight remake of the Lord of the Rings books, viewers of the TV version can expect a “more Silmarillion” show, according to Frodo Baggins star Elijah Wood.

“It sounds more Silmarillion era. Not to get nerdy, but it’s the Second Age of Middle Earth.”

Amazon has revealed that the series will be set during the 3,441-year period before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. In the JRR Tolkien timeline, this is known as the Age of Númenor, or the Second Age. They have also released a synopsis for what it will be about!

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.

This means, unfortunately, that we probably won’t see many of the characters from the original series in it, as they weren’t around during this time.

3,441 years is quite a long time, so it’s not totally clear what part of the already established Tolkien lore we’ll be seeing. The rise of big bad ring-thief Sauron and the formation of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men takes place at the tail end of the Second Age, but there’s a whole lot of stuff that went on before that, which could be covered instead.

Welcome to the Second Age: https://t.co/Tamd0oRgTw

— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) March 7, 2019

The show’s writing team may decide to “chronicle the downfall of the fabled civilisation of Man that Aragorn’s bloodline was descended from” – which would explain why it was originally rumoured that Aragorn’s past would play a part in the series.

The news seems to confirm, however, that very few of the characters we know and love from the original trilogy will make an appearance, as most were born in the Third Age (apart from various characters including Galadriel, Elrond and Gandalf, who were born or existed in spirit form as “Maiar” before the Second Age).

So, yep, that’s about three and a half thousand years worth of speculation as to what will go down in the series… Good thing we’ve got another couple of years until it’s released.

One perhaps surprising new development emerged in October 2020 when a casting call was put out asking for actors who were comfortable with nudity.

Coupled with the fact that the series lists an intimacy co-ordinator amongst its crew, this has led to some speculation that the series will include some sex scenes – something which may come as a surprise to fans of Tolkien’s work.

A rather stunning first-look image was released in August 2021, and it did not take long for fan speculation to run wild. The city closely matches the description of the city of Tirion, located on Valinor – a realm outside of Middle Earth also known as the Undying Lands, where Frodo, Bilbo and Gandalf are seen sailing towards at the end of Return of the King.

However, it is the plant life that has gotten fans most excited, as the two trees on the horizon emanating light seem suspiciously similar to the Two Trees of Valinor. However, these aren’t any old shrubs – named Laurelin and Telperion, the two trees were the first source of light in the universe until the first Dark Lord Melkor and giant spider creature Ungoliant destroyed them, with their flower and fruit used to create the sun and moon.

What is most notable about the Two Trees however is that their existence predates even The First Age, suggesting that the Amazon show will feature flashbacks or a prologue set even further in the past. The robed figure may also be one of the Valar who originally shaped and ruled the world, hinting that the series may well explore the creation of Middle Earth.

Who are the creative team behind Amazon’s Lord of the Rings?

Amazon announced in July 2019 that Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director JA Bayona will helm the first two episodes of the series. He will also serve as an executive producer, alongside his partner Belén Atienza.

They join Star Trek 4 writers JD Payne and Patrick McKay, who will serve as co-showrunners. On their appointment, the pair released a joint statement stating that they were “absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Amazon to bring it to life anew.”

“We feel like Frodo, setting out from the Shire, with a great responsibility in our care,” they added. “It is the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime.”

• A key Game of Thrones writer is set to join Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV series

Game of Thrones writer and co-executive producer Bryan Cogman will also be consulting on the series. After starting out as David Benioff and DB Weiss’s assistant, Cogman went on to write various episodes of the HBO fantasy drama, including season one’s ‘Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things’, season three’s ‘Kissed by Fire’ and episode two of the eighth season, ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’.

The full LoTR creative team was later confirmed in July 2019, with Lindsey Weber (10 Cloverfield Lane), Bruce Richmond (Game of Thrones), Gene Kelly (Boardwalk Empire) and Amazon’s former head of genre, Sharon Tal Yguado, all executive producing.

Writer/executive producers also include Gennifer Hutchison (Breaking Bad), Jason Cahill (The Sopranos) and Justin Doble (Stranger Things).

And the series has nabbed Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s Rick Heinrichs as their production designer and Kate Hawley (Suicide Squad) to design costumes.

Also joining the creative team is Wayne Che Yip who has signed on to not just direct four episodes of the show, but to be an executive producer too. Yip is well known to genre fans for his directorial work having been involved in, amongst many other things, Doctor Who, its short-lived spin-off, Class, and Doom Patrol.

In May 2021 the latest addition to the creative team was announced to be Charlotte Brändström, who is no stranger to big-budget fantasy TV having previously directed two episodes of The Witcher.

Will Peter Jackson be involved in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings?

The Oscar-winning director has confirmed he won’t be involved behind-the-scenes on the new series. Speaking with French publication Allocine, he said: “I’m not involved at all in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ series…I understand how my name could come up, but there is nothing happening with me on this project.”

What do Amazon’s Middle-Earth maps mean?