Rising tide of darkness in ‘Lord of the Rings’ series’ 2nd season
SAN DIEGO—San Diego was transformed into Middle-earth on Friday, as Prime Video showcased the highly anticipated second season of the epic series, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” Showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay were joined on the Hall H stage by over a dozen cast members for a lively and insightful conversation moderated by Emmy-nominated actress and renowned genre fan Yvette Nicole Brown.
The ensemble cast thrilled the 6,500 fans who packed the massive convention center hall by unveiling a brand-new exclusive trailer for the upcoming season. The action-packed trailer focuses on the long-feared reemergence of legendary villain Sauron, heralding the return of darkness and evil to Middle-earth after many years of hard-fought peace among all of its realms. The trailer also highlighted the creation of more of the titular Rings of Power, forged with the aid of Sauron’s powers of deception and manipulation.
Fans were also excited to see a glimpse of the fantastical and sometimes frightening creatures that will appear this season, including a young Shelob, an army of Barrow-wights, Hill-troll Damrod, a Sea Worm, and even Ents! The riveted crowd also enjoyed teases of several major battle scenes that will be pivotal to Season 2’s storylines.
Cast members who participated in the show’s Hall H panel were Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Maxim Baldry, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sam Hazeldine, Ema Horvath, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Charlie Vickers, Benjamin Walker and Daniel Weyman.
Return of Sauron
The second season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on Aug. 29. This time, Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without an army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will.
Building on the first season’s epic scope and ambition, the new season thrusts even its most beloved characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find his or her place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity.
As friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good—Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots—will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all: each other.
The series’ second season is produced by showrunners and executive producers Payne and McKay.
