Amazon announced the release date for its Lord of the Rings TV series: September 2, 2022. The AVClub accompanied this news with the first image ever from the upcoming TV show. Despite its title, the Lord of the Rings TV series will be a prequel set thousands of years before the events depicted in Peter Jackson’s movies. According to Tolkien fans, the image shows Valmar, the City of Bells. This is where god-like Valar lived, ruling the world alongside their servants, primordial spirits called Maiair. On the right side of the image, you can see the Two Trees of Valinor: Laurelin (the Gold Tree) and Telperion (the Silver Tree). These colossal magical trees brought light into the world before the Sun and the Moon existed.
In November 2017, Amazon bought the adaptation rights for The Lord of the Rings for a hefty sum of $250 million. In addition, it committed itself to produce a five-season series worth at least $1 billion, which made this project by far the most expensive TV show in history. Patrick McKay and J. D. Payne will helm the series. The show will feature an ensemble cast that includes Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, and Trystan Gravelle. The production began in New Zealand in 2019.
