Prime Video released the first trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power second season. And TORn staff have thoughts! Take a look at the trailer, and read our reactions below…
greendragon says:
0.08 – is Durin talking about Sauron, or could he be referencing the Balrog?
0.11 and 0.26 – seems Sauron can take on all kinds of forms; worms, butterflies, even a very pretty Elf…
0.20 – do Elves ever draw a weapon without a flourish?!
0.38 – Celebrimbor and Sauron – the two great forgers of rings, going toe to toe?
0.46 – cool to see Sauron in his Annatar form
0.54 – is this the sea monster we encountered in S1? Who is in the water?
0.58 – what is causing destruction in Khazad-dum? Surely it’s not the Balrog already?
0.59 – Yay Elendil! One of my favourite characters from S1. Lloyd Owen does a fantastic job.
1.07 – dwarven rings! So are these the rings we will see forged in S2, having seen the Elven rings in S1?
1.12 – the eagles are coming! Also, Trystan Gravelle (Pharazon) is SO good.
1.16 – pretty good job for Adar continuity, given that it’s no longer Joseph Mawle in the role, but is now Sam Hazeldine. And what is he flanked by here? The creature on his right looks very skeletal; a Barrow-wight, perchance…?
Overall – lots to think about, and it’s pretty compelling. I’m excited for August 29th!!
Look closely, there are Numenoreans halfway down that cliff
Garfeimao says:
The final scene from Season 1 of Sauron arriving in Mordor opens the trailer, showing that not a moment has passed between the two seasons.
Durn IV is first narrator, speaking of the return of an Ancient Evil
The Black Mass that is moving on the ground looks like a pile of deadly worms or vipers and emanates evil
Whose hands have blood on the palms, is this one of the Mystics using blood magic?
Tree roots reaching for someone (Celebrimbor maybe) in the dark before we see a bunch of orcs marching through the woods with torches
A portal opens in Celebrimbor’s chambers, is someone walking through?
Galadriel’s narration says “he’s been among us all along”
Sauron as an Elf in a black-feathered outfit walking calmly as other elves are running
A black-haired woman in the water and a sea monster, could she be a version of Sauron, a human sacrifice, or a nightmare?
A cataclysm in Khazad-dum with parts of the stone ceiling crashing on one of the bridges in the city.
Elendil struggles through a mob of people
Gil-Galad, Galadriel and Cirdan
The Three Elven rings on the hands of Gil-Galad, Galadriel and is the third Cirdan?
Durin III with a Ring (oh crap)
Arondir, doing the awesome Elf acrobats, shows up to help Isildur
A Giant Eagle lands behind Pharazon, who then unsheaths his sword, this doesn’t bode well
Theo is crying, gotta wonder what has happened to make that happen
A cascade of fire bombs heading toward a city (Eregion?)
The Stranger is standing by a well in the middle of the desert and pounds his staff on the ground for power and a windstorm
Someone is holding onto a rope trying not to fly away in strong winds full of dust (are these two scenes connected or just red herring editing?)
A bloodied elf dropping a handful of rings into a fire, is it Celebrimbor injured? Is it a version of Sauron? Is it just a random elf? Are they trying to destroy those rings, or will they land next to the fire and not in the fire?
WeeTanya says:
My initial reaction:
Thematically, it’s picking up exactly where it left off. Sauron is overlooking his realm. The Harfeet are still a-wandering, the mystical cults from the East are still mystically culting, and a lot of this feels the same. But there’s also a time shift — Durin recognizes that the Balrogs have awakened, and Galadriel and Action Elrond are in a sickly green forest fighting some unseen foe, Numenor seems to be on the way to falling, and the rings are very definitely being forged. I wonder if this backtracks a bit into season 1 to pick up some of Celebrimbor’s story with Halbarad — we hear Celebrimbor saying, “He worms his way inside your mind, and the rest of him slithers in.”
But then there’s blond, long-haired Sauron who has been “there all along” with…Celebrimbor? Creating the rings? I mean, canonically he does this, and Galadriel is suddenly confused by it — does this mean Sauron has been playing several roles throughout Season 1, but we just never saw him in his fair Elven form? Also, at one point Elf-Sauron flexes his arms and something goes “boom” — does he reveal that he’s been turning Ost-in-Edhil into his own evil fortress all along, or does darkness descend all at once?
I think we see the start of the fall of Moria, which is confusing — shouldn’t this be much later in the 3rd age? Will the dwarves begin to disperse, will we see their exodus? Anyway the dwarven king accepts his dwarven ring. Will TROP go with the thread that this ring poisons the dwarves and makes them blind to the evil in the depths of Moria, and a lot of them stay? I am very curious about this plotline.
Numenor is Numenoring! Why does Ar-Pharazon have a pet eagle? Shouldn’t he want absolutely nothing to do with eagles, as emissaries of the Valar?
Elessar says:
I love that we’re seeing from the jump in this trailer that Sauron’s power is being built in a way that really will emphasize his threat. Hopefully that’s not a trick of the trailer. I also love that we’re going to see Annatar as well and that it’s the same actor from last season. Does Celebrimbor survive season 2?
I’m also excited to see more of what the some love show to the Númenóreans in this. I cannot wait to see all that goes with these folks. Working towards the formation of Gondor is something I’m very much looking forward to. I’m also excited see more of the Dwarves. Was that the fall of Moria? Am I getting more Balrog? (Please 🙂 )
All in all I’m looking forward to things.
Kili and Bard say:
My sister was out of town so I filmed a reaction video with my boyfriend Rónán!
And you can see the full trailer breakdown on TORn Tuesday from last night for more analysis!
Edited to add reaction to the Behind-the-Scenes video
Garfeimao – Season 2 BTS video:
Morffyd says that Galadriel feels more connected to the peoples of Middle-earth and that it will drive her even more
Gil-Galad looking very somber
Sauron is out in the open, making everything happen
The new Adar is less deathly looking, but then, that might just be the fact it was BTS cameras and not FX treated film showing him.
Durin IV is adrift, his relationship with his dad is gone and his pride has taken a hit
Ismael says that Arondir has taken a blow to his spirit (there is a funeral pyre, could Bronwyn be dead?) Is that why Theo is crying in the trailer?
Miriel marches down the stairs in an elaborate gown, has her sight returned, or is she just that good at faking it?
Emma states that, at least in Numenor, the chess board has been set and the pieces are moving
Ben states that the Gloves have come off in season 2, as far as the Elves are concerned
Gil-Galad orders a watch at every crossing, he must not escape (the search for Sauron is on)
I was wondering who the old, grey-haired elf was, but I can now see the chest armor and it’s Adar, but it looks like this might be a flashback scene because his hair is so different.
The Stranger appears briefly and Markella says it’s great to be back, both continuing their journey
Celebrimbor tells Galadriel that he’s had an unexpected visitor? It appears to be an elf coming through the open portal
Gotta love the comedy duo of Durins III and IV
John Howe is excited by the prospect of new places and territories in Middle-earth to explore
Elendil and other Numenoreans down by the rocky shore, what is everyone looking at?
Maxim talking about how the set is almost too scary to go into, tunnels filled with spider webs and orcs caught in those webs. Is this Shelob’s Lair? It is one way out of Mordor. . .
Incredible set design shown, and Bear McCreary talking to the singers about how when they are on this set and in costume, they are going to discover more things to do
And then we see Disa and her trio singing to the stones.
Robert talks about doing new things that plunge you into the story, as we see him and other Elves in full armor in a battle.
We see Celebrimbor and Durin IV together in what looks like a part of Khazad-dum (I want Narvi)
Maxim says it’s been a long wait, some bad things have happened and some good things have happened, but we are Back in Middle-earth.
We’re delighted to share an exclusive interview from fellow Tolkien fanatic Eirik Bull – a journalist from Norway. He recently sat down with our friend, Weta Workshop’s own Daniel Falconer.
In Eirik’s interview with Daniel they cover a lot of topics, looking at Daniel’s history in working in Tolkien’s amazing world, as seen in Sir Peter Jackson’s brilliant adaptations over 20 years ago. Eirik and our friends at Weta asked us to share this interview – and you can look forward to another interview coming soon, with Sir Richard Taylor. We all hope you enjoy this amazing look at Daniel Falconer’s journey in Middle-earth.
TheOneRing.net is pleased to announce that its book, Middle-earth Madness, originally published when The Hobbit movies were being released, has been updated! The book now includes an analysis of all three Hobbit films, many interviews and photos, and a look back at The Lord of the Rings movies as well. It is available for purchase in paperback and for Kindle at Amazon. U.S. residents can order here. Canadian residents can order here. U.K. residents can order here. Other regions can find it at their local Amazon affiliate by searching for “Middle-earth Madness.”
Emmy winner for “Get Back” involved in the final song ever from The Beatles, with a music video that will “bring a few tears to the eye.”
The Beatles – those from the group who are still with us – announced that Peter Jackson is making the music video for “Now and Then” which is to be the final new song ever produced with the foursome of John, Paul, George and Ringo. The group used the same audio technology that helped Jackson win an Emmy award to clean up the vocals of an old cassette tape recorded by John Lennon, who died in 1980. Additional vocals and guitar were added by George Harrison in 1995, but never completed. Paul and Ringo this year added their parts to the song with Giles Martin, son of longtime Beatles producer George Martin, finishing production.
In a lengthy artist’s statement posted by Peter Jackson, it is revealed that new footage has been found of The Beatles performing with original drummer Pete Best. When describing the tone of the video, Jackson says, “We wanted the short film to bring a few tears to the eye. We tried to craft something that could adequately sum up the enormity of The Beatles’ legacy – in the last few seconds of their final recording. This proved to be impossible. Their contribution to the world is too immense, and their wondrous gift of music has become part of our DNA and now defies description.
“Dhani Harrison happened to be visiting NZ at this time. I discussed the ending with him, and described one vague idea I’d been toying with. His eyes immediately filled with tears – so that is the way we went.”
Peter Jackson
Disney+ and many tv stations worldwide will have a 12 minute behind-the-scenes documentary featuring The Beatles and Peter Jackson, today, November 1. The song “Now and Then” releases on all music platforms with the Jackson directed music video this week.
Additional Spy Reports from the TORn Tuesday podcast hint at Peter Jackson following this up with a new second documentary series on the break up of The Beatles, as a sequel to his Emmy winning Get Back series. Nothing has been confirmed at this time.
Will Peter Jackson return to The Lord of the Rings under the new WB and Embracer movie deal? He’s confirmed they are talking. But when The Beatles call, priorities change! Now that the music video is done and out, perhaps he will reconsider coming back for more Middle-earth.
The Hollywood Reporter in conjunction with Prime Video recently posted a series of behind-the-scenes videos focusing on the set design in the Prime Video series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”.
The “Building Middle-earth” series of videos show details that can be missed while watching the series at home. The commentary by set designers, actors, and craftspeople reveals insights and secrets about the decisions that went into the direction the series took and how it was made. The craft and care that went into the sets is truly amazing! It’s the type of stuff Ringers everywhere are trying to spy out about the Season 2 of the show.
Begun by The Tolkien Society in 2003, March 25th – the date of the downfall of Barad-dûr – is Tolkien Reading Day, a day to celebrate the works and worlds of the Professor. This year, something special is in the works, for your listening pleasure!
In May of last year, we let you know about an exciting project by composer and sound engineer Jordan Rannells. He is creating ‘an immersive audio soundscape‘ – music and ambient sounds to create a world around you, as you read The Lord of the Rings.
Tomorrow you can experience some of this incredible audio adventure. Rannells is joining with the folks from ArdaCraft to create a live stream event, where parts of The Fellowship of the Ring will be read over the corresponding chapters of Rannell’s A Long-Expected Soundscape. This 10-hour (or so!) stream will include guest readers from the Prancing Pony Podcast, James Tauber of the Digital Tolkien Project, and more – including TORn’s own staffer greendragon, who’ll pop in briefly early on in the proceedings! ArdaCraft will be providing the visuals.
The whole thing kicks off at 1pm EDT tomorrow, Saturday 25th March, and you can join the live stream here. The event will only be available live – you won’t be able to catch it later – but of course you can drop in and out as your day permits. Spend a little – or a lot! – of Reading Day immersed in Middle-earth, courtesy of these amazing, creative folks.
Watch the video below for a little more information about the event; then join the fun from 1pm EDT tomorrow.
