Everything we know about The Rings of Power season 2

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 will soon hit Prime Video, inviting viewers back to Middle Earth in what promises to be a more action-packed outing than its 2022 predecessor.

Set in a time before Peter Jackson’s epic and groundbreaking movies and thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, this new fantasy adventure may be on the small screen but it’s anything but compact.

Featuring sweeping vistas, colourful characters, grand villains and all of the astonishing detail you’d expect from a Lord of the Rings adaptation, The Rings of Power made headlines a few years back as it became the most expensive TV show ever made.

Despite Prime Video’s eagerness to invest in J.R.R. Tolkien’s extended stories, audiences were left a little divided with the show’s first outing. Still, that hasn’t stopped Amazon Studios from powering forward and much like Sauron, the show has returned.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2.

When will The Rings of Power season 2 be released?

Eagles will drop The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 onto Prime Video on Thursday, 29 August.

The first three episodes will be available to view immediately, with the remaining five episodes dropping weekly, taking us up to Thursday, 3 October.

Is there a trailer for The Rings of Power season 2?

The teaser trailer for The Rings of Power season 2 was released in May, and saw a disguised threat lurking among the inhabitants of Middle Earth.

It also gave us a look at some key returning characters, including elves Galadriel and Elrond, and a character that might-just-Gandalf-but-hasn’t-officially-been-labelled-Gandalf-yet known only as The Stranger.

He’s even holding a staff. That’s a dead giveaway, right? Watch it below:

What will happen in The Rings of Power season 2?

Season one of The Rings of Power spent most of its time introducing us to a new world of Middle Earth characters. Some of these were familiar, like a young Galadriel.

Some were potentially familiar like possible wizard ‘The Stranger’ and others were evil hiding in plain sight, like Halbrand, a human who was later revealed to be Sauron in disguise.

While an official plot synopsis is currently as elusive as Gollum wearing the One Ring, many sources suggest that season 2 of The Rings of Power will be more action-packed than the first, with the Dark Lord taking centre stage as his quest for power intensifies.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, season 2 will show us how Sauron tricks the inhabitants of Middle Earth while disguised as an elf. The same outlet also teased that the second series will have an epic battle sequence that spans two entire episodes.

These darker elements were seemingly confirmed by the show’s executive producer, Lindsey Weber, who told Deadline: “Season two is fundamentally different in that our main villain is out and about, and doing his thing. I think in some ways, it’s going to [be] grittier, more intense, maybe a little scarier.”

Who is in The Rings of Power season 2 cast?

Saint Maud star Morfydd Clark will once again be back as Galadriel, the iconic elf who was tricked by Sauron in human form at the end of last series. She’ll once again be joined by Charlie Vickers playing the Dark Lord who’s this time disguised himself as an elf named Annatar, Lord of Gifts.

Daniel Weyman will also be back as The Stranger alongside Ismael Cruz Córdova’s Arondir, Raymond Aramayo’s Elrond, Sophia Nomvete’s dwarf princess Disa, Owain Arthur’s dwarf prince Durin IV and Celebrimbor actor Charles Edwards.

Rory Kinnear will bring life to Tom Bombadil, the much-loved Tolkien character who has been long absent from all other live-action iterations. Vanity Fair gave us our first look at Kinnear in costume in May.

In addition to these familiar faces, the show will also introduce us to a wide array of new characters — but while we know who’s joining the show, we don’t yet know who they’ll be playing.

Newcomers to Middle Earth include comedian Kevin Eldon, The Crown's Will Keen, The Witcher’s Yasen ‘Yates’ Atour, Ridley Road’s Gabriel Akuwudike, Bridgerton actor Calam Lynch, The Pact’s Stuart Bowman and The Bay’s Oliver Alvin-Wilson.

The Sandman’s William Chubb, Hellraiser’s Selina Lo and The Undeclared War’s Gavi Singh Chera will also appear, with Peaky Blinders star Sam Hazeldine taking over the role of orc Aldar from actor Joseph Mawlea.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on Prime Video on Thursday, 29 August.