Amazon's Lord of the Rings forges a title to rule us all

Amazon Studios has officially unveiled the title for its upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series – and, given its ties to Sauron and Middle Earth's Second Age, it sounds very ominous indeed.

Revealed in a post on Amazon Prime Video's Lord of the Rings Twitter account, the studio's live-action prequel series will now be known as The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

A one-minute long teaser accompanied the title reveal, which included a voice over recounting one of the most famous passages from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy:

New (albeit slim) details about Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV series emerged alongside its title. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick Mackay elaborated on their decision to focus on the creation of the Great Rings as part of the show's overarching plot.

“This is a title that we imagine could live on the spine of a book next to J.R.R. Tolkien’s other classics," the duo said in a statement. "The Rings of Power unites all the major stories of Middle Earth’s Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.

“Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring — but before there was one, there were many… and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all.”

As THR also reports, The Rings of Power aspect of the title puts an end to speculation that Sauron wouldn't appear in Amazon's prequel series. Currently, there's no word on who is set to portray the Dark Lord. But, given that another Prime Video series – The Wheel of Time – didn't reveal which actor had been cast as its villain until the season 1 finale, we may have to wait for Amazon's Lord of the Rings to officially launch before we find out who'll play Sauron.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be released exclusively on Prime Video on September 2, 2022.

Analysis: Putting the Lord of the Rings puzzle together

As most Lord of the Rings fans will have gleaned from the title and reveal trailer, The Rings of Power relates to the 19 other rings that were forged by the elf Celebrimbor at Sauron's request. 

Diehards and fans of the movies should remember that three rings were delivered to the elves, seven to the dwarves, and nine to the lords of men. The latter group of this trio eventually succumbed to their rings' influence and become the Nazgûl, some of Sauron's most trusted lieutenants.

Given the big-budget fantasy show's setting – that is, Middle Earth's Second Age – it shouldn't be a huge surprise that we'll see the Great Rings being forged and distributed before Sauron truly attempts to lord it over Tolkien's fictional world. 

Still, it's good to know that this vital story thread will be covered in detail. Amazon Studios couldn't tell a tale set in the Second Age and simply just gloss over the creation of the Rings of Power, so we're pleased that the Lord of the Rings TV show will do so in some capacity.

It'll be interesting to find out how much time will be devoted to the Great Rings' forging in the TV show, though. 

In Tolkien's novels, we know that Sauron befriended the elven smiths of Eregion, including Celebrimbor, to persuade them to create the rings. But, while we've had some confirmation about which actors will play certain characters – Saint Maud's Morfydd Clark will portray Galadriel, for instance – Amazon hasn't revealed every role for its 39-strong cast.

So it's unclear whether Celebrimbor will be the only elven smith who appears in The Rings of Power, or if other prominent figures will aid him in creating the magical artefacts. Now that we have an official title, hopefully it won't be too long before Amazon Studios releases a full list of the show's cast of characters.

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