'The Lord of the Rings' TV Series Sets Amazon Premiere Date and Releases First-Look Image

Amazon‘s forthcoming The Lord of the Rings series officially has a premiere date.

The yet-to-be-titled show, led by showrunners  J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, will premiere on September 2, 2022 on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide, with new episodes releasing weekly after that. Following the production’s completion in New Zealand on August 2, Amazon Studios shared a first-look image from the series, which showcases the vast landscape of the upcoming fantasy epic, seen above.

Not much information is currently available about the plot of the series, though it is known that it will be set during the “Second Age,” thousands of years preceding the happenings of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The new series will “follow an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth,” according to a release.

“The journey begins September 2, 2022 with the premiere of our original The Lord of the Rings series on Prime Video,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios, in a statement. “I can’t express enough just how excited we all are to take our global audience on a new and epic journey through Middle-earth! Our talented producers, cast, creative, and production teams have worked tirelessly in New Zealand to bring this untold and awe-inspiring vision to life.”

The cast includes Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, and several others.

“As Bilbo says, ‘Now I think I am quite ready to go on another journey.’ Living and breathing Middle-earth these many months has been the adventure of a lifetime. We cannot wait for fans to have the chance to do so as well,” said Payne and McKay.

Elsewhere, Adult Swim has released a new Rick and Morty anime episode.