The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 trailer drops

We’ve finally got our first look at season 2 of the massive Lord of the Rings TV series – along with confirmation of when exactly it’ll return.

It’s been more than eighteen months in the making – and finally, fans have been given their first look at the follow-up to the blockbuster Lord of the Rings prequel series, The Rings of Power.

The teaser trailer for season two, shared by Prime Video on Tuesday night, was released at the same time as its August 29 premiere date was confirmed.

In the short sneak peek, which runs for less than two minutes, we once again return to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books.

Halbrand – aka Sauron – has had a makeover. Picture: Prime Video

The upcoming season promises to show “the ascending evil presence of Sauron as he continues his vengeful quest for complete power.”

Speaking of – the iconic literary villain (played by Aussie actor Charlie Vickers) appears to have had a dramatic makeover since he was last spotted in the season one finale.

His cropped hair and human-like Halbrand disguise has been replaced with that of an elf, featuring pointed ears and their trademark long, fair hair, indicating that he may be assuming the form of Annatar, from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original work, in future episodes.

Meanwhile, his former ally, our Elf hero Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) – having realised her grave season one error of trusting him – is on a mission to stop the evil monster she's accidentally unleashed upon Middle-earth.

Galadriel (played by Morfydd Clark). Picture: Prime Video

The eye-wateringly expensive series (it reportedly cost the streaming service A$760 million) will lift the stakes in the unfolding battle to save Middle-earth from being covered in darkness.

“In Season Two of The Rings of Power, Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will,” reads the official description.

Plenty of familiar faces will be returning, including Arondir (played by Ismael Cruz Córdova). Picture: Prime Video

“Building on Season One’s epic scope and ambition, the new season plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity.

“Elves and dwarfs, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots … as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all … each other.”

The Rings of Power has proven a mammoth success for Prime Video, maintaining the position of its most-watched premiere ever since it launched in 2022. Season one was viewed by more than 100 million people worldwide, across 32 billion streaming minutes.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will premiere on Prime Video on August 29.

Originally published as The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 trailer drops