Huge Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power clues in explosive new four-minute trailer

The explosive trailer for the new season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has dropped – and it’s set to blow fans’ minds.

IN SAN DIEGO

WARNING: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season one spoilers ahead

“The stakes have never been higher.”

Those were the words uttered by The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power co-showrunner, J.D. Payne, to a crowd of 6500 fans at the San Diego Comic-Con, just moments before the full trailer for the long-awaited season two was released.

And the explosive, almost four-minute clip proved just how true that is.

As with any expansive fantasy universe, some world-building needs to happen in its early stages – in this case, 2022’s season one.

Season two looks set to deliver non-stop action right out of the gates, with Halbrand now fully unmasked as Sauron and poised to unleash his evil desires (namely, in the shape of nine rings) on Middle-earth.

Season 2 is all about Sauron (played by Charlie Vickers). Picture: Prime Video

In fact, according to Payne and his co-showrunner, Patrick McKay, there’s even a three-episode-long battle looming in the upcoming chapter of Prime Video’s blockbuster series.

The Rings of Power once again returns fans to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books.

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

We see the evil villain in a new form in the trailer. Picture: Prime Video

Fans had already been given a vague idea of what was to come through scattered interview hints and an earlier teaser, but the lengthy new trailer finally offers plenty more detail.

In addition to Sauron’s deception of Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) being made public, it also focuses on the creation of the titular Rings of Power, which were forged through his deception and manipulation of the elf master smith Celebrimbor.

The dwarfs’ issues will feature heavily. Picture: Prime Video

The season kicks off with Sauron being friendless and alone, rejected by Galdriel – and ready to begin rebuilding his strength.

“Sauron has arrived. In season one we see him in private away from the camera, but now the camera stays with him and we watch him as he manipulates and manoeuvres his way through Middle-Earth,” Australian actor Charlie Vickers, who plays the iconic villain, revealed during the panel at SDCC on Friday.

Orc ‘father’ Adar also turned up in the sneak peek – hinting at plenty more violence. Picture: Prime Video

He and co-star Charles Edwards (Celebrimbor) also explored the dynamic of their characters’ twisted relationship, including which of them is the true Lord of the Rings.

“It’s a power struggle between the two of them,” Edwards said, with Vickers adding: “No one person is in power constantly, it’s really a back and forth like a psychological thriller.”

Elsewhere in the trailer, the dwarfs are seen revealing their rings, Elrond (Robert Aramayo) warning his friend Galadriel about the dangers of wearing the powerful jewellery, and Sauron ordering someone to “give him the nine”.

This is not just a pretty trinket. Picture: Prime Video

The eye-waveringly expensive series (it reportedly cost the streaming service A$760 million) will continue focusing on 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.

“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.