The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – Main Teaser | Prime Video

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – Main Teaser | Prime Video

One of the dwarves in the trailer says "this could be the beginning of a new era" and seems to be absolutely right. Epic battles on horses, snowy mountains, villains (apparently) made of fire and especially breathtaking visuals - it feels completely like Middle-earth.

This is the first time Tolkien's world has hit the small screen, and indeed, it is the most expensive series in the history of the medium, with a price tag of $ 465 million for the first season. Part of that amount is also invested in producing the company’s additional seasons, and Amazon has pledged for at least five seasons with the option of spin-off series.

In 2017, Amazon acquired the rights to produce a series of Tolkien's letters for $ 250 million when they also defeated HBO and Netflix, which expressed interest in the project. After the deal closed, the company's CEO, Jeff Bezos, posted on his Twitter account: "Amazon on its way to Middle-earth."

Two years later one of the experts working on the series revealed that the owners of the writer's estate had strictly restricted Amazon's options to use his ideas. According to reports, Amazon will not be able to place the plot of the series at any time other than the second era of Middle-earth. In other words, the events of the series will not be able to relate to the third era, in which the plot of Tolkien's most read books - "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit", which formed the basis of Peter Jackson's two successful trilogies.

The history of Middle-earth described in Tolkien's writings is divided into four eras. The second era refers to a fictional period of thousands of years, beginning with the expulsion of Lord Murgoth and ending with the first (but not the last) death of Sauron, the chief villain of "The Lord of the Rings". During that era, 20 power rings were also forged (three for thousands, seven for dwarves, nine for humans and one for Sauron of course), which are supposed to be the center of the story. This means that throughout the plot we are likely to see Sauron rise to greatness and become stronger.