Let's get something straight: Godzilla, Marvel, and that tough guy who drinks martinis only have some of the most extensive cinematic universes because J.R.R. Tolkien's material has been taking the scenic route to the screen. The journey to shepherd and destroy the One Ring in the fiery pits of Mordor took three books and three movies to tell, and Peter Jackson told it well in the early aughts with "The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers," and "The Return of the King." But what if I told you (and what if you didn't pay attention to the preamble of that entire trilogy) that there were more rings? Most of the pop culture landscape knows the simple rhyme that Galadriel (played by an ethereal Cate Blanchett) relayed in "Fellowship": "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them." That One Ring was smithed along with several others in Middle-earth during its Second Age, long before the events of the trilogy. Now, the other rings will get their time in the spotlight.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is a new series coming to Amazon's Prime Video this September, airing weekly episodes in 240 territories worldwide. Amazon already released a series of 23 (!) teaser posters, a trailer for the long-hyped series (the most expensive ever made, with a $465 million price tag for season 1) has just dropped during Superbowl LVI, and as Gollum would say, we wants our precious. The series follows the creation of the original rings of power — three for the Elven-kings, seven for the dwarves, nine for the mortal men, all in addition to the One Ring proper — through which the Dark Lord Sauron did his best to conquer Middle-earth. Check out the trailer below.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Super Bowl Trailer

As dense as J.R.R. Tolkien's source material is, there's a ton of creative leeway for a story that covers the Rings of Power. The Second Age of Middle-earth is extensive, sprawling over 3,000 years and some change before the events of "The Fellowship of the Ring." Therein, you have the founding of familiar Tolkien locations Rivendell (by Elrond) and Lothlórien, the latter of which Galadriel leads eventually in 1530 (for scale, Frodo Baggins of the books and films was born a whole Age later, in 2968). Given that audiences are already familiar with Galadriel from the films, her narration brings a welcome, familiar point of entry for those wary having to do Marvel-level homework to enjoy the show. If anything, the writers' room should be doing the homework for viewers, and boy, is there plenty to pull from.

Tolkien covered some of the Second Age and stories of the Rings of Power in "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," specifically in Chapter Two's Council of Elrond. But those froggy enough to want the expanded version instead of the Wiki highlights you hear in the "Fellowship" adaptation (effective as it is) need look no further than Tolkien's "The Silmarillion." Its final essay, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," is self-explanatory, but you'll learn that the Rings' smithing was influenced by Sauron himself, with the aim of holding the elves and dwarves and men under his sway. It didn't pan out that way, battles were fought, and some hobbits were later inconvenienced down the line. As a series, there is so much room for creative, adaptive storytelling that fans should be jazzed for what's to come.

Royal Elf Galadriel is now played by Morfydd Clark, who wowed audiences in the title role of one of the most tonally striking horror films of 2019, "Saint Maud." Clark is joined by an ensemble cast including Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman and Sara Zwangobani.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" arrives on Prime Video on September 2, 2022.

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