One of the popular, consistent rumours about Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings TV show was that one of its storylines might focus on a young Aragorn.
However, now that Amazon has confirmed when in Middle-earth history the show takes place, that can seemingly be ruled out. Amazon confirmed that the untitled Lord of the Rings show is set during the Second Age. However, Aragorn was born during the Third Age.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. #LOTRonPrime pic.twitter.com/7TuQh7gRPD
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) March 7, 2019
The popular theory now is that the Amazon show, being set during the Second Age, will focus on “The Age of Numenor,” and specifically the island of Numenor. The Second Age is a 3,441-year period during which a lot of important Middle-earth history took place.
As Twitter user Dudeseid points out, major events in the Second Age included the forging of the Rings of Power, including the One Ring; the War of Sauron, the beginning of the Ringwraiths, and when Numenor the island sank into the ocean. Also, it was during the Second Age that the Elven city of Rivendell was developed and that the great battle where men, elves, and dwarves fought together for the first time against Sauron.
Some of the significant characters during the Second Age were Elrond, Galadriel, Elendil, and Sauron. Hugo Weaving played Elrond in Peter Jackson’s movies, while Cate Blanchette portrayed Galadriel. The new series is set long before the events of Jackson’s movies.
Events that a Second Age show could cover:
-Forging of Rings of Power
-Sauron’s betrayal with the One Ring
-The War of Sauron and Elves
-the origin of the Ringwraiths
-the corruption/sinking of Númenor
-The Founding of Gondor/Arnor
-The War of the Last Alliance
-Sauron overthrown pic.twitter.com/xUzAYgXaxj— Dudeseid (@Dudeseid) March 7, 2019
The Lord of the Rings show on Amazon doesn’t currently have a title or release date, and no casting has been announced as yet. But it’s set to be an incredibly expensive series.
Outside of the TV show, a biopic about Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien is coming out in May. Nicholas Hoult stars as Tolkien, while Lily Collins plays his wife, Edith Bratt–you can see the latest trailer here.
