Fans of The Lord of the Rings have had their first look at footage from the new $1 billion (£800 million) Amazon TV series.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is widely regarded as the most expensive television series ever produced.
In September, it will bring author JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth to the small screen, thousands of years before the books and Peter Jackson’s films.
The 60-second teaser film appears to depict hobbit relatives as well as a slew of other unknown figures.
“Before the King, before the Fellowship, before the Ring – a new legend begins this fall,” the trailer’s captions reads.
It starts with Markella Kavenagh playing what appears to be a harfoot – a type of hobbit – posing the question: “Haven’t you ever wondered what else is out there?”
“There’s wonders in this world beyond our wandering. I can feel it!”
As the footage progresses across cold mountains, stormy seas, and dark forests, elves, dwarves, and orcs arrive.
Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel is shown clinging to an icy cliff face with a dagger, while Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) appears to be stuck on a raft in the sea.
Before Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur) glances up thoughtfully, Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova), a silvan elf, snags a flying arrow and sends it back to where it came from.
A youthful Elrond (Robert Aramayo) is also seen, as is Disa, Princess of Khazad-dum (Sophia Nomvete), singing to the sky and a soldier (Will Fletcher) fighting an orc.
Finally, a virtually nude guy stands in the midst of flames, reaching out to someone, and a human hand grasps a child’s – or perhaps a harfoot’s – hand.
Fans reacted online to the trailer, with one declaring: “Hell yeah! A black elf and black Dwarven Princess in the new Lord of the Rings show is giving me so much life and I’m crying happy tears. I’m so happy I’ve finally seen!”
Another noted: “Is it just me or have elves in stuff become less… elf-like.
“Ever since the original Lord of the Rings movies elves have just started to look like regular humans wearing fake ears, they don’t have that elf look. I don’t know what it is.”
Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Joseph Mawle, Sir Lenny Henry, and Peter Mullan will all appear in the show. It was shot in New Zealand, but the second of five series will be shot in the United Kingdom.
Source: BBC
