The Rings of Power: Amazon drops Lord of the Rings plot details and first look at Morfydd Clark

Most expensive TV series ever will launch in September

After months of drip-feeding Lord of the Rings fans small hints about the new prequel series, The Rings of Power, the streamer has at last shared pictures of its stars.

Last week, photos of just the hands and torsos of the show’s characters were unveiled – but now two images of the leads, including Morfydd Clark and Robert Aramayo, have been released.

The first-look images and story details from the series debuted in Vanity Fair. While fans knew The Rings of Power was set during the Second Age of Middle Earth, it has now been confirmed that original Lord of the Rings trilogy characters Galadriel and Elrond will appear.

Saint Maud star Clark will play young Galadriel, portrayed in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy by Cate Blanchett. In The Rings of Power, Galadriel is described as a warrior who is “as angry and brash as she is clever”.

Aramayo, who played young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, will star as Elrond, portrayed by Hugo Weaving in the films. The Rings of Power will chronicle Elrond’s rise to power in Lindon.

Ismael Cruz Córdova will play Arondir, a new elf character who is in a forbidden relationship with Bronwyn, a human village healer portrayed by Nazanin Boniadi.

Hobbits will not appear in the new series, but their ancestor species the harfoots will, with one of their elders played by Lenny Henry and other harfoots portrayed by Megan Richards and Markella Kavenagh.

Charles Edwards will appear as elven smith Celebrimbor and Maxim Baldry will play sailor Isildur.

Joint showrunner Patrick McKay told the publication that the series is about “the forging of the rings… rings for the elves, rings for dwarves, rings for men, and then the one ring Sauron used to deceive them all”.

He added: “It’s the story of the creation of all those powers, where they came from, and what they did to each of those races.”

McKay also hinted that The Rings of Power will not have as much sex and nudity as modern fantasy epics such as Game of Thrones. “[The goal was] to make a show for everyone, for kids who are 11, 12, and 13, even though sometimes they might have to pull the blanket up over their eyes if it’s a little too scary,” he said.

“We talked about the tone in Tolkien’s books. This is material that is sometimes scary – and sometimes very intense, sometimes quite political, sometimes quite sophisticated – but it’s also heartwarming and life-affirming and optimistic. It’s about friendship and it’s about brotherhood and underdogs overcoming great darkness.”

The series – set in JRR Tolkien’s fantasy world centuries before the events of The Lord of the Rings – is already considered the most expensive show of all time, with the first season costing an estimated $465m (£341m).

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on 2 September on Amazon Prime Video.