Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power reveals longest trailer yet, featuring first glimpse of Sauron

The three-minute long trailer was unveiled at Comic-Con in San Diego

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – the massive new fantasy series based on the novels of JRR Tolkien – has revealed its longest trailer yet.

The three-minute long look at the new Amazon series, which reportedly cost $1bn (£844m) to make, was revealed on Friday (22 July) during a Comic-Con panel in San Diego moderated by Stephen Colbert.

While previous teasers and trailers offered audiences a glimpse of the world of the show, which is set in Middle-earth, the newest trailer hints at the new series’ storylines, including a first look at it its villain.

Sauron, the titular antagonist of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings novels, is the focus of the new clip, which starts with Middle-earth enjoying a time of peace. “But evil does not sleep,” we’re told in voiceover. “It waits.”

Only the dark lord’s hands are visible in the trailer.

On Thursday, a shorter trailer which included music from the film trilogy from Peter Jackson, was released. The Rings of Power is set thousands of years before the events in Jackson’s films, which starred Elijah Wood.

The new series has been in the works since 2017, when Amazon bought rights to the show for $250m (£183m).

The Rings of Power will star Morfydd Clark, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Joseph Mawle, Lenny Henry and Peter Mullan.

Read our comment piece from earlier in the year: For a billion dollar show, why does the new Lord of the Rings trailer look so cheap?