The Rings of Power season 2: Everything you need to know

Amazon’s TV series The Rings of Power, part of The Lord of the Rings universe, was a smash hit for Prime Video. The first instalment came to an explosive climax, with a true villain ready to take centre stage.

It should come as no surprise that the show is returning for a second season. If you want to know when The Rings of Power will be back on our screens, and what the story might be, then we’ve rounded up everything we know so far.

We also have a similar article for the next season of the Netflix fantasy hit The Witcher.

When could The Rings of Power season 2 release?

Amazon has not yet revealed an official release date for season 2 of The Rings of Power. However, we can look at the production of the first season to estimate when it might be.

Filming for the next season began in October 2022. The first season took around 18 months to film, but keep in mind that this was during COVID, and included numerous cast and crew members leaving throughout the process.

Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke told Variety the following: “We want the shortest time possible between seasons, but we want to keep the bar just as high. So it’ll take what it takes… We’re moving fast.”

Assuming that the filming process wraps up quicker than last year, we could see The Rings of Power return around the first half of 2024. Of course, this is just speculation – if we hear anything more concrete, we’ll update this article.

If the show continues to be a success, then the showrunners have content planned for at least five seasons, according to Empire.

The next season will trade the classic filming location of New Zealand for the UK, much to the dismay of many fans. 

The Rings of Power season 2 cast – who is returning?

Spoilers for season 1 of The Rings of Power below

Amazon hasn’t officially released a cast list for season 2. However, given the events that are expected to come, we believe that we could see the return of the following characters:

• Morfydd Clark as Galadriel
• Charlie Vickers as Sauron/Halbrand
• Daniel Weyman as The Stranger
• Robert Aramayo as Elrond
• Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir
• Charles Edwards as Lord Celebrimbor
• Benjamin Walker as High King Gil-galad
• Owain Arthur as Prince Durin
• Sophia Nomvete as Princess Disa
• Peter Mullan as King Durin III
• Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn
• Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo
• Geoff Morrell as Waldreg
• Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Míriel, Queen Regent of Númenor
• Lloyd Owen as Captain Elendil
• Ema Horvath as Eärien
• Trystan Gravelle as Pharazôn
• Alex Tarrant as Valandil
• Dylan Smith as Largo Brandyfoot
• Sara Zwangobani as Marigold Brandyfoot
• Beau Cassidy as Dilly Brandyfoot
• Megan Richards as Poppy Proudfellow
• Thusitha Jayasundera as Malva
  

There are also a whole host of new faces joining the next season of the show. Sam Hazeldine will be replacing Joseph Mawle as the Orc leader Adar – he is best known for Peaky Blinders.

Other new additions include Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour, Ben Daniels, Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle, Nicholas Woodeson, Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Gavi Singh Chera, William Chubb, Kevin Eldon, Will Keen, Selina Lo, Calam Lynch, Ciarán Hinds, Rory Kinnear and Tanya Moodie.

What will the plot of The Rings of Power season 2 be?

Overall, fans can expect the next season to be “grittier, more intense, [and] maybe a little scarier” according to executive producer Lindsey Weber (via Deadline).

The end of season 1 concluded with Sauron – previously disguised as the drifter Halbrand – arriving at Mordor. He is likely preparing for an upcoming battle with Adar and the Orcs.

Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay discussed with The Hollywood Reporter how the character can now fully embrace the role of the villain: “Like Tony Soprano or Walter White. He’s evil, but complexly evil. We felt like if we did that in season one, he’d overshadow everything else. So the first season is like Batman Begins, and the The Dark Knight is the next movie, with Sauron maneuvering out in the open.”

Galadriel is almost certain to be reeling from the reveal of Halbrand’s true identity after he manipulated her, especially considering that the pair had some romantic entanglements. We wouldn’t be surprised if she worked on enacting her own revenge next season.

Galadriel forged the Three Rings of Power with Elrond and Celebrimbor to save the elven race. However, will they be able to hold onto them, and ensure that nobody is corrupted in the process?

These aren’t the only rings that will be explored in the show. McKay told The Radio Times the following: “The second season is very much about more rings. The song at the end, [of season 1], by Fiona Apple – which is like crazy dream come true – suggests there’s Three, then there’s Seven. Why would the Dwarves be desperate for rings? And how do they get seduced? And how do they get fooled? And then Men is an even more complex story.

“There are Nine leaders of Men who want power, and so each of those rings and the forging of them is not just like, ‘Now the magic thing got made’, but a story to be told. And I think there are other stories to be told as well, but certainly, we’ve kicked it off and next season is gonna go deeper into it.”

The other extremely intriguing plot thread in season 1 is Nori Brandyfoot and The Stranger, who are travelling together. All signs seem to show that this mysterious character is a younger version of Gandalf, so its almost certain that their journey will be a pivotal plot point in season 2.

How to watch The Rings of Power

You can watch the first season of The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon’s rival to Netflix.

Prime Video is one of several benefits from a general Prime subscription, with other perks including free next-day shipping and Prime Music. Prime costs £8.99/$14.99 per month, or £95/$139 per year. However, you can always try it for free through a free trial. 

If you’re not interested in any of the other benefits, then you can subscribe to just Prime Video for £5.99/$8.99 per month.