Who would have thought a little piece of jewelry could cause this many problems? With just over a month to go until the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, Prime Video unveiled a new trailer at San Diego Comic Con that hints at mounting dangers for all of Middle-earth when the season premieres on August 29. The trailer gives us a good look at Sauron (Charlie Vickers) taking on the disguise of Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, and at the fallout from the events of last season.
The trailer opens with Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) warning of the danger Sauron presents before Nenya, the Elven ring she first donned in Season 1, falls at her feet. She slides it on, despite Elrond’s (Robert Aramayo) protests, as he later tells her that that makes her, Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) and Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) Sauron’s collaborators, though Galadriel insists that the ring is actually guiding her instead. Gil-galad presses Galadriel on Sauron’s identity, but she reveals he’s “no man.” But it’s already too late for the Elves to keep Sauron at bay, as he approaches Celebrimbor in the guise of Annatar, the Lord of Gifts.
The Elves aren’t the only ones in the thrall of Sauron’s gifts, either, as the trailer also shows that the Dwarves will also receive their rings of power this season. A scene in the trailer shows Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) approaching his father King Durin (Peter Mullan), urging him to take his ring off, a suggestion that is not met well. Of course, after the Elves and the Dwarves come the nine rings made for the Men, and by the looks of things in the trailer, Sauron is eager for those to be forged as well.
‘Rings of Power’ Season 2 Will Teach Us More About the Stranger
Besides entanglements with Sauron over those titular rings of power, the trailer also teases what to expect from some of the series’ other beloved characters, including Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), Disa (Sophia Nomvete), Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), Elendil (Lloyd Owen) and Isildur (Maxim Baldry), as well as new characters like Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear) and the Entwives. But the most exciting update comes from Nori (Markella Kavanaugh), the Harfoot who at the end of Season 1 ventured off into the unknown with a Wizard currently known only as The Stranger (Daniel Weyman).
While the end of last season seemed to indicate that the Stranger was likely Gandalf, during a visit to the set of Rings of Power Season 2, Collider‘s Steve Weintraub learned that this may not actually be the case. While many assumed he was Gandalf after he told Nori to follow her nose, co-showrunner J.D. Payne teased:
“Could that mean that The Stranger is Gandalf and that he says that, then he says it later on? It could definitely mean that. Could it also mean that The Stranger is Saruman, and you realize that later on Saruman said that to Gandalf and then Gandalf said it. You know what I mean? There are always ways you can sort of like pinball it. There could be delightful paths that could come out of either eventuality. So, we like to keep those doors open. It’s fun to engage with the story and think of the possibilities.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 premieres on August 29. Season 1 is streaming now on Prime Video.
via Collider