Several new images from Amazon’s upcoming fantasy prequel series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, offer another look at some of the main players, including Morfydd Clark as Galadriel. Coming exclusively from Empire Magazine, the images also show off some of the dwarves and hobbits that will feature in the series, which is due for release later this year.

Amazon Studios’ The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will explore for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history. Set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the series will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.

As expected, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will feature a massive ensemble cast, introducing new characters alongside younger versions of more familiar ones. The series will be led by Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, a role played throughout the Lord of the Rings series by Cate Blanchett, but this earlier version is an Elven warrior who believes evil is returning to Middle-earth.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power also stars Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Maxim Baldry as Isildur, Owain Arthur as Durin IV, Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn, Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir, Sophia Nomvete as Disa, Charlie Vickers as Halbrand, Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor, and Benjamin Walker as Gil-galad, as well as Lenny Henry, Markella Kavenagh, Simon Merrells, and many, many more.

Early Reactions to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Heaped Praise on the Amazon Series

Despite The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power not being due for release for several months, a lucky few were recently treated to exclusive footage from the series. The response from those in attendance was hugely positive, with one attendee, Tolkien Professor (the President of Signum University and scholar of J.R.R. Tolkien), stating that the prequel series “is in VERY good hands.”

“Last week, I was invited by the @LOTRonPrime folks, along with a bunch of other internet Tolkien folks, to attend an advanced screening of some footage from the #RingsofPower show and to meet the showrunners. I must say: after meeting them, I feel the show is in VERY good hands," Tolkien Professor said.

The praise continued courtesy of Lord of the Rings superfan, Tea with Tolkien, who said of the series, “As a lifelong Tolkien fan, I’m no stranger to seeing adaptations go off the rails or Tolkien’s creative works being exploited for profit, so I will always retain some level of nervousness toward anything set in or inspired by Middle-earth. But after learning so much more about the show and its creators, I do feel quite a bit more confident going forward. From what I’ve seen, it seems to me that this show is in competent hands.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is scheduled to premiere on Prime Video on September 2, 2022. A second series is already in development.