The second instalment of The Rings of Power has arrived with a three-episode premiere, taking fans back to Middle-earth. In what appears to be a much darker and scarier season, viewers will dive deeper into Sauron’s conspiracies, which Galadriel, Elrond and their allies will try to foil.

The first season came to an explosive climax, with a true villain ready to take centre stage. In the new episodes, evil will grow even more powerful, and fans will find out what led to forging not only the infamous One Ring but also three rings held by the Elves.

If you want to know when to watch The Rings of Power and what the story might be, then we’ve rounded up everything we know on the subject.

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

When will The Rings of Power season 2 be released?

The show’s second season is rolling episodes out now on Prime Video.

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

The second season traded the traditional filming location of New Zealand for the UK, much to the dismay of many fans. 

The Rings of Power season 2 episode release schedule

Here’s when to watch new episodes of the show:

Episode 1, 2 and 3: 29 August 2024

Episode 4: 5 September 2024

Episode 5: 12 September 2024

Episode 6: 19 September 2024

Episode 7: 26 September 2024

Episode 8: 3 October 2024

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

Spoilers for season 1 of The Rings of Power below.

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’s also a whole host of new faces joining the next season of the show. Sam Hazeldine replaces Joseph Mawle as the Orc leader Adar – he’s best known for Peaky Blinders.

One of the most exciting pieces of casting is Rory Kinnear, who portrays Tom Bombadil – a mysterious being in surprisingly colourful clothes who is considered one of the eldest dwellers of Middle-earth.

Ciarán Hinds, who you may know from the role of Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones, also debuts in the Middle-earth. The actor stars as a mysterious character called the Dark Wizard.

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, and Tanya Moodie.

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

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

The official description of season 2 reads:

Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will.

As friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.

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 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 it’s almost certain that their journey will be a pivotal plot point in season 2.

Is there a trailer for The Rings of Power season 2?

Amazon has released the first teaser for the series, which gives us a sneak peek at the new version of Sauron:

The latest trailer shows the web of plots spreading in Middle-earth because of Sauron:

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 of 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 only Prime Video for £5.99/$8.99 per month.

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