Second breakfast: Amazon's Lord of the Rings series eats up an early S2 renewal

We've heard about second breakfast — now it's time for second seasons. Amazon Prime has given the Season 2 charge to their giant series based on Tolkien's Middle-Earth. 

Deadline reports that Amazon Studios is moving ahead with an early Season 2 renewal for what they call the "Lord of the Rings TV series." That title is not entirely accurate, as the new show is set to give life to the Second Age of Middle-Earth, also taken from the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. Material from The Lord of the Rings happens in the Third Age, but we don't have another title yet, so...we'll just have to accept it. 

Production on the series is ramping up in New Zealand right now, and, per Deadline, Amazon has "commissioned the reassembling of the writers room to break the second season." This was confirmed by Jennifer Salke, the head of Amazon Studios.

But the news is a little bit confusing, as Amazon's massive deal with the Tolkien estate in 2017 was believed to involve five seasons. Even so, Deadline writes that though the deal included a "multi-season commitment," each season after the first one has to get a formal green light by Amazon. 

The early renewal also means a shorter wait period between seasons, though a four to five month hiatus after filming the first two episodes was also just announced. J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay will use this time to write the scripts for Season 2. This is somewhat standard, and it will allow the show to possibly shoot the rest of Season 1 and Season 2 back-to-back in gorgeous New Zealand. It worked for Peter Jackson, after all. 

The series will be directed by J.A. Bayona, with a cast that reportedly includes Will Poulter, Markell Kavenagh, and Joseph Mawle... although this has never been confirmed by the streamer. Weird character names (ones that appear nowhere in Tolkien at all) often accompany the casting rumors, so the "keep it secret, keep it safe" mentality may still be at work here. Not one casting report has mentioned any kind of Numenorean name, for example, and when it comes to the Second Age of Middle-Earth, that location is a big deal. 

Bearing all of that in mind, Tolkien fans everywhere have reason to celebrate. The Second Age is coming, and it is getting a second season. Roads will continue to go ever on and on.