'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' expands Middle-earth & name-drops Sauron in official trailer

"You have been told many lies of Middle-earth," a character ominously states in the full trailer for Amazon's highly ambitious and super pricey Lord of the Rings television series: The Rings of Power (arriving on Prime Video in early September). The three-minute collection of absolutely stunning footage — which debuted at San Diego Comic-Con Friday morning — takes a deep dive into the show's overarching narrative, which is set to explore the rise of Sauron during a period of relative calm known as the Second Age. In fact, this is the first trailer to actually name-drop the evil dude from Mordor who forged the One Ring to rule them all.

Sauron's growing in strength, and it's up to young heroes like Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) to not only convince others of the danger, but to actively unite the various peoples throughout the land — Elves, Dwarves, and Men — to fight the battle brewing just over the horizon. Much easier said than done because most folks aren't too keen on the idea of another war so soon after the costly defeat of Morgoth that preceded the Second Age.

Watch the trailer now:

As an added bonus for us die-hard fantasy nerds, the trailer closes out with a quick, yet utterly badass, shot of a Balrog, the fiery and horned beast that will one day chase the Fellowship of the Ring through the abandoned mines of Moria. But that dangerous quest led by Mr. Frodo of The Shire is still thousands of years away. All the gaps leading up to the material we know and love must be filled in — the "lies" we've been told over the years must be corrected. And if you were hoping for some Hobbit action, you'll have to settle for their distant ancestors: the Harfoots.

"It’s a human story," co-showrunner and executive producer J.D. Payne teased during the Stephen Colbert-moderated panel held in the famous Hall H (SYFY WIRE was in attendance). "Imagine the things that matter most to you and all of that is taken away from you. That’s the core. It’s the rise of Sauron. It’s a 50-hour story. Amazon is going to let us do the show we want to make."

"We want to reintroduce Middle-earth and the return of evil," added fellow showrunner and executive producer, Patrick McKay, who also treated the audience to a bit of the Elvish language at the start of the event. "We didn’t want to do a side thing. We wanted to find a Tolkien mega-epic. Amazon was crazy enough to say, 'Let’s do it.'" He added that the current five-season plan doesn't involve the Third Age, "but you never know."

To fully envelop Comic-Con attendees in the epic world of the forthcoming fantasy series, the panel kicked off with a live performance of highlights from the original score conducted by composer Bear McCreary (The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galatica) and performed by a 25-piece orchestra and 16-person choir.

The sprawling cast features the acting talents of Robert Aramayo (Elrond), Benjamin Walker (High King Gil-galad), Sara Zwangobani (Marigold Brandyfoot), Markella Kavenagh (Elanor ‘Nori’ Brandyfoot), Megan Richards (Poppy Proudfellow), Sir Lenny Henry (Sadoc Burrows), Daniel Weyman (The Stranger), Peter Mullan (King Durin III), Owain Arthur (Prince Durin IV), Charlie Vickers (Halbrand), Ismael Cruz Córdova (Arondir), Maxim Baldry (Isildur), Lloyd Owen (Elendil), Trystan Gravelle (Pharazôn), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Queen Regent Míriel), Leon Wadham (Kemen), and Ema Horvath (Eärien).

Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, J.A. Bayona, Belén Atienza, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Bruce Richmond, and Sharon Tal Yguado are executive producers alongside McKay and Payne. Ron Ames and Christopher Newman serve a producers while Wayne Che Yip occupies the role of co-executive producer and director. Bayona and Charlotte Brändström also directed episodes.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power hits Prime Video Friday, Sep. 2.

Additional reporting by Ernie Estrella

Click here for SYFY WIRE’s full coverage of San Diego Comic-Con 2022.

Looking for some fantasy content to tide you over for the next four months? Click here for our list of the best fantasy films available on Peacock.