The latest details regarding Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV series could hint towards Sauron's role in the show. Following Peter Jackson's classic Lord of the Rings trilogy and the not-so-classic The Hobbit movies, our next trip to Middle-earth comes courtesy of an Amazon Prime TV series. Although details remain scarce, production is underway with a reportedly monstrous budget and an equally expansive cast, and while most of the featured characters remain a secret, Morfydd Clark is confirmed to take over from Cate Blanchett as Galadriel. Amazon's Lord of the Rings will be set in Tolkien's Second Age, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit, and this means Sauron is very likely to have a presence in the show.
As filming continues, an official synopsis for Amazon's Middle-earth debut has been released. The description is predictably light on juicy info, offering only the broadest possible idea of what lies in store. The Second Age time period is confirmed, and locations such as the Misty Mountains and the elven region of Lindon are mentioned. By far the most intriguing note, however, is the name-dropping of Númenor. This island of men sits separate from the rest of Middle-earth and was created as the homeland of the Dúnedain, but while the kingdom held for over 3000 years, all of Númenor's best stories involve Sauron.
Sauron is the overarching antagonist of The Lord of the Rings, but his reign of terror began far earlier, during Middle-earth's First Age. Originally a high-ranking servant of Morgoth, Sauron rose to prominence in the Second Age after his master was banished, and ultimately became the new scourge of elves and men during this era. The history of Númenor runs from year 32 of the Second Age to 3319, and can be roughly split into three periods. For the first 1000 years or so, the people of Númenor were busy settling - building their kingdom and culture. In their second millennium, the people of Númenor began occupying locations in Middle-earth and first clashed against Sauron. In the final years of Númenor, Sauron was captured by King Ar-Pharazôn and taken to the island as a prisoner, but the villain used his cunning and artful manipulation to turn Ar-Pharazôn into an acolyte of Morgoth. Before long, Númenor was under Sauron's control, and this inevitably spelled doom for the island.
It's not yet known when in the Second Age Amazon's The Lord of the Rings TV show will be set, but the mention of Númenor in the official synopsis teases many exciting possibilities, most of which involve Sauron. Should the story take place during the early part of the Second Age, the series could fill in currently untouched gaps of Númenoren history. More likely, Amazon's The Lord of the Rings will feature the Númenoreans while they were invading Middle-earth, fighting against both the elves and the rising darkness Sauron. This area of Tolkien lore would finally bring a physical Sauron into live-action - similar to the dark, armor-clad figure from The Fellowship of the Ring's flashback scenes.
But the most tantalizing option would be if Amazon's The Lord of the Rings covered the final century of the Second Age, with Sauron gradually corrupting the island of Númenor after first arriving as a prisoner of war. Rather than the big fiery eye of the movies, this version of Sauron would take a humanoid form, and attain his goals via lies, deception and magic, making him a far more interesting foe than fans of the movies will be used to. Sauron would have a personality, a face, weaknesses, and be an active participant in his own grand plan, instead of moving his armies from the safety of Mordor. Rumors suggest Joseph Mawle could play the iconic baddie, and the Game of Thrones actor will be perfect as a conniving, corporeal Sauron in The Lord of the Rings.