Which significant events in Tolkien's Middle-earth history could happen in Amazon's forthcoming The Lord of the Rings TV series? After the decade defining success of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, it was inevitable that J.R.R. Tolkien's epic world would continue to be mined for adaptation material. Sure enough, Jackson translated The Hobbit into a second (not quite as successful) trilogy, and now Amazon is working on a Lord of the Rings TV show in the Game of Thrones mold.
Production on Amazon's Lord of the Rings is currently underway, but details remain scarce. Confirmed cast members include Robert Aramayo, Joseph Mawle, Nazanin Boniadi and Morfydd Clark, who is confirmed as Galadriel - the only familiar face announced so far. As has been widely reported, Amazon's Lord of the Rings packs a mammoth budget, and will feature characters movie fans will recognize. Amazon has also revealed that their Middle-earth adventure will be set in Tolkien's Second Age. For reference, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place around 3000 years into the Third Age, so that's quite some distance between the two eras.
Through his lesser-known works, appendices and letters, Tolkien has mapped out Middle-earth's Second Age in typically detailed fashion, and many major events occur during this period, most leading directly into Lord of the Rings. Here are the biggest Tolkien Second Age stories Amazon's TV series could adapt.
The Rise Of Númenor
The terms "Númenorean" and "Dúnedain" might be vaguely familiar to casual Lord of the Rings fans, but Aragorn's ancestors could become household names thanks to the Amazon TV series. As reward for their faith, this ancient race of men were gifted an island of their own by the Valar, sitting somewhere between the shores of Middle-earth and the Undying Lands, where the Valar themselves dwelt. The isle of Númenor stood tall for over 3000 years in the Second Age, so it'll be tricky for Amazon to avoid, especially since the men who lived there made frequent trips to Middle-earth. Númenor is one of Tolkien's richest fictional civilizations, but it's a mere memory when The Hobbit begins, leaving plenty of room for exploration. There's a long lineage of Númenorean kings and queens to pick from, and with so many beautiful locales being destroyed or otherwise sullied in Lord of the Rings, it'll be refreshing to see a kingdom flourish and grow (for a while, at least).
Sauron Forges The One Ring
As the most important event of the Second Age, and the moment film fans will feel most connected to, the creation of the Rings will almost certainly play out in Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV series. At this point in Tolkien's dense mythology, Sauron is still able to assume a human form, and rumors suggest Joseph Mawle (Game of Thrones' Benjen Stark) will be playing the Dark Lord. Under the disguise of "Annatar," Sauron deceives the elves into creating many Rings of Power and, as the story famously goes, forges the One Ring in secret to control them. Watching Sauron manipulate and deceive would be new territory for a character mostly known as a big flaming eye, but by showcasing his two conflicting shades of villainy, Amazon's TV series and Peter Jackson's movie trilogy could actually complement each other. Adapting the creation of the Rings would also account for Galadriel's presence in Amazon's Lord of the Rings. Not only did the golden-haired elf receive one of the three trinkets Sauron offered her kind, but Galadriel was also vocally opposed to trusting the mysterious Annatar.
Sauron Settling In Mordor
When Lord of the Rings begins, Mordor has long been somewhere you wouldn't want to purchase a vacation home; corrupted by Sauron, bubbling with sinister forces, and home to the imposing tower of Barad-dûr, which is ultimately brought down by the destruction of the One Ring. However, Mordor wasn't always so sketchy, and Sauron only settled there when he returned to power 1000 years deep into the Second Age. Making his comeback, Sauron summoned the remaining allies of his old master, Morgoth, and set about breeding new armies of orcs. He also spent 600 years constructing Barad-dûr. Amazon's The Lord of the Rings can show precisely how Mordor fell under Sauron's sway, and offer a closer look at his iconic tower, as well as the magic behind its creation. Moreover, it'd be fascinating to watch Sauron operate without his trademark stronghold in full swing, still reestablishing himself and working from the shadows.
Sauron's War Vs. The Elves
With that said, Sauron doesn't remain in the shadows for very long. After inspiring the elves to forge Rings of Power, Sauron tries ensnaring them with the One Ring but fails, as the pointy-eared folk grow wise to his scheme in the nick of time. Sauron and the elves of Middle-earth (most of them, at least) eventually enter open warfare, and a long and bloody conflict ensues. If Amazon's TV series is looking to emulate the wartime feel of Game of Thrones or the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, it's this bloody conflict that'll provide the best source material. The elves win, but Sauron deals grievous damage to his foes along the way, destroying or occupying various elven settlements. In Lord of the Rings, Sauron is spoken of as a warlord, and his campaign against the elves of Middle-earth contributed hugely to that reputation. The TV show can reveal how Sauron became so feared, and why Frodo preventing his return was so imperative.
If the forging of the Rings forms the basis of Lord of the Rings season 1, the war between Sauron and the elves could make for a logical season 2 or 3.
Elrond Builds Rivendell
Númenor wasn't the only famous Tolkien settlement to pop up in the Second Age - Amazon's Lord of the Rings series can also show the first days of Rivendell. Built during the aforementioned war against Sauron, Elrond found himself on the back foot when the bad guys scored a decisive victory at Eregion. Elrond (played by Hugo Weaving on the big screen) gathered the survivors and his own followers to build Rivendell, which held valiantly against a siege, and quickly became a stronghold for the elves. After the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, Rivendell is an iconic Tolkien location, and fans will be interested to see how the citadel was founded by a young (and more willing to get his hands dirty) Elrond, who is rumored to feature in Amazon's series. The story of Rivendell goes hand-in-hand with that of the Númenoreans, who jump to Elrond's aid and break the siege surrounding Rivendell.
The Ringwraiths' Origins
The mysterious but deadly Ringwraiths made for perfect cinema villains in The Fellowship of the Ring, ruthlessly slaughtering pillows and bed sheets wherever their dark purpose led them. The Lord of the Rings reveals that the Ringwraiths were the nine men enslaved by Sauron's One Ring, but very little is revealed beyond that, and only two officially have names. This leaves Amazon plenty of room to tell new stories, and the return of the Ringwraiths will draw in fans of Jackson's movie trilogy by the droves. Handing out his nine rings during the Second Age, the recipient kings were gradually corrupted by Sauron over a period of years until falling under his influence completely, and becoming the black-clad Ringwraiths we know and love. Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV series can depict that harrowing process, and possibly even embellish the legend of the Ringwraiths by revealing who they were before losing physical form.
The Fall Of Númenor
Undoubtedly the most visually arresting scene from Tolkien's Second Age would be the fall of Númenor. After Sauron barely survives his defeat against the elves, the Dark Lord is taken prisoner by Númenor's King Ar-Pharazôn. By this point, the fine people of Númenor were already neck deep in civil war, with much of the island disgruntled about perceived mistreatment at the hands of the Valar. A select few (Aragorn's ancestors, naturally) remain faithful and are spared, but the rest follow an increasingly dark path as Sauron is rapidly promoted from humble prisoner to Ar-Pharazôn's High Priest. As punishment, the God of Tolkien's mythology wipes Númenor from the map entirely, with Sauron barely surviving the sundering. Though it's unlikely to happen in the first (or even the second) season of Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV show, the fall of Númenor is something the series could build towards.
Isildur's Heroics ( & Gondor's Foundation)
Fans of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy will remember Isildur as the fool of a Númenorean who refused to destroy the One Ring when he had the chance, but before he first laid hands upon Sauron's Ring, Isildur was a hero of the Second Age. Isildur bravely defied the rulers of Númenor once they began worshiping at Sauron's altar, and saved the famous White Tree from the Dark Lord's followers on more than one occasion, risking his life to protect the ancient symbol of light and friendship. If Isildur is cast in the Lord of the Rings TV show, he'll be much more of a protagonist than movie fans remember.
After Isildur relocated from the destroyed Númenor to Middle-earth, he established the realm of Gondor - another famed location from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Similarly to Elrond and Rivendell, the story of Gondor's formation is a Second Age tale of huge importance, and connects directly to future events that viewers will be more familiar with.
The Last Alliance
A conflict that Lord of the Rings fans of all persuasions will remember - the Last Alliance between elves and men took place at the very end of the Second Age. Big names such as Elrond, Gil-Galad and Isildur teamed up in one final battle against Sauron, and as everyone knows, the campaign ends with Isildur cutting the One Ring from Sauron's hand. Since it's the closing chapter of the Second Age, whether or not the Last Alliance gets adapted depends entirely on how long Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV series lasts. If the project runs as long as Game of Thrones, the Last Alliance would make for a truly epic closing season. Reimagining material already seen in Jackson's movies might feel like blasphemy at first, but The Fellowship of the Ring only showed the tip of a much bigger Last Alliance iceberg. In a TV format, Amazon could truly do the final Second Age fight against Sauron justice.