The first image from Amazon's upcoming Lord of the Rings series may reveal an important location in Middle-earth. Set to take place thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy in Middle-earth's Third Age, the epic fantasy series will be one of the most expensive ever made. Amazon recently announced that the Lord of the Rings series will premiere in September 2022, with episodes releasing weekly. Peter Jackson's original trilogy recreated J.R.R. Tolkien's meticulously crafted fantasy world with a careful eye to detail, fleshing out the characters at its center and creating one of the most beloved big screen fantasy adaptations of all time.
Amazon's Lord of the Ring's has a high bar to live up to. The streamer first bought the rights to Tolkien's stories in 2017 and has been in development on the series ever since. Saint Maud's Morfydd Clark will star as Galadriel, the character played by Cate Blanchett in Jackson's trilogy. Clark will be supported by an expansive ensemble cast including Robert Aramayo, Lloyd Owen, Nazanin Boniadi, and more. Details are under wraps about the plot of the series, but it will take place during Middle-earth's Second Age, giving longtime Tolkien-heads an idea of what could take place in the series.
Now, Amazon has revealed a first look image from the series. The image shows off the expansive and epic location of Middle-earth with a glimpse at a vast city nestled into a hillside. A bright light can be seen in the distance, illuminating a character in white, flow-y garb. Check out the full image below:
As for what city is in the above picture, Amazon doesn't make that clear, but there are a couple options. While it's unclear if the Lord of the Rings series will adapt Jackson's vision, if it isn't, the image could show a new conception of Elven city Rivendell. The city was a key location in the original trilogy and is immediately recognizable even to more casual fans. It also appears that the person in white standing outside of the city could be an Elf.
There's also the possibility that the city in the picture could be Gondolin, another Elven city founded in the First Age. Most interesting, though, are the trees bathed in light in the background of the image. It's possible that it's the Two Trees of Valinor, a pair of light sources, one Silver Tree, one Gold Tree, outside the city of Valinor, which isn't actually in Middle-earth. If that is the case, the image makes it clear that Amazon's Lord of the Rings series will be diving deeper into Tolkien lore lore than Jackson's films ever could, thanks, in part, to the fact that the episodic format will really allow the writers to explore Tolkien's vast world.
Source: Amazon