Sauron’s rise in season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power begins on August 29, when the new episode of Amazon Prime Video’s fantasy series based on JRR Tolkien’s intellectual property hits the streamer. Prime Video released a teaser trailer and a behind-the-scenes featurette on Monday. The series is based on parts of Tolkien’s posthumous “Silmarillion” and is set to have a five-season story arc.

What is Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power about?

The drama series is set thousands of years before the events of JRR Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” and The Lord of the Rings Books with an ensemble of familiar faces and new characters. The series is set in the not-for-long peaceful Second Age of Middle Earth and is a first attempt to adapt Tolkein’s story of this legendary era. The villain Sauron (Charlie Vickers) will be “out and about, doing his thing” in season 2.

“We shot the first two episodes and then took a break. And then maybe two months before we started Episode 3, the showrunners said, ‘We want to meet with you,'” Vickers told Deadline on Episode 8 of the Lord of the Rings aftershow Inside the Ring after the finale aired. “They took me to the set that Galadriel discovers in the first episode, with the orcs through the walls and Sauron’s seal on the forge. They took me in and said, ‘This is your world. You’re playing Sauron.'”

Is there a trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2?

The final trailer for the second season was released on August 14th.

Yes, a full official trailer was released at Comic-Con on Friday, July 26. The footage was shown on the wraparound screens in Hall H, accompanied by drums and a choir singing the themes of the next episode.

RELATED: ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Takes Over Comic-Con With a Bear McCreary-Led Choir and Drums, Numerous Season 2 Teasers, a New Trailer and More

Watch the teaser trailer:

Who is creating season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?

Showrun and executive producers are developers JD Payne and Patrick McKay, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is also produced by Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill and Gennifer Hutchison, with co-producer and director Charlotte Brändström. Kate Hazell and Helen Shang are also producing, with co-producers Clare Buxton, Andrew Lee, Glenise Mullins and Matthew Penry-Davey. Season two of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has also added Sanaa Hamri and Louise Hooper to its all-female directing team. Charlotte Brändström, who directed episodes 6 and 7 of the first season, will also return.

“We weren’t trying to replicate what you saw in the (Peter Jackson) movies or what any other concept artist saw for Tolkien’s work,” production designer Ramsey Avery said of the show in an episode of Deadline’s crafting series The Process. “So it was about coming up with fresh and new ideas that tell a very specific story.”

When will season 2 of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” be released?

Season 2 of the fantasy series will be released on Amazon Prime Video on August 29. Production of the sequel continued in the UK during the writers’ strike in summer 2023. The release date of the episodes has not yet been set, but season 1 started on September 1, 2022 with two episodes, followed by a new episode every week until October 24.

How many episodes are there in the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?

Season 2, like season 1, will have eight episodes.

How to watch season 2 of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”:

Both seasons will be available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

Which actors will return for season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?

In addition to Charlie Vickers as Sauron, Morfydd Clark will return as Galadriel, Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Owain Arthur as Prince Durin IV, Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir, Ema Horvath as Eärien, Benjamin Walker as High King Gil-Galad, Peter Mullan as King Durin III, Markella Kavenagh as Nori Brandyfoot, Maxim Baldry as Isildur and Sophia Nomvete as Princess Disa, to name a few.

RELATED: ‘The Rings Of Power’ Actress Nazanin Boniadi On Her Decision To Leave The Show Before Season 2

Are there new characters in season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?

There are new characters, but a classic character from Tolkien’s books will also make his debut in the second part of the Prime Video series. The versatile Tom Bombadil, who played the hobbits early on in The companions, did not make it into Peter Jackson’s trilogy, much to the chagrin of fans of Tolkien’s books.

Vanity Fair first revealed the colorfully dressed forest dweller, who sings nonsense songs and is played by Rory Kinnear. Tolkien described the ethereal man as “older than the ancients,” meaning that he was already there when all Life began.

Ciarán Hinds will portray a new character of the dark wizard.

At the end of 2022, 15 actors were added in recurring roles.

Sam Hazeldine is recast as Orc leader Adar in the Prime Video series, replacing Joseph Mawle, who played the character in Season 1. The decision to recast was made months ago and Mawle did not attend any of the series’ global promotional events.

Other new cast members include Gabriel Akuwudike (Hannah), Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour (The Sorcerer), Ben Daniels (Jupiter’s legacy), newcomer Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle (conviction) and Nicholas Woodson (Silent witness). Oliver Alvin Wilson (The Bay), Stuart Bowman (The Pact), Gavi Singh Chera (The undeclared war), William Chubb (Vampire Academy), Kevin Eldon (game of Thrones), Will Keen (Ridley Street), Selina Lo (Boss Level) and Calam Lynch (Bridgerton) also joined the series in December 2022.

What are the production costs of the series?

Season 1 grossed just under $700 million, including the acquisition of the rights from JRR Tolkien’s estate. Season 2 is said to be significantly darker and grittier than Season 1.

Check out a look behind the scenes: