How to watch The Rings of Power: release date, channel, cast and setting explained

It’s a great time to be a fantasy fan - House of the Dragon is on our screens, helping to erase the haunting memories of Games of Thrones season 8, and now a new Lord of the Rings series is starting.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will take us back to Middle Earth for the first time in eight years, since the release of the final Hobbit film.

It’s been almost 20 years since The Return of the King, the final offering in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, came out in cinemas.

And now season 1 of The Rings of Power is around the corner.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new Lord of the Rings series.

How to watch The Rings of Power

The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit series were both big screen trilogies, but the new The Rings of Power series will be on the smaller screen.

The Rings of Power will be available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The online giant has spent a lot (and we mean, a lot) of money on bringing The Rings of Power to their platform.

Amazon reportedly paid around £176m just to get the rights to use the source material, with the series itself costing around £327m to make - making it the most expensive TV show ever.

The streaming service made a five-season commitment to the show - so don’t expect it end any time soon.

When does The Rings of Power start?

The first episode of The Rings of Power will be available to stream from September 2.

What is The Rings of Power about?

The Rings of Power takes place thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings - known as the Second Age.

We know from The Lord of the Rings that 19 original rings were created - three for the elves, seven for the dwarves, and nine for men - as well as one ring to rule them all.

The series should cover the creation of these rings, the rise of Sauron, the fall of the island kingdom of Numenor, and the last alliance between elves and men.

We know that we’ll see some familiar - albeit younger - faces from The Lord of the Rings, including Elrond, Galadriel, and Isildur.

The Rings of Power cast

Cynthia Addai-Robinson - Miriel, the queen regent of the island kingdom of Numenor.

Robert Aramayo - Elrond, half-elven architect and politician.

Owain Arthur - Durin IV, prince of the dwarven city of Khazad-dum.

Maxim Baldry - Isildur, a sailor who becomes a warrior and king.

Morfydd Clark - Galadriel, an elven warrior.

Do I need to have read the books?

You don’t need to have read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to understand the show, but having background knowledge of Middle Earth will certainly help - plus, both are great reads.

There is no The Rings of Power book. Much like House of the Dragon, the creators of the show will be filling fleshing out the main points and adding their own details.