Amazon's new Lord of the Rings series' synopsis revealed

Delving into the Second Age of Middle-Earth, the new series takes place thousands of years before the novel and Peter Jackson film trilogy are set. Photo / New Line, Shuttershock

Amazon has announced the premise of its much-anticipated new Lord of the Rings TV series. Releasing the show's official synopsis on Wednesday, Amazon revealed that the series will be set thousands of years before the events of the LOTR film trilogy.

Fans of the fantasy realm in which the LOTR is set will be delighted to discover key background to Middle-Earth, with the series set to "delve into the heroic legends of the fabled Second-Age of Middle-Earth's history", according to TheOneRing.net. The Second Age was touched on briefly in the prologue to The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), leaving many fans keen for more on this key period.

Fans of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy have been hotly anticipating the premise behind the new Amazon series. Photo / New Line/Shuttershock

"This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien's pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness," the Amazon synopsis reveals.

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"Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-Earth."

Fans can look forward to learning more about the villainous Dark Lord Sauron as well as new characters, locations and story arcs.

"From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Numenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone," the Amazon synopsis concluded.

As previously announced, the series is led by showrunners and executive producers JD Payne and Patrick McKay.

Last April the Hollywood Reporter estimated the Amazon production would cost $1.5 billion, but an industry insider has told the Herald that figure was modest, and suggested it could have a $3b price tag.

Welsh actress Morfydd Clark is one of a cast of largely unknowns in Amazon's $1 billion Lord of the Rings series. Photo / Amazon

Set to be the most expensive television show ever, production for the Amazon series, inspired by stories preceding JRR Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, due to start in West Auckland in early 202 was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Actors confirmed to be starring in the series include British actor Robert Aramayo (Mindhunter), Nazanin Boniadi (Bombshell, Homeland) and Morfydd Clark (His Dark Materials, Dracula).

Originally due to begin streaming in early 2021, due to filming details an official release date is yet to be confirmed.