‘Lord Of The Rings’ Raises The Bar With ‘Game Of Thrones’ Writer Now Onboard

Amazon’s “Lord Of The Rings” TV series is widely touted as the next “Game Of Thrones.” On Tuesday, it was confirmed that “Game Of Thrones” writer Bryan Cogman is officially joining the upcoming series as a writing consultant, setting expectations even higher. Here are what we know so far about the upcoming series.

Setting

The multi-season “Lord Of The Rings” TV series will explore J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth before the events of “The Fellowship Of The Ring.” Since the history of Middle Earth spans thousands of years, it was initially unclear where exactly in the timeline the events in the series would take place.

However, details shown on the Middle Earth map released by Amazon suggest that “Lord Of The Rings” will take place early on in the Second Age and may focus on the forging of the Rings of Power. This theory rang truer when Amazon started releasing promo materials for the series, quoting lines from the Ring Verse.

Story

If the series will take place in the Second Age, then fans can expect the show to feature the rise and fall of men in Numenor and the founding of Mordor. It may also see the rise of Sauron and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Around this time in the lore, the War of the Last Alliance led to the downfall of Sauron, which was featured at the beginning of “The Fellowship Of The Ring.” This event marked the end of the Second Age and the dawn of the Third Age.

With “Game Of Thrones” writer Bryan Cogman officially onboard, fans can expect Amazon’s “Lord Of The Rings” to be just as massive, intense and visually captivating. Cogman is currently working with writing duo JD Payne and Patrick McKay on the lore. More details about the narrative are expected to arrive in the coming months.

Release

The development of Amazon’s “Lord Of The Rings” is already in full swing, but Amazon has yet to announce the official release date for the series. Taking into account the studio’s contractual agreement with the Tolkien Estate, however, it is safe to assume that production on the TV series will kick off in 2020. It is set for release sometime in 2021.