

It's no secret whatsoever just how much Amazon has invested in its spin-off show from The Lord of the Rings. It pushed the first season of The Rings of Power hard – no surprise, given it cost an apparent £360-million ($465m) – and now it's got a second season just around the corner.
The show will return on 29 August, at the end of this month, and after a long build-up we've finally got a full trailer to digest – it dropped at the San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, and has loads to get to grips with.

In just under four minutes of footage there are glimpses of all manner of locations and plotlines, and the production values are as incredibly high – as we've started to expect from Amazon's flagship shows. That's why it's one of the best streaming services, after all.
Now that Sauron is out in the open and moving around Middle Earth pursuing his aims, the focus of the show should move from set-up and preparation into the real meat of the matter – and those all-important rings are clearly on the cusp of being forged and distributed.
We all know how this ends, of course, but it's clear that we're going to get some crazy battles and moments between now and then. Sauron will place rings before the leaders of elves, men and dwarves, and it's clear that they'll immediately sow the seeds of division as different characters resist or embrace them.





That's the great tragedy that the show aims to show, of course – the downfall of empires and kingdoms under Sauron's scheming. Along the way, we'll get glimpses at some historic sights – not least a clear look at an appearance from a (or the) Balrog, looking familiar to fans of the Jackson movies.
This isn't even the only footage that you can sink your teeth into: Amazon had more to share from SDCC. There's a great behind-the-scenes featurette called Call to Adventure which gives a good sense of how monumental the production really is on the show, and it features looks at a few moments that weren't in the trailer, too.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
So, while the first season might have divided opinion between critical praise and audience revulsion (as proved by Rotten Tomatoes), Amazon will hope that its new set of episodes can help it be crowned as the best streaming service for fantasy fans.

Max is T3's Staff Writer for the Tech section – with years of experience reporting on tech and entertainment. He's also a gaming expert, both with the games themselves and in testing accessories and consoles, having previously flexed that expertise at Pocket-lint as a features editor.
-
Garmin has switched on its new heart feature on certain smartwatches
The wearable brand rolls out ECG in the UK and Switzerland
By Matt Kollat
-
New Porsche 911 evokes 70s cool and you can design it on Apple Vision Pro
Porsche 911 Spirit 70’s retro vibes contrast nicely with Apple Vision Pro tech
By Chris Hall
-
Is this about to be Prime Video's sauciest movie of all time?
Another Simple Favor looks steamy
By Max Freeman-Mills
-
I can tell this new Netflix comedy series is going to have a sad twist
The Four Seasons will have light and shade
By Max Freeman-Mills
-
You might not know about it, but this Prime Video sequel is going to be enormous
Culpa Nuestra will be massive
By Max Freeman-Mills
-
Apple TV+'s beloved sci-fi series gets a surprise sequel and trailer
Wondla is coming back
By Max Freeman-Mills
-
Netflix's most surprising 100%-rated sci-fi series returns with gorgeous trailer
Love Death + Robots is back for more
By Max Freeman-Mills
-
My most anticipated Netflix movie of the year gets a wild new trailer
Havoc looks pretty unbelievable
By Max Freeman-Mills
-
I love the Murderbot books, and Apple TV+'s first trailer has me excited
Murderbot is a series I can't wait for
By Max Freeman-Mills
-
This runaway Netflix no.1 hit shows reviews aren't everything
Ignore The Life List's Rotten Tomatoes score
By Max Freeman-Mills