Now, as the new show’s premiere looms closer, Amazon has begun unveiling major pieces of the puzzle, including some curious decisions about the plot breaking from the source material, a swath of characters who will be featured, and our long-awaited first looks at footage from the series.
We finally have a full-length trailer. The footage introduces the major players in the story, including familiar races from the Tolkienverse like elves, dwarves, and men, as well as the never-before-seen Harfoots (more on them below). Some familiar faces appear, including Galadriel and Elrond, who spar over an evil presence in Middle-earth. When Elrond encourages Galadriel to hang up her sword, she replies, “The enemy is still out there. You have not seen what I have seen”. Then, we get a glimpse of Sauron’s destruction, including dead bodies floating in bloody water. It seems Elrond and the other elves believe that there’s no evil threat, but Galadriel isn’t convinced. Featuring sprawling vistas and epic battles, the trailer feels exactly like Middle-earth should.