'Lord of the Rings' TV series bosses explain its official new title

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power logo
(Image credit: Amazon Studios)

Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV series finally has a name: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power — and the showrunners have spoken out about why they picked that title.

The name was revealed in a lavish, live-action teaser released by Amazon. This isn't your average teaser, though; Amazon had the title brought to by life by craftsmen in a blacksmith foundry, forging it from real molten metal running through hand-carved wooden ravines shaped to the letterforms. This process was captured in slow-motion, creating the video announcement which you can watch below.

Alongside the visuals, the video features a voice-over from Morfydd Clark as Galadriel reading lines from Tolkien's iconic "Ring Verse", which explains the intended recipients of the original 20 Rings of Power.

Why is Lord of the Rings TV series called 'The Rings of Power'?

Talking about the title, The Rings of Power showrunners J. D. Payne & Patrick McKay explained: "This is a title that we imagine could live on the spine of a book next to J.R.R. Tolkien’s other classics. The Rings of Power unites all the major stories of Middle-earth’s Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.

"Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring – but before there was one, there were many… and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all."

The Rings of Power is a hugely significant title, as it foreshadows an epic story spanning many of the major events of Tolkien's Second Age. The series is set thousands of years before the events of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings and Amazon says the show will depict the many heroic legends and tales from throughout this bygone era. 

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres exclusively on Prime Video on Friday, Sept. 2, with new episodes set to air weekly.

Martin Shore
Staff Writer at WhatToWatch.com

Martin is a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produces a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. 

Some of his favorite shows are What We Do In The Shadows, Bridgerton, Gangs of London, The Witcher, Doctor Who, and Ghosts. When he’s not watching TV or at the movies, Martin’s probably still in front of a screen playing the latest video games, reading, or watching the NFL.