'The Rings of Power' Season 2 Will Not be Filmed in New Zealand — Details on the Second Season

Will one television series rule them all?

Amazon's highly anticipated Lord of the Rings prequel, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, will premiere on Prime Video on Sept. 1., 2022. The fantasy drama is based on author J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take place thousands of years prior in "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 synopsis reads.

"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. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone," the show's bio states.

With what may be Prime Video's biggest television premiere to date, die-hard LOTR fans are already wondering if there will be a Season 2. Keep reading to find out everything we know about the longevity of the series.

With a reported $1 billion budget attached to the fantasy project, it's no surprise that Prime Video renewed The Rings of Power for a Season 2 before the premiere.

But unlike Season 1 and the Peter Jackson–directed trilogies, Season 2 has already been hit with a bit of controversy when showrunner Patrick McKay confirmed that filming for the second installment would not take place in New Zealand.

The backdrop for Middle-earth will now feature landscapes from the U.K. or mainly Scotland. So, why the major location change?

"I think if we answered in too much detail, we’d spoil where the journey is going in future episodes," Patrick told The Playlist when asked about the decision to not shoot Season 2 in New Zealand. "Suffice to say in the story, in Tolkien’s world, journeys to other lands are a major recurring theme. And so I think that’s a thing to think about."

"The other thing I would say is Tolkien was writing about the British Isles," he added. "He was writing about his own backyard and his description of the nature and the air here and the light here and the grass here is a huge part of those books. And I think the opportunity to kind of bring the property home feels like one that’s pregnant with possibilities."

According to Time magazine, filming for Season 2 will begin in October 2022.

Luckily, Lord of the Rings fans will not have to anxiously wonder if the show will be renewed each season. The series' showrunners have confirmed that The Rings of Power will take place over the course of five seasons, and the storylines have already been completely mapped out.

“We even know what our final shot of the last episode is going to be,” showrunner JD Payne told Empire. “The rights that Amazon bought were for a 50-hour show. They knew from the beginning that was the size of the canvas – this was a big story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. There are things in the first season that don’t pay off until Season 5.”

Throughout the series, the show will reveal pivotal story moments, such as the forging of the rings, Sauron coming into power, and elves and men working together to defeat the dark powers that threaten Middle-earth.

Catch the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Sept. 1, 2022, on Prime Video.