The Rings of Power season 2 opens with a dark flashback for Sauron, tease showrunners of Lord of the Rings show

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 doesn’t pick up where the season
1 finale left off. Speaking to Total Film magazine on a set visit for the fantasy show’s sophomore season, showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne confirm the details, teasing a dark opening for the Prime Video series’ long-awaited return.

“Do you want to hear the opening?” an excited McKay asks tells Total Film in our new issue out on Thursday, July 19, which features Alien: Romulus on the cover. “We open in the darkness, an orc walks in, and we see there are thousands of orcs gathered. He’s about to be crowned, pitching his vision of Middle-earth, and right before they lay the crown on his head, his right-hand man, Adar, turns it upside down, and stabs him in the back. It’s the assassination of Sauron.”

It’s a bold opening, setting the tone for what’s to come in a season that the showrunners previously told us is “all about the villains.” The flashback also teases that we’ll learn more of the history between Sauron (Charlie Vickers) and Adar (Sam Hazeldine), as it takes place at the end of the First Age, after Morgoth has been defeated and Sauron is demanding fealty from his followers.

“Right from the beginning, Sauron is the center of gravity,” McKay adds of the moment when TF catches up with him a year later. “It’s an ensemble show, but the focus is starting to get pulled towards him. He’s driving everything.”

As the trailer reveals, The Rings of Power season 2 will see Sauron turn to his cunning to survive after being cast out by Galadriel. Adopting a new disguise, he infiltrates Celebrimbor’s work building the Rings of Power, overseeing their creation to bind the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will.

In our new exclusive feature on season 2, Total Film also has a new look at Morfydd Clark as Galadriel. In the image, which you can see below, the powerful elf is ready for combat as war comes to Middle-earth.

Galadriel in The Rings of Power season 2

(Image credit: Ross Ferguson/Prime Video)

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 begins on Prime Video on August 29. For much more, read our full interview with McKay, Payne, and cast in the new issue of Total Film. It hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, July 19.

Check out the covers below:

The xenomorph on the cover of Total Film's Alien: Romulus issue — (Image credit: 20th Century Studios/Disney)

Pre-order the issue here to bag your copy, or click here to subscribe to Total Film and never miss another exclusive. You’ll get every issue before it’s in stores, and you’ll get subscriber-exclusive covers.