The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power's Second Age Will Look A Lot Different From The Third Age's 'Post-Apocalyptic' Landscape [Comic-Con]

The world of Middle-earth is about to look a lot different. "The Lord of the Rings" franchise has mainly focused on the time period known as the Third Age, a turbulent time throughout the continent which resulted in a colossal war against the evil Sauron. However, Middle-earth wasn't always like this, and there is a rich history that author J.R.R. Tolkien created with his original book series which most adaptations have barely scratched the surface of. And that's saying a lot, considering how extensive the Peter Jackson film series went with the history of Middle-earth.

However, the Second Age of Middle-earth society hasn't been explored in-depth until now. "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," Prime Video's upcoming prequel series to the events of both "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogies, will be all about this fabled period, eventually leading up to the catastrophe that results in the Third Age. But as was revealed during today's San Diego Comic-Con panel for the series, there will be some distinct differences in the look and feel of Middle-earth in this show.

During the panel conversation, co-showrunner J.D. Payne laid out a bit of the timeline and drew an analogy for how fans should think about the setting compared with the movie.

"Well, the show takes place more than 4,000 years before the films do, so [there are a lot of differences]. You could ask what the changes you could see between something set in modern day versus ancient Greece, so it's a whole different Middle-earth."

Patrick McKay, who is co-showrunning the series with Payne, briefly discussed how Middle-earth in the Second Age will seem to be more peaceful than it was during the Third Age, which even casual fans are already familiar with thanks to Jackson's movies.

"In the Third Age, Middle-earth is sort of post-apocalyptic. All these kingdoms have fallen. The elves are on their way out the door. But in the Second Age, Middle-earth is vibrant and filled with life."

Of course, this statement does not only apply to the beauty and brightness of the landscapes. The people of Middle-earth will also be drastically different in this time period, unaware of what was about to befall their lands.

"Every single people in Middle-earth are in a very different place," McKay continued. "The harfoots [the predecessors of hobbits] are migratory, they're nomads. They're far from the Shire. So in some ways, it's meeting a very different Middle-earth."

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" will arrive on Prime Video on September 2, 2022.