On Friday, Prime Video released the first trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3. During the show's Hall H panel, it was revealed that Simon Pegg (The Boys) will lend his voice to The Balrog, the demonic monster that Gandalf first faces in The Fellowship of the Ring.
Now, a featurette that was previously exclusive to Comic-Con has been officially released (via SFFGazette.com). In that, we get to see concept art of The Balrog, along with footage from Season 3 featuring a battle between the beast and Sauron.
The video, titled "Bringing Season Three's Creatures to Life," also highlights Orcs, Fell-beasts, and the war elephants known as Mûmakil.
Elsewhere, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power showrunners open up about casting Pegg, who is on hand to say, "My dad read me The Hobbit, and I can remember him doing all the voices, so it's been a big part of my life since I was a little boy. To be given the opportunity to play such a pivotal character was such an exciting prospect."
The Balrog's return is exciting for fans, and based on this latest sneak peek, it will play a pivotal role in Sauron's story (which, in Season 3, will largely revolve around his forging The One Ring). As for the design being used here, it's hard to fault.
Many fans of The Lord of the Rings have found fault with the show's handling of J. R. R. Tolkien's work. However, in this next batch of episodes, it seems The Rings of Power is getting closer to giving viewers what they hoped for from the start as it further explores the Second Age.
In Season 3, Middle-earth is at war. Five years have passed since the fall of Eregion. Sauron’s armies have marched across the whole of the world, conquering all in their path. Only a few isolated pockets stand between the Dark Lord and total victory – Khazad-dûm, where the Dwarves are now sealed deep within their mountain halls, and the elven realms of Lindon and Rivendell, which are protected by their Three Rings.
But deep in the land of Mordor, in his newly completed tower of Barad-dûr, the Dark Lord toils day and night, obsessed with harnessing a power that will bring the last of his enemies to their knees: One Ring to rule them all. Now, the free peoples of Middle-earth – Dwarves, Elves, Men, and Wizards alike – must find a way to come together, in a race against time to prevent Sauron from achieving his goal of utter domination of all life
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is produced by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay. They are joined by executive producers Lindsey Weber, Justin Doble, Kate Hazell, and executive producer-director Charlotte Brändström. Matthew Penry-Davey is producer, and Ally O’Leary, Tim Keene, and Andrew Lee are co-producers.
The series returns to Prime Video on November 11. You can watch the featurette in the player below.