Sauron hides in plain sight in the first “Rings of Power” season 2 trailer

Hot Sauron returns in Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" show, with the second season set to premiere Aug. 29.

Welcome back to Middle-earth.

Amazon Prime Video has shared the first trailer for season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, teasing the rise of everyone’s favorite slippery, ring-forging villain. The streamer also confirmed that season 2 will debut on Prime Video on Thursday, Aug. 29, premiering globally.

The new trailer is fans’ first glimpse at the second season, and it teases the fallout from the first season finale, where — spoiler alert! — shipwrecked human warrior Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) was revealed to be Sauron in disguise.

Related: How The Rings of Power crafted that stunning battle sequence

Now, Sauron seems to be showing off his shape-shifting abilities, popping up as both Halbrand and what looks to be a long-haired, elven version of Sauron (both played by Vickers). This seems to be closely following J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writing, where Sauron disguised himself as an elf named Annatar and manipulated the elves of Eregion into forging those titular rings of power. The trailer hints that Sauron’s influence is already spreading throughout Middle-earth, with dark vines and roots slithering across the landscape.

The full trailer also teases the return of some familiar Rings of Power faces — including Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir, Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor, Owain Arthur as Prince Durin, Sophia Nomvete as Disa, Lloyd Owen as Elendil, and Maxim Baldry as Isildur. There’s also a brief glimpse of new cast member Sam Hazeldine, who’ll be taking over the role of the twisted elf-turned-orc-leader Adar, after original actor Joseph Mawle left the show in 2022.

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Related: How The Rings of Power crafted that stunning battle sequence

In 2022, Entertainment Weekly spoke to Vickers about that finale reveal, when Clark’s Galadriel finally realizes that her traveling companion is actually her greatest foe in disguise. Vickers explained that showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay kept much of the cast in the dark, with many of them only learning the truth of Halbrand’s identity once the finale aired.

“There was quite a lot of suspicion because we all knew that Sauron was someone, but no one really knew where he was,” Vickers said at the time. “We were all pointing fingers at each other. I don't remember any specific reactions, but I think it was nice for people to get a definitive answer and for everyone to know what was happening. It's exactly what Sauron would've wanted: no one trusting each other.”

Related: Electrical fire breaks out on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 set

Watch the trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 above.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.