As the streaming wars heat up, Amazon is betting big on The Lord of the Rings. The company is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a prequel series set long before the events of the movies. This series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, will be set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, an important time that literally reshaped the face of the planet.

If you're not familiar with the extensive backstory behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, don't worry. Here's everything you need to know about Middle-earth's Second Age and what it could mean for the plot of the prequel series. And check out the Rings of Power trailer right here:

The Second Age: The Basics

The fantasy universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien is much bigger than just the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings. The land of Middle-earth is part of a larger world called Arda. Over the course of several decades of work (much of which was only published posthumously), Tolkien created a detailed history of Arda, ranging from the creation of the universe all the way up to humanity's modern era. The recorded history of Arda is divided into four Ages, each of which span many hundreds or thousands of years.

The Second Age is a period only briefly glimpsed in the Lord of the Rings movies. This setting spans a long period of time in between the banishment of Morgoth (the original Dark Lord) and the first defeat of his servant Sauron. The Second Age is defined by key events like the rise and fall of the kingdom of Númenor, the creation of the Rings of Power and the formation of the Last Alliance that temporarily saved the world from Sauron's wrath. This is the setting of Amazon's Lord of the Rings prequel series.

The Second Age: Major Events

The Second Age begins in the aftermath of a catastrophic war over mystical jewels known as Silmarils and Morgoth's banishment from Arda. In this new era, both men and Elves begin leaving Middle-earth and venturing west. Many Elves retreat to a place called the Undying Lands (the place Frodo and Bilbo are taken to at the end of Return of the King), while a group of men called the Edain settle on an island called Númenor. While initially benevolent, the Númenóreans become more warlike due to their jealousy of the elves' immortality.

The Second Age is where Sauron begins consolidating his power and filling the void left by his master, Morgoth. Skilled at flattery and deceit, Sauron manipulates the Elves into creating the Rings of Power and giving him the weapons he needs to dominate Middle-earth. The rings are forged by an Elf Lord and master jewel-smith named Celebrimbor (a character who plays a major role in the 2014 video game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel). Only too late does Celebrimbor discover Sauron's true nature and the real purpose of these powerful artifacts.

The reign of the Númenóreans culminates with the rise of a king named Ar-Pharazôn. Sauron convinces Ar-Pharazôn to turn against the Valar (basically Tolkien's version of angels) and attempt an invasion of the Undying Lands, where the Númenóreans might find the immortality they so crave. This is one of the few instances where Ilúvatar (or the God of Tolkien's fantasy universe) directly intervenes in mortal affairs. Ilúvatar annihilates Númenor in an act so destructive it transforms Arda from a flat plane into a globe. This act also cuts off the Undying Lands from the rest of the world, forever denying men the chance at immortality.

Sauron himself is nearly destroyed in this attack, but his spirit survives and he soon begins building a new army in Mordor. Fortunately, not all men were destroyed along with Númenor. A group called the Faithful, led by King Elendil (the distant ancestor of Aragorn), return to Middle-earth and create the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor. Along with his sons, Isildur and Anárion, and the Elven kings Gil-Galad and Elrond, Elendil forms the Last Alliance and wages a long, costly war against Sauron.

Lord of the Rings fans probably know what happens from there. Sauron is defeated but not destroyed, Isildur claims the One Ring and the Second Age makes way for the Third.

The Rings of Power: Amazon's Prequel Series

Even knowing that Amazon's Lord of the Rings prequel series is set in the Second Age doesn't tell us a great deal about the plot. For one thing, the Second Age lasts for almost 3500 years. More importantly, this is an era of Middle-earth history that isn't very well-defined. Tolkien never actually published any books after completing the Lord of the Rings trilogy in 1955. Most of what we know about the Second Age is taken from posthumous works like The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales and the History of Middle-earth series, all of which were compiled by Tolkien's son Christopher using unpublished manuscripts and earlier drafts of the LotR trilogy.

Basically, there isn't one set story or a specific cast of characters Amazon can rely on when creating the prequel series. The sizable cast of the series includes Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), Elrond (Robert Aramayo), High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), the Harfoots Marigold Brandyfoot (Sara Zwangobani), Elanor ‘Nori’ Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh), Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) and Sadoc Burrows (Sir Lenny Henry), The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), the Dwarves King Durin III (Peter Mullan) and Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur), Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), Isildur (Maxim Baldry), Elendil (Lloyd Owen), Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), Kemen (Leon Wadham), and Eärien (Ema Horvath).

We may see certain key events like the fall of Númenor or the formation of the Last Alliance play out over the course of several seasons, but the series will also need to introduce new plot points and characters to fill in the blanks and turn the broad strokes of Tolkien's writing into a complete, cohesive story.

We also don't know if the prequel series will attempt to chronicle the entire scope of the Second Age or focus on one, specific conflict. Showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have hinted the series may be taking the first approach.

"This is a title that we imagine could live on the spine of a book next to J.R.R. Tolkien's other classics,” Payne and McKay said in a statement. “The Rings of Power unites all the major stories of Middle-earth's Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.”

One possibility is that the series will explore multiple, distinct time periods. Amazon has reportedly committed to five seasons and a potential spinoff, so it's possible each season will focus on a different pivotal event from the Second Age.

Early rumors suggested the prequel series would focus on a young Aragorn. While Aragorn wasn't born until several thousand years after the end of the Second Age, these rumors could still pan out. The series could use Aragorn's story as a framing device, with the king-to-be learning about the history of his people and the mistakes made by previous kings like Ar-Pharazôn and Elendil. This might be an ideal way of introducing viewers to the complex history of Middle-earth while giving them a familiar character to latch onto.

The Rings of Power debuts on Prime Video worldwide on Friday, September 2, and will drop new episodes weekly.

This story was updated on July 14, 2022, with the latest information about the show. It was originally published in August of 2019.

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Don't Make Me Go is available on Prime Video beginning Friday, July 15.

With a third act — okay, a back half of a third act — that utterly confounds, Don't Make Me Go, starring John Cho and Mia Isaac, is equally whimsical and heavy as a road trip dramedy. It provides indie drama insight and warmth in all the right places, with a naturalness that shines bright, despite going a little nuts during the final minutes.

Cho easily slides into a doting dad role as Isaac very much excels in her acting debut (just beating out her supporting role in Not Okay, which lands on Hulu in two weeks), together playing a strict father, Max, who learns that he has a terminal brain tumor (and a very small chance of living through an operation to remove it) and his good-hearted but challenging teen daughter, Wally. This is a breezy bonding movie peppered with a looming dark secret as Max, in lieu of telling Wally about his condition, decides to drive them both to his college reunion in New Orleans (with hopes of finding Wally's estranged mother).

Cho and Isaac have phenomenal chemistry, being able to play both soft moments and tough, combative ones with depth and believability. Max opts out of the operation so he can spend, hopefully, a solid year with Wally instead of possibly dying and leaving her life in a matter of weeks. His master plan is to fill her with life lessons while also reconnecting her with the woman who left them high and dry when Wally was an infant. It's a overly proud plan, and one that betrays Wally with inherent deception, but the film allows you to buy into it while also addressing its flaws.

Don't Make Me Go could have ticked up a little higher if the choice hadn't been made to pull the rug out from under us with the ending. Sure, it's bold in its bucking of convention but it also emotionally and thematically works against the story that precedes it. As much as we're told by the narration that we probably won't like how things wrap up, and then even discovering there are several moments signaling the endgame, this is the type of movie that didn't need a Shyamalan-esque swerve.

Returning to the strengths of the movie, director Hannah Marks displays a deft hand at tonal balance and gentle pathos. It's actually great fun to watch Cho and Isaac together and their bond — complete with complexities and conflict — will make you actively root for things to turn out well. In the grand scheme of cinema, this is a slight story —a two-hander with only personal stakes between the pair — but it still breathes with energy and light.

That being that, what will probably stick with you most afterwards are the final boggling moments which are almost akin to finding out everything you've been watching has been a dream. You're for sure meant to be invested in both characters and their futures but the film gambles way too big on the wrong one.

Stray is already promising plenty of feline hijinks and cuteness when it launches next week, but Travel Cat is ensuring that your own cat can get in on the fun with some real-life branded cat travel items – a Stray-themed backpack and a harness modeled after the one worn by the game's four-legged protagonist.

The bubble backpack, which can hold up to a 25lb cat, sports a colorful design and a Stray patch on one side. The bubble in the center allows your fluffy pal to get a good look at their surroundings while you're doing all the walking and they're doing what they do best – being lazy.

Meanwhile, the harness is a direct replica of the black and white one worn by the cat in Stray, though the listing states that it doesn't come with the game's robot companion B-12. Bummer. Even so, it also includes a 6ft nylon leash so that you can let your cat go sit in someone else's lap.

Both items are available for pre-order on the official Travel Cat website, and the first wave of shipments is estimated to go out by August 31, with a second wave expected on September 21.

Stray is shaping up to be quite a mysterious and engaging catventure through a cyberpunk world. In our hands-off preview, we feel "confident in the love and care the developers have for cats, and for translating that into a journey worthy of them."

Stray pounces onto PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC on July 19. It will be included at no extra charge for PlayStation Plus Extra and PlayStation Plus Premium members.

Billy Givens is a freelancer at IGN with over a decade of experience writing gaming, film, and tech content. His work can also be found on GameSpot, USA Today, Digital Trends, Tom's Guide, and more. You'll find him blabbering on about video games and more on Twitter at @mektige.

The Kenaissance is upon us. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight promoting his new film The Gray Man, Ryan Gosling spent some time dropping teasers for his role as Ken in the upcoming Barbie film.

Citing Gosling’s six pack abs in Barbie, ET's Lauren Zima asked which role he was more buff for. Gosling mused, “That Ken life is even harder than The Gray Man life, I think. He’s got no money, no job, no car, he’s got no house. He’s going through some stuff.”

In The Gray Man, Gosling is called a “Ken doll” by Chris Evans’ character as an insult but Gosling says that “is not an insult at all! I’m proud of that."

Major plot details have yet to be revealed about the film, but numerous set photos have leaked showcasing Gosling and Margot Robbie as Barbie in retro, throwback outfits inspired by Barbies from years past.

When asked about the set photos, Gosling said, “That’s nothing. I can’t wait for people to see the film. That's all I can say, otherwise Mattel will come in and box me up."

The film found its director in Lady Bird’s Greta Gerwig last summer. Earlier this year, Will Ferrell joined the film and will reportedly play the CEO of a toy company.

Since the film’s announcement, we’ve gotten one official look as Robbie as Barbie who took the role after Amy Schumer dropped out. Fans of Barbie might be disappointed to know that the iconic ‘Barbie Girl’ song by Danish pop group Aqua won’t be in the film. Despite that, if the official photos of Robbie as Barbie and Gosling as Ken are any indicator, the film is definitely embracing the campier side of things.

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

Sony has clarified that its new PlayStation Stars loyalty programme will not reward members with NFTs. Speaking to The Washington Post, vice president of network advertising, loyalty, and licensed merchandise Grace Chen made clear that the "digital collectibles" on offer were absolutely not related to the controversial non-fungible tokens.

"It's definitely not NFTs. Definitely not," Chen said. "You can't trade them or sell them. It is not leveraging any blockchain technologies and definitely not NFTs."

Sony announced PlayStation Stars earlier today as a reward points programme that will allow players to earn points with real cash value.

For completing campaigns like playing a PlayStation game, winning tournaments, or being the first person to unlock a Platinum Trophy, players will earn points they can spend in a rewards catalogue. This will include PSN wallet funds and other PlayStation Store products, but also these new digital collectibles.

The description Sony offered did make them sound a little like NFTs, as it called them "digital representations of things PlayStation fans enjoy, including figurines of beloved and iconic characters from games and other forms of entertainment, as well as cherished devices that tap into Sony’s history of innovation."

Given Chen's response to the idea, however, this is seemingly far from the truth. New collectibles will be added regularly, and Sony said that some will be particularly rare and something for players to continuously work towards.

NFTs, on the other hand, aim to allow for ownership of digital items and some developers and publishers have already explored letting gamers own certain unlocks, such as Ghost Recon Breakpoint's limited edition Quartz gear.

The exploration of NFTs in games has been a widely controversial topic in the gaming sphere so far, however, though interest appears to have quietened down a little in the last few months. Companies such as GSC Game World and Team17 went all in on them before quickly cancelling those plans, while others such as PlatinumGames and Steam taking a stance against NFT implementation in games.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.