The Rings of Power season 2’s director line-up is pure magic

Amazon Studios has announced its director line-up for The Rings of Power season 2 – and it’s a group that’s stacked with fantasy show experience.

In a press release, Amazon revealed The Rings of Power season 2 would be helmed by an all-female directorial team. Charlotte Brändström, who directed two of the first season’s best episodes – Udûn and The Eye – will tackle four episodes and earn an executive producing credit for her work. Sanaa Hamri and Louise Hooper will each helm two of the remaining four entries.

The trio’s hiring will likely make headlines as there isn’t a male director in sight. However, it’s the group’s expertise in the fantasy genre that makes their involvement in one of the best Prime Video shows’ next season such an exciting prospect.

Brändström’s rehiring speaks to the brilliant work she carried out on The Rings of Power season 1, but this isn’t the first time she’s dabbled in the fantasy space. The award-winning director also helmed entries in The Witcher on Netflix, with Brändström tackling the fifth and sixth episodes in the show’s first season. Other fantasy-based series Brändström has worked on include Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Jupiter’s Legacy and The CW’s Arrow superhero series.

Hooper is another director whose previous fantasy genre experience stands her in good stead for Prime Video’s Lord of the Rings TV series. Like Brändström, Hooper’s involvement in Netflix’s Witcher-Verse – she helmed The Witcher season 2’s sixth and seventh episodes – is well documented. However, her best work is seen in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of The Sandman, with Hooper directing the first season’s 10th episode and The Sandman’s secret bonus episode.

As for Hamri, the Moroccan-American filmmaker is a relative newcomer to the fantasy genre when compared to her fellow directors. However, her work on The Wheel of Time season 2 – another upcoming Prime Video show – coupled with her experiences on drama and horror-based projects will stand Hamri in good stead for The Rings of Power’s multi-genre storytelling approach.

Hooper and Hamri replace season 1 directors Wayne Che Yip and JA Bayona in the hotseat, with neither of the other season 1 filmmakers returning for the show’s next installment. No reason has been given about why they haven’t returned, but it’s likely that Yip and Bayona’s schedules didn’t align with production on season 2.

The Rings of Power’s second season entered full production in the UK in late October. With filming underway on the hugely popular Prime Video series’ next installment, Amazon hasn’t been shy about announcing newcomers to its Lord of the Rings project, either.

On December 2, Amazon revealed seven new cast members for The Rings of Power season 2. That group includes Sam Hazeldine, who will take over the role of Adar from Joseph Mawle for the show’s next entry. Five days later, Amazon confirmed eight more actors will be part of the season 2 cast, such as His Dark Materials season 3 star Will Keen and Bridgerton’s Calum Lynch.

While you wait for The Rings of Power season 2 to arrive, find out how to watch The Rings of Power season 1 docuseries on Prime Video. Alternatively, read our Rings of Power season 1 ending explained article to get the lowdown on what the season finale sets up ahead of its sequel season.