Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 05/14/24

Amazon Prime Video held its inaugural upfront presentation in New York City this morning. The traditional hype week for the broadcast networks has seen some of its thunder stolen by the streamer which is leaning into the sort of faith-friendly and patriotic programming that used to be the bread and butter of the linear networks.

A big highlight of today’s Amazon event was the unveiling of the above trailer for Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the hit series based on the Middle-earth mythology created by the great Christian writer J.R.R. Tolkien in his classic books which decades later were adapted into a series of classic films.

The trailer takes viewers on an action-packed journey back to Tolkien’s Second Age, showing the ascending evil presence of Sauron as he continues his vengeful quest for complete power and revealing the much-anticipated creation of more Rings.

Viewed by more than 100 million people worldwide, the Rings of Power series’ first season was a huge global success and that drove up Prime subscription sign-ups worldwide.

Building on Season One’s epic scope, the new season pits its heroes against a rising tide of darkness that has their world teetering on the brink of calamity. Sounds, disturbingly, a little like the news.

My hope for the series is that it will continue to build on and respect the themes of the original Tolkien stories. Too often, whether it be what Paramount+ has done to Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe or what Disney has done to Marvel, Star Wars and its own founder’s IP, we’ve seen creative marauders come along who undermine and often invert what their creators intended and what the original properties represented to audiences.

Season Two will debut globally on Thursday, August 29, 2024, in more than 240 countries and territories in multiple languages.

Meanwhile, Amazon Prime – which is currently streaming The Baxters, based on Karen Kingsbury‘s faith-themed novel series – also has House of David in development. The straight-to-series order hails from The Wonder Project, a faith-themed indie studio backed by Jon Erwin (Jesus Revolution) and Dallas Jenkins (The Chosen). The show will follow the Old Testament saga of David as he ascends to the throne of the once-mighty King Saul.

On the patriotic front, Amazon Prime Video will present the documentary film The Blue Angels which chronicles a year in the life of the U.S. Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron. The elite team of aviators is known the world over for their precision flying which, as the film demonstrates, is built on extraordinary teamwork, passion, and pride in America.

I just previewed the film and, IMHO, The Blue Angels is literally blue sky entertainment, the kind of feel-good celebration of unabashed commitment to excellence and positive pride in one’s country that America needs right now. It soars!

The Blue Angels debuts in theaters on IMAX screens for one week only (May 17th – 23rd) before it begins streaming globally on Prime Video on May 23rd. Check out the trailer below.

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.