The Lord of the Rings series on Amazon has officially announced its main cast. Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur and Nazanin Boniadi are among the series stars. Also joining the cast is Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers. Cameras roll next month. Table reads in New Zealand are already underway.
“After undertaking an extensive global search, we are delighted finally to reveal the first group of brilliant performers who will take part in Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings. These exceptionally talented women and men are more than just our actors: they are the newest members of an ever-expanding creative family that is now working tirelessly to bring Middle Earth to life anew for fans and audiences worldwide.”said series showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. “We still have few key roles to cast,” said Amazon Co-head of TV.
The Lord of the Rings series is written by Payne and Patrick McKay. In addition, Game of Thrones alum Bryan Cogman has signed on as a producer on the project. The show will also be produced by Lindsey Weber, Bruce Richmond, Gene Kelly, Sharon Tal Yguado, Gennifer Hutchison, Jason Cahill, Justin Doble, Stephany Folsom, Ron Ames, Helen Shang, and Bayona’s partner Belén Atienza.
Not much is known about the plot of the new Lord of the Rings series beyond that it will explore new storylines preceding The Fellowship of the Ring. The show’s official Twitter account sent out an image of map along with a message “Welcome to the Second Age.” In Tolkien mythology, the Second Age was the time when the Rings of Power, including Sauron’s One Ring, came into existence.
In November 2017 we learned that Lord of the Rings series was in the works at Amazon, with the streamer announcing a multi season production commitment shortly after. The series will be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros.