Season two of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has started production, bringing fans news of cast announcements. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon just announced that Oscar-nominated actor Ciarán Hinds (Belfast, Game of Thrones) is joining the show’s cast alongside Rory Kinnear (Our Flag Means Death, No Time to Die) and Tanya Moodie (Motherland, A Discovery of Witches). These actors are just the latest to join the cast, with several other actors already announced to be part of the second season of Rings of Power.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the other actors joining the cast of the show for its second season include Selina Lo (Hellraiser, Boss Level), Nicholas Woodeson (The Hustle, Firebird), Oliver Alvin-Wilson (Murder in Provence, The Bay), Gabriel Akuwudike (1917, Hanna), Kevin Eldon (Shadow and Bone, Sanditon), Nia Towle (Persuasion), Gavi Singh Chera (Mother Teresa & Me, The Undeclared War), Ben Daniels (The Exorcist, Jupiter’s Legacy), Will Keen (His Dark Materials, The Man from Rome), newcomer Amelia Kenworthy, Stuart Bowman (Versailles, Gary: Tank Commander), Yasen Zates Atour (Young Wallander, The Witcher), William Chubb (Vampire Academy, Empire of Light), and Calam Lynch (Bridgerton, Benediction).
Amazon Prime Video is keeping details of the second season of the popular show under wraps with very little information being shared with the general public. It is for this reason that no character details have been revealed regarding the roles all the actors above will play.
According to Deadline, showrunner John D. Payne (Flash Gordon) revealed in Deadline’s Inside the Ring aftershow that the elf Círdan will be introduced in the second season. For those unfamiliar with the Lord of the Rings lore, Círdan is one of the carriers of the rings of power forged by Celebrimbor until he gives the ring and its responsibilities to Gandalf. Amazon Prime hasn’t revealed who will be playing the ring bearer but it will likely be one of the actors already announced to be participating in season two. There are rumors via Deadline that some of the actors could be playing other ring-bearers like the Dwarf-kings and the nine mortal kings who will later be known as the Nazgûl.
It was also announced previously that Game of Thrones alum Joseph Mawle (1923, MotherFatherSon) wouldn’t be returning to play Adar in season two and that the role had been recast with Sam Hazeldine (Rain Dogs, Peaky Blinders) taking on the villainous role.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power show centers around the story of the creation of the rings of power, how they came to be, and how they relate to the overall story of Lord of the Rings. The show, which includes multiple perspectives and different narrating characters, focuses mainly on the story of a younger Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark (Dracula, His Dark Materials), who is convinced that the elves have not defeated Sauron and that they should keep trying to defeat him once and for all. Galadriel will recruit the help of the Númenórean Queen Míriel, played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Power, Shooter), and blacksmith Halbrand, played by Charlie Vickers (Medici, Palm Beach), to go help the south defeat the evil trying to take over their land. Throughout the show the audience also meets Arondir, played by Ismael Cruz Córdova (The Undoing, Berlin Station), an elf that has been stuck patrolling the small towns of the south for signs of Sauron; Nori, played by Markella Kavenagh (The Gloaming, My First Summer), a Hardfoot who finds a man in the crash site of a meteorite and learns that this stranger, played by Daniel Weyman (Silent Witness, Gentleman Jack) can use magic; and a younger Elrond, played by Robert Aramayo (The King’s Man, Behind Her Eyes), who is helping Lord Celebrimbor, played by Charles Edwards (The Crown, Under the Vines), to build a new elvish city with the help of his dwarf friend Prince Durin, played by Owain Arthur (Casualty, A Confession).
Season two of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is expected to premiere sometime in 2024. The first season of the show is available to stream on Amazon Prime. The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy are available on HBO Max and Netflix.