The latest news on Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings adaptation reveals that Morfydd Clark of His Dark Materials has been cast as a lead in the show. Clark will be playing a young Galadriel, a role previously portrayed by Cate Blanchett in the Peter Jackson films.
This is the first casting announcement to confirm that any of the original characters from Lord of the Rings would be making an appearance on the Amazon show. Clark will be joining the cast of Markella Kavenagh (The Cry), Joseph Mawle (Game of Thrones), Will Poulter (Maze Runner), and Maxim Baldry (Skins). Clark is no stranger to TV adaptations of popular novels, as she is also currently starring in HBO’s adaptation of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials alongside Dafnee Keen and Ruth Wilson.
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series will be focused on telling new stories within the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels, taking place in the time period just before the events of the first Peter Jackson film. Though it appears Galadriel will be making an appearance in this series, it is unclear whether any other characters from the Peter Jackson films will be appearing in the show. The show’s official Twitter account has tweeted out few clues as to the content of the series, including a link to an interactive map of Middle Earth captioned “Welcome to the Second Age.” The Second Age in the world of Lord of the Rings refers to the historical age when the titular Rings were forged.
Lord of the Rings on Prime has already been renewed for second season. The series is set to premiere some time in 2021, though no further details have been announced. The series is currently in production in Auckland, New Zealand, the same country where the original films were produced.