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Lord of the Rings TV series Amazon 20 new cast members

Lord of the Rings TV Series Gains 20 New Cast Members

Ready to read a lot of names, most of which you won’t recognize? Amazon has announced 20 new cast members joining its epicĀ Lord of the Rings television series. The heavy hitters in this casting dump are Cynthia Addai-RobinsonĀ (Power,Ā Spartacus),Ā Benjamin WalkerĀ (Heart of the Sea), and Peter Mullan (Westworld). There’s no word on who they will be playing in the show, which is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth as a distant prequel to The Fellowship of the Ring and technically not connected to the films.

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The rest of the announced cast, which are sure to be rounding out elves and dwarves and other secondary humans are a list of “I know that guy/gal” actors: Maxim BaldryĀ (Years and Years),Ā Ian BlackburnĀ (Unbreakable Beau),Ā Kip ChapmanĀ (Top of the Lake),Ā Anthony CrumĀ (The Wilds),Ā Maxine CunliffeĀ (Power Rangers Megaforce),Ā Trystan GravelleĀ (The Terror),Ā Sir Lenny HenryĀ (famed British comedian;Ā Broadchurch),Ā Thusitha JayasunderaĀ (Donmar),Ā Fabian McCallumĀ (You, Me & The Apocalypse),Ā Simon MerrellsĀ (Knightfall),Ā Geoff MorrellĀ (Grassroots),Ā Lloyd OwenĀ (Apollo 18),Ā Augustus PrewĀ (Into the Dark),Ā Peter TaitĀ (The Return of the King),Ā Alex TarrantĀ (Filthy Rich), Leon WadhamĀ (Go Girls), and Sara Zwangobani (Doctor Doctor). The only thing to note here really is that Peter Tait played a Black Uruk named Shagrat inĀ The Return of the King, but he probably isn’t reprising that role.

ā€œThe world that J.R.R. Tolkien created is epic, diverse, and filled with heart,ā€ said J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, series executive producers/showrunners. ā€œThese extraordinarily talented performers, hailing from across the globe, represent the culmination of a multi-year search to find brilliant and unique artists to bring that world to life anew. The international cast of Amazonā€™sĀ The Lord of the RingsĀ series is more than just an ensemble. It is a family. We are thrilled to welcome each of them to Middle-earth.ā€

It’s not completely clear when we’ll see these actors, either. The show has already been renewed for a second season, so many of them could be playing characters that don’t show up until then. Shooting for the series was supposed to begin a while ago with the previously announced cast members, but COVID-19 stopped that. The production crew was planning to film the first two episodes before taking a break for the seasons to change and writing the second season during that break. That didn’t happen, of course, but Amazon is definitely committed to creating the series, which it hopes will be its Game of Thronesbut with a good ending. The series has begun filming.


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Matthew Razak
Matthew Razak is a News Writer and film aficionado at Escapist. He has been writing for Escapist for nearly five years and has nearly 20 years of experience reviewing and talking about movies, TV shows, and video games for both print and online outlets. He has a degree in Film from Vassar College and a degree in gaming from growing up in the '80s and '90s. He runs the website Flixist.com and has written for The Washington Post, Destructoid, MTV, and more. He will gladly talk your ear off about horror, Marvel, Stallone, James Bond movies, Doctor Who, Zelda, and Star Trek.