Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Final Cast List Has Been Set

After what feels like years of speculation and rumors, Amazon Studios has finally released the official main cast list for its upcoming The Lord of the Rings series.

Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, and Daniel Weyman will all star as series regulars. Production is set to begin next month.

the-lord-of-the-rings-the-two-towers-amazon-series-cast-Image via New Line Cinema

The series is led by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage, Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom), is directing the first two episodes and serving as an executive producer with his partner Belén Atienza.

“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 series,” said McKay and Payne in an official press release. “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.”

The series will be based on stories from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels, set many years before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring (so while a Sean Bean cameo is unlikely, a Hugo Weaving appearance remains a firm possibility). The first season will span 8 episodes, and although Amazon Studios hasn’t officially said, it’s fair to assume they’ll each be around an hour in length. According to previous reports, Mawle (Benjen Stark from HBO’s Game of Thrones) will be playing a villain named Oren, and Clark (Mina in Netflix’s Dracula series) will be playing a young Galadriel.

The cast list is pretty big news, considering the show was initially announced way back in 2017. We may actually start to see production stills and maybe even a trailer by the end of 2020, although it’s almost a certainty that we’ll have to wait until at least 2021 for the series itself.

BY TOM REIMANN