This was a week of special magnificence of LOTR news!

Lord of the Rings returns to cinemas

WB and Fathom Events kick of the #LOTR25 year of celebration by bringing the Extended Editions back to theaters starting today. Over the next couple weeks you have the opportunity to watch any of the Extended Editions on the big screen. Not limited to USA only, we have reports of many countries getting the cinema treatment too! Check your local theater listing or start at Fathom Events website.

AMC theaters will have a special Middle-earth Map popcorn tin, and Regal Cinemas have a ring themed 25th anniversay tin. Other cinema chains may have either, so check with your local theater.

Aragorn to be recast

With new LOTR films on the way from Philippa Boyens and team, it was inevitable that some conversations around recasting characters would occur. It seems that time has come as reports surfaced of auditions currently happening in London and Wellington to cast a younger Aragorn actor, said to be around Joe Keery’s age.

In Search of… Young Smeagol

Also being cast for the new “Hunt for Gollum” film directed by Andy Serkis is a young Smeagol and Deagol. Reports from Knight Edge Media are they are looking for children around 10 years old that can pass for Stoors, which Smeagol and Deagol were.

Mithril Cut, or the Extended EXTENDED Edition

EMPIRE magazine LOTR 25 tribute issue is out (Apple News+ Link) and biographer Ian Nathan got Peter Jackson to admit the long-rumored Mithril Cut of LOTR is dead and doesn’t exist. Although, just a paragraph later, PJ mentions a more definitive documentary that we first reported 10 years ago which WB needs to fund for completion. Word from insiders say that WB marketing are closely watching the fan reaction to the Mithril Cut news, so it may be a good idea to express yourself on social media!

Look for the EMPIRE LOTR 25 issue on Newsstands or places like Barnes & Noble.

Elijah Wood is coming to YOUR house for the Superbowl

Skittles candies have a contest running right now to send Elijah Wood to your house for the big game. Details here.

Another Tolkien Scholar sails west

This week we lost another cherished family member of the Legendarium. Author Walter S. Judd worked with his son on The Flora of Middle-earth, a defining text on the plant life of Tolkien’s world. Get a copy at Amazon or your local bookstore.

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Sources close to production say auditions are currently happening in London and Wellington, as revealed on the latest TORN Tuesday episode. 60 second clip below.

Andy Serkis is directing the next big The Lord of the Rings movie, currently titled ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ – a title which will be familiar to fans, from a well-known fan film made 15 years ago. Produced by Peter Jackson and written by the Oscar winning team of Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Rohirrim writers Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, The Hunt for Gollum is set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Since the announcement of the new movie, fan discussion has been split about whether to recast or de-age the original actors. Some fans were put off by the obvious “Golden Girls” soft filters applied to Legolas in The Hobbit movies; other fans consider the original actors from the 25 year old LOTR movies the definitive versions of these characters. BTS video in The Appendices shows the commitment actors put into these roles.

A Chance for Book Accuracy

From the wonderful wiki Tolkien Gateway page on the book character, “Aragorn is described as “lean, dark, and tall,” with “a shaggy head of dark hair flecked with grey, and in a pale stern face a pair of keen grey eyes.”^[45] Tolkien later wrote that he was at least 6’6″. In recent shows, Cliff & Justin have started championing a more eastern Mediterranean look for Aragorn that adheres closer to the book descriptions. JRR Tolkien doesn’t often describe the looks of characters, but Aragorn has specific traits that imply his Numenorian blood. Ralph Bakshi’s animated Aragorn is seen with Native American influences, and Magic The Gathering’s Aragorn was a brand new take. Maybe the movie casting should consider the rich diaspora of renditions of Aragorn, especially since this movie is set during his Strider / Ranger days. Oscar winner Riz Ahmed, Oscar nominee Dev Patel, or fan favorite Rahul Kohli would all make for an exceptional Aragorn, with all the emotional depth Tolkien’s character requires.

Too Old for a Numenorian?

Additional feedback from anonymous sources close to casting say that actors Sebastian Stan or Ben Barnes are “too old for the written character” – which is funny, given that Aragorn was original played by Stuart Townsend before he was replaced by the older Viggo Mortensen. Fans have long been fancasting actors like Ben Barnes or Sebastian Stan as young Aragorn.

Why has Viggo Mortensen passed on playing Aragorn again 25 years later? Earlier in 2024 while promoting his film The Dead Don’t Hurt he said, “I like playing that character. I learned a lot playing the character. I enjoyed it a lot. I would only do it if I was right for it in terms of, you know, the age I am now and so forth. I would only do it if I was right for the character. It would be silly to do it otherwise.” In an earlier interview from 2017, Viggo Mortensen expanded on his 2014 comments that he felt The Hobbit was too CGI for his tastes.

“It’s personal taste. I personally like the extended version of the first movie because it was less computer generated, had more scenes one-on-one and [there were] lesser liberties taken, let’s say – that happens to be my preference. It still had the spirit of Tolkien, they had that nailed down all the way – it’s just my preference in the way I read him and I feel like the first one was more representative.”

It’s almost certain The Hunt for Gollum will be using more CGI and the latest in digital filmmaking, incorporating Weta Digital’s expertise from making 3 Avatar movies on mocap stages and the latest AI frame generation that Peter Jackson won Emmys for with The Beatles: Get Back. Andy Serkis and Peter Jackson have both expressed their affinity for the latest in AI tools, so there is no doubt this new movie will lean into new technologies.

Big Name or Unknown Actor?

Rumors really started to heat up in December 2025 when respected leakers at Knight Edge Media confirmed recasting was taking place. This aligns with gossip TheOneRing.net has heard – including that there is a favorite actor but we have not heard who it is. Further casting now in January 2026 may imply that initial choice passed because of scheduling conflicts. He must be a busy actor!

Extra whispers are that Andy Serkis is looking for someone Joe Keery’s age (from Stranger Things, the hottest show of the last 10 years); these actor options really expand the field. Fans have been reacting to the news about recasting Aragorn for the last week with equal enthusiasm and trepidation. It still is 50/50 on expectations. While we’re here, could the Sprouse twins be considered for Elrond’s twin sons? Dylan Sprouse is a huge LOTR fan and been on TORN’s podcast in the past.

Instagram and X fans are tagging their wish lists.

Want to join the conversation? Head on into the biggest LOTR Discord to chat about all the fancasting and gossip!

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Prime Video have announced the final new cast members who will play recurring roles in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season Two.

The three actors are, as with previously announced new cast, acclaimed stalwarts of British television and theatre, with impressive credentials and long pedigrees of excellent work. It is exciting to see Rings of Power welcoming such talent to the fold, and bodes well for the quality of the show to come. (You can read about the rest of the new cast members announced for Season Two here and here.)

Here’s the official press release:

Ciarán Hinds, Rory Kinnear, and Tanya Moodie Join Cast of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for Season Two

Mar 20, 2023

All three acclaimed actors join the existing cast of the global hit series in recurring roles for the forthcoming second season, currently in production in the UK

CULVER CITY, California—March 20, 2023—The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which has been viewed by more than 100 million people worldwide and has been an unprecedented global success as the top Original series for Prime Video in every region in its first season, has announced that acclaimed actors Ciarán Hinds, Rory Kinnear, and Tanya Moodie have joined the series’ cast in recurring roles for the forthcoming second season, currently in production in the UK.

CIARÁN HINDS

Nominated for both an Oscar and a BAFTA Award as Best Supporting Actor for his performance as “Pop” in Kenneth Branagh’s film Belfast, acclaimed actor Ciarán Hinds has had an illustrious career on both stage and screen. He has starred in such films as Steven Spielberg’s Munich, Martin Scorsese’s Silence, There Will be Blood, Road to Perdition, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, In Bruges, The Phantom of the Opera, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, Persuasion, First Man, Amazing Grace, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and The Eclipse, a role for which he was awarded Best Actor at the Tribeca Film Festival. He is also known for his voice role as “Grand Pabbie” the Troll King in the animated films Frozen and Frozen II.

Television audiences know Hinds from his roles as “Mance Rayder” in Game of Thrones (HBO) and “Julius Caesar” in Rome (HBO) as well as starring roles in The English (BBC/Prime Video), Ivanhoe (A&E), Above Suspicion (ITV), Political Animals (USA), and Prime Suspect 3 (ITV). He most recently appeared in the comedy-drama series The Dry (BritBox).

Hinds’ wide-ranging theatre credits include Uncle Vanya, Translations, The Girl from the North Country, Hamlet, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Burnt by the Sun, Closer, The Seafarer, and many others. He toured internationally in Peter Brook’s company in The Mahabharata and has played leading roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Court, the Donmar Warehouse, and the National Theatre.

RORY KINNEAR

Rory Kinnear is an award-winning British actor, perhaps best known for his role as “Bill Tanner” in the James Bond films Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre. Kinnear recently starred in Alex Garland’s Men, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and saw him nominated for a BIFA award. Other recent film credits include Bank of Dave, Mike Leigh’s Peterloo, Broken (for which he won Best Supporting Actor at the BIFAs), and the Academy Award- and BAFTA Award-nominated The Imitation Game. Kinnear’s TV credits include Inside No. 9 (BBC), Penny Dreadful (Sky Atlantic), Southcliffe (Channel 4, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor), Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror (Channel 4), and the dramaLucan (ITV) in which he starred in the title role. He can currently be seen in Taika Waititi’s series Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max).

Kinnear is hugely respected for his theatre work, winning Best Actor at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2010 for his performances in Measure for Measure (Almeida Theatre) and Hamlet (National Theatre), and again in 2013 for his performance as “Iago” in Othello (National Theatre), for which he also received an Olivier Award for Best Actor. He previously won an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as “Sir Fopling Flutter” in The Man of Mode in 2008, and was nominated twice before for his performances in Hamlet and Burnt by the Sun. Most recently, Kinnear starred in Force Majeure at the Donmar Warehouse. Kinnear is also an award-winning playwright, penning his debut play The Herd in 2013.  He made his directorial debut with the English National Opera’s production of The Winter’s Tale in 2017.

TANYA MOODIE

Tanya Moodie is an acclaimed British actress who won the Royal Television Society’s Breakthrough Award for the role of “Meg” in the BAFTA Award-winning comedy Motherland (BBC). Her numerous television roles include starring as “Hunter” in the miniseries adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere (BBC), as well as roles in Tin Star (Sky Atlantic), A Discovery of Witches (Sky One), The Man Who Fell to Earth (Showtime), and Sherlock (BBC).

Some of Moodie’s recent film roles include J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker as “General Parnadee” and Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light as “Delia.”

In the theatre, Moodie is a two-time Olivier Award nominee for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre for her roles in Intimate Apparel and The House That Will Not Stand. She played “Gertrude” in Simon Godwin’s production of Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her performance as “Rose” opposite Lenny Henry in August Wilson’s Fences in the West End earned her a WhatsOnStage Awards nomination for Best Actress. She was nominated for a UK Theatre Award for Best Performance for her role in Trouble in Mind, and she has received additional Best Actress nominations from the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards and the UK Theatre Awards. Moodie studied at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she was later employed as an associate teacher and council member.

All eight first season episodes are now available to stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories in multiple languages. 

The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.  

The first season of The Rings of Power has been an unprecedented success, viewed by more than 100 million people worldwide, with more than 24 billion minutes streamed. The highly anticipated series attracted more than 25 million global viewers on its first day, marking the biggest premiere in the history of Prime Video, and also debuted as the No. 1 show on Nielsen’s overall streaming chart in its opening weekend. The show has also broken all previous Prime Video records for the most viewers, and has driven more Prime sign-ups worldwide during its launch window than any other previous content. Additionally, The Rings of Power is the top Original series in every region—North America, Europe, APAC, LATAM, and the rest of the world. The season finale also created a global cultural moment, with multiple series-themed hashtags, including #TheRingsofPower and others, trending in 27 countries across Twitter for over 426 cumulative hours throughout the weekend.

Season Two of the series is produced by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay. They are joined by executive producers Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, and Gennifer Hutchison, along with co-executive producer Charlotte Brandstrom, producers Kate Hazell and Helen Shang, and co-producers Andrew Lee, Matthew Penry-Davey, and Clare Buxton.  

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• Rory Kinnear
• Tanya Moodie

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A second round of new casting for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been announced by Prime Video. Eight new cast members – mostly stalwarts of British television and theatre and with impressive credentials – have been revealed. Previous appearances by these actors include shows such as Game of Thrones, Bodyguard, Versailles, The Sandman, Bridgerton, and The Crown.

Here’s the official press release:

Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Announces Additional New Cast Members for Season Two

Eight additional new actors join the existing cast of the global hit series in recurring roles for the forthcoming second season, currently in production in the UK.

CULVER CITY, California—December 7, 2022—The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which has been viewed by over 100 million people worldwide and has been an unprecedented global success as the top Original series for Prime Video in every region in its first season, has announced an additional eight new recurring cast members for the forthcoming second season, currently in production in the UK. 

The new cast members are Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Gavi Singh Chera, William Chubb, Kevin Eldon, Will Keen, Selina Lo, and Calam Lynch.

OLIVER ALVIN-WILSON

Oliver Alvin-Wilson’s television credits include The Bay (ITV), as “Guy Townsend,” Murder in Provence (ITV) as “Luc Martinez,” Collateral (BBC) as ”Chips Benson” and Lovesick (Netflix) as “Alex.” In film, Oliver has been seen in Harkness, Wonder Woman 1984, and The Huntsman. He has appeared on stage in All of Us (National Theatre), Henry VI Rebellion/War of the Roses (Royal Shakespeare Company), The Twilight Zone (Almeida Theatre/Ambassadors Theatre), The Doctor (Almeida Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Young Vic Theatre) and Nine Night (National Theatre/Trafalgar Studios) among many others.

STUART BOWMAN

Stuart Bowman can currently be seen in the television series The Pact (BBC), Karen Pirie (ITV), and The Control Room (BBC). He has previously played recurring roles in Alex Rider (Prime Video), Guilt (BBC), Bodyguard (Netflix), Versailles (Netflix), Grantchester (ITV), and Deadwater Fell (Channel 4) opposite David Tennant. Stuart’s work in film includes Man and Witch, The Cursed, Sunset Song, and Slow West. His recent theatre credits include Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre) as “Macduff.”

GAVI SINGH CHERA

Gavi Singh Chera was most recently seen in the television series The Undeclared War (Channel 4) and The Lazarus Project (Sky). Other television credits include Vera (ITV) and Doctors (BBC). On stage, Gavi has appeared in productions including The Cherry Orchard (The Yard Theatre), Our Generation, Behind the Beautiful Forevers (National Theatre), Duck, 1922: The Waste Land (Jermyn Street Theatre) and Pygmalion (Headlong).

WILLIAM CHUBB

William Chubb is a prolific actor whose television credits include Vampire Academy (Peacock), The Sandman (Netflix), Pistol (Hulu), Quiz, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (BBC), Law & Order: UK (ITV)and House of Cards (BBC). On stage, William has appeared in numerous productions including The Tempest (Theatre Royal Bath), The Taxidermist’s Daughter (Chichester Festival Theatre), Witness for the Prosecution (County Hall, London), Othello (Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre) and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Old Vic). His film credits include Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light, A Week in Paradise, and Adrift in Soho.

KEVIN ELDON

Kevin Eldon is a well-known performer in television, film and theatre. On television, Kevin has starred in Game of Thrones (HBO), Shadow And Bone (Netflix), Inside Number 9 (BBC) and has had recurring roles in Trigger Point (Peacock) and Dad’s Army. He also appeared in The Crown (Netflix), Criminal: UK (Netflix) and Doctor Who (BBC). In film, he has been seen in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, Hot Fuzz, Four Lions and Set Fire to the Stars opposite Elijah Wood.

WILL KEEN

Will Keen will soon start production on Prime Video’s My Lady Jane. He most recently wrapped the indie feature Borderland opposite Felicity Jones and Mark Strong, as well as the TV series The Gold (BBC1/Viacom). He was most recently seen in Ridley Road (BBC) and The Pursuit of Love (BBC) opposite Andrew Scott and Emily Beecham. His other TV credits include His Dark Materials (HBO), The Crown (Netflix), Genius: Picasso (National Geographic), Wolf Hall (BBC) and The Musketeers (BBC). Stage credits include Patriots (Almeida Theatre), Ghosts (Almeida Theatre), Waste (Almeida Theatre), Quartermaine’s Terms (Wyndham’s Theatre), The Arsonists (Royal Court) and The Coast of Utopia (National Theatre).

SELINA LO

Selina Lo is a British-Asian actress and former martial arts champion, whose film credits include starring in Boss Level (Hulu) as “Guan Yin” and Hellraiser (Hulu) as “The Gasp.”  Her work in television includes a recurring role in One Child (BBC) as “Xu Lian.”

CALAM LYNCH

Calam Lynch was most recently seen in Bridgerton (Netflix) as “Theo Sharpe.” Other television credits include Derry Girls (Channel 4) as “John Paul O’Reilly” and Mrs. Wilson (BBC) as “Gordon Wilson.” In film, Calam starred in Black Beauty (Disney+), Benedictionopposite Jack Lowden, and Dunkirk. He has appeared in theatre in productions including Much Ado About Nothing (The Rose Theatre) and Wife (The Kiln Theatre).

All eight first season episodes are now available to stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories in multiple languages. 

The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.  

The first season of The Rings of Power has been an unprecedented success, viewed by more than 100 million people worldwide, with more than 24 billion minutes streamed. The highly anticipated series attracted more than 25 million global viewers on its first day, marking the biggest premiere in the history of Prime Video, and also debuted as the No. 1 show on Nielsen’s overall streaming chart in its opening weekend. The show has also broken all previous Prime Video records for the most viewers, and has driven more Prime sign-ups worldwide during its launch window than any other previous content. Additionally, The Rings of Power is the top Original series in every region—North America, Europe, APAC, LATAM, and the rest of the world. The season finale also created a global cultural moment, with multiple series-themed hashtags, including #TheRingsofPower and others, trending in 27 countries across Twitter for over 426 cumulative hours throughout the weekend.

Season Two of the series is produced by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay. They are joined by executive producers Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, and Gennifer Hutchison, along with co-executive producer Charlotte Brandstrom, producers Kate Hazell and Helen Shang, and co-producers Andrew Lee, Matthew Penry-Davey, and Clare Buxton.  

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Filming for Season Two of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is already underway, and today new casting was revealed.

Of particular note is the recasting of the role of ‘Adar’ – Joseph Mawle will not be back for the second season. (One has to assume this is because he is not available; he was so great in the role that I can’t imagine the showrunners wanted to replace him.) Given some of the speculation about whether this is a ‘winning team,’ it’s also worth noting that JD Payne and Patrick McKay are still at the helm.

Here’s the full press release:

Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Announces New Cast Members for Season Two

Seven new actors join the existing cast of the global hit series in recurring roles for the forthcoming second season, currently in production in the UK

CULVER CITY, California—December 1, 2022—The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has announced seven new recurring cast members for the forthcoming second season, currently in production in the UK.

“Since its premiere, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been bringing audiences together to experience the magic and wonder of J.R.R. Tolkien’s magnificent Middle-earth. To date, season one is the top Original series for Prime Video in every region and has been viewed by over 100 million people worldwide, a truly global hit that speaks to the universal nature of powerful storytelling. We welcome these wonderful actors to our ‘fellowship’ and look forward to telling more incredible Second Age stories in season two,” said Vernon Sanders, Head of Global Television, Amazon Studios.

The new cast members are: Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour, Ben Daniels, Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle, and Nicholas Woodeson. The role of Orc leader “Adar” has been recast for Season Two, and will be played by Sam Hazeldine.

Biographies and headshots for the newly announced cast are featured below.

GABRIEL AKUWUDIKE

Gabriel Akuwudike is a British-Nigerian actor who has appeared in the acclaimed series Hanna (Prime Video). Other TV credits include Ridley Road (BBC) and War of the Worlds (FX/Disney+). He has appeared in films including Sam Mendes’ 1917, and HBO’s Brexit directed by Toby Haynes.

YASEN ‘ZATES’ ATOUR

Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour is most known for his role as “Coen” in Season Two of The Witcher (Netflix). He was also a series regular in Young Wallander (Netflix), playing the role of “Reza Al-Rahman.” He directed the film Good Intentions and was an executive producer and star of the film When the Screaming Starts.

BEN DANIELS

Ben Daniels has had recurring roles in television including Jupiter’s Legacy (Netflix) as “Walter Sampson,” The Crown (Netflix) as “Lord Snowdon,” The Exorcist (Hulu) as “Father Marcus Keane,” House of Cards (Netflix) as “Adam Galloway,” and Law & Order: UK (ITV) as “James Steel.” Film credits include roles in Benediction, Captive State, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and The Exception. Ben is an award-winning stage actor who has appeared in numerous productions including The Normal Heart (National Theatre – Olivier Award Nomination – Best Actor, Critics’ Circle Theatre Award – Best Actor), All My Sons (National Theatre – Olivier Award – Best Supporting Actor), and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Broadway – Tony and Drama Desk Nominations – Best Actor). Ben trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

SAM HAZELDINE

Sam Hazeldine’s credits include Peaky Blinders (BBC), Slow Horses (Apple TV+), The Huntsman: Winter’s War, Mechanic: Resurrection, and Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel.  He currently appears in The Sandman (Netflix) and The Playlist (Netflix), and will next be seen in the upcoming Band of Brothers sequel Masters of The Air (AppleTV+) opposite Austin Butler and Callum Turner, and starring alongside Jonah Hauer-King and Dar Zuzovsky in the Casanova drama feature, A Beautiful Imperfection.

AMELIA KENWORTHY

Amelia Kenworthy is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.  While at RADA, she performed in numerous stage productions including Spring Awakening as “Anna,” A Midsummer Night’s Dream as “Puck,” Two Gentlemen of Verona as “Julia,” Pomona as “Ollie” and Against as “Shiela.”  She has also appeared in short films IRL and Messenger.  She will make her television debut in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

NIA TOWLE

Nia Towle was most recently seen in the Netflix film Persuasion. On stage, Nia debuted Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane at both the National Theatre and Duke of York Theatre. During her studies at Guildhall School of Drama, from which she graduated in 2021, Nia played leading roles in plays including Yerma, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Medea.

NICHOLAS WOODESON

Nicholas Woodeson is a veteran English performer of television, film, and theatre. In television, his credits include Silent Witness (BBC), Baptiste (BBC), The Honourable Woman (BBC), Poirot (ITV), and Rome (HBO / BBC). He can also be seen in films including The Hustle, Paddington 2, The Danish Girl, Skyfall, and Conspiracy. His most recent theatre performances include The Two Popes, “The Duke of Norfolk”in The Mirror and The Light, “The Mayor” in The Visit, “Pope Francis” in The Pope, “Mr. Kidd” in The Room, and “Willy” in Death of a Salesman. Nicholas is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

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All eight first season episodes are now available to stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories in multiple languages.

The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone. 

The first season of The Rings of Power has been an unprecedented success, viewed by more than 100 million people worldwide, with more than 24 billion minutes streamed. The highly anticipated series attracted more than 25 million global viewers on its first day, marking the biggest premiere in the history of Prime Video, and also debuted as the No. 1 show on Nielsen’s overall streaming chart in its opening weekend. The show has also broken all previous Prime Video records for the most viewers, and has driven more Prime sign-ups worldwide during its launch window than any other previous content. Additionally, The Rings of Power is the top Original series in every region—North America, Europe, APAC, LATAM, and the rest of the world.  The season finale also created a global cultural moment, with multiple series-themed hashtags, including #TheRingsofPower and others, trending in 27 countries across Twitter for over 426 cumulative hours throughout the weekend.

Season Two of the series is produced by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay. They are joined by executive producers Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, and Gennifer Hutchison, along with co-executive producer Charlotte Brandstrom, producers Kate Hazell and Helen Shang, and co-producers Andrew Lee, Matthew Penry-Davey, and Clare Buxton. 

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Benjamin Walker is an accomplished actor who has truly done it all. His resume includes acting and singing on the big screen, television, and on-stage. He has performed his stand-up comedy show Find the Funny all over the U.S., and he’s even played two U.S. presidents.

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