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Amazon's 'The Rings of Power' recasts one of its main villains, adds 7 new stars for Season 2
Production is now underway in the United Kingdom.
Amazon's adventures in Middle-earth have only just begun. The company's Lord of the Rings TV show — The Rings of Power — just added seven new recurring players for its second season, which is currently in production in the United Kingdom. Chief among them is Sam Hazeldine (The Sandman), who will replace Joseph Mawle as Orc leader Adar. Gabriel Akuwudike (War of the Worlds), Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour (The Witcher), Ben Daniels (The Exorcist), Amelia Kenworthy (a stage veteran making her television debut here), Nia Towle (Persuasion), and Nicholas Woodeson (Rome) round out the crop of newcomers to the ever-expanding fantasy universe.
"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," Vernon Sanders, Head of Global Television, Amazon Studios, said in a statement Thursday. "To date, Season 1 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 2."
Check them out in the collage below:
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in October, co-showrunner and executive producer Patrick McKay admitted that Season 2 probably won't be finished for "another couple years." He and fellow showrunner/EP J.D. Payne have a five-season plan already laid out — right up to the last shot of the series finale — and a green-light from Amazon to see it through to the end. One of the most expensive TV projects in the history of the medium, The Rings of Power will end up costing the studio over $1 billion in production costs. In terms of story, the show takes place during the Second Age, a time of relative peace several thousand years before The Fellowship of the Ring.
Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, and Gennifer Hutchison serve as executive producers on the upcoming sophomore season alongside the two showrunners. Charlotte Brandstrom is a co-executive producer, while Kate Hazell and Helen Shang occupy the role of producers. Andrew Lee, Matthew Penry-Davey, and Clare Buxton are co-producers.
The complete first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is now streaming on Prime Video.
Craving more fantasy in the meantime? All eight Harry Potter films are available on Peacock.
