Amazon Studios has been throwing some serious cash at their upcoming TV adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" series, and today, they finally announced the official main cast of the series at the Television Critics Association winter press-tour.
The series regulars of The Lord of the Rings series includes 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. Although these actors will make up the main cast, Amazon's co-head of TV Vernon Sanders said that there are still "a few key roles to cast." The series will be led by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, who will serve as showrunners and executive producers, as well as JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM director J.A. Bayona, who will direct the first two episodes as well as serve as executive producer. In a statement, Payne and Mckay said:
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. 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.
Table reads are already said to be underway in New Zealand, with production set to kick off next month. Amazon has already renewed the series for a second season, but it has also been announced that production on the series will go on a 4-5 month hiatus following the filming of the first two episodes in order to map out and write the scripts for the next season. Little is known about Amazon's Lord of the Rings series, except that it will take place during the Second Age of Middle-Earth, a time before the events of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" in which the Rings of Power, including Sauron's One Ring, first came into existence. The series will explore new storylines based on the original writings of J.R.R. Tolkien's original writings.
