Amazon’s prequel series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’sThe Lord of the Ringshas been a frequent source of buzz in the entertainment sphere. Amazon is pouring a record amount of money into the series, with the budget reaching a whopping $465 million. Not only that, but the series has garnered an impressive ensemble of underseen talent for the cast list, including Maxim Baldry (Skins), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Power), Kip Chapman (Top of the Lake), and Peter Mullen (War Horse). Now, Amazon has added four more actors to the cast, capping the total of main ensemble players at thirty-nine performers.
Amazon’sLord of the Ringsshow represents their biggest original series to date. Amazon has been known as a destination for shows of great quality includingBosch,Fleabag,The Marvelous Ms. Maisel,Invincible, andThe Boys(which is currently preparing for its third season). Meanwhile,The Lord of the Ringshas done an excellent job staying relevant in pop culture since the release of the original film trilogy and theHobbittrilogy. Not only that but atypical avenues are being explored to revitalize and maintain interest in theLord of the Ringsfranchise, as is evident by theMiddle-Earthvideo game series and the upcominganimeLord of the RingsfilmsubtitledThe War of the Rohirrim, which is directed byBlood: The Last Vampirescreenwriter Kenji Kamiyama.
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The four cast members added to Amazon’sLord of the Ringsseries are Charles Edwards, Will Fletcher, Amelie Child-Villiers, and Beau Cassidy. Edwards is a character actor known for portraying Martin Charteris inNetflix’sThe Crownand for appearing as Mr. Jenkins in Robert Zemeckis’sThe Witches. Fletcher is relatively new to acting and has a small role in the upcoming filmThe Road Dance, which takes place before World War I. Child-Villiers is a child actress who recently appeared in the horror filmCensor, and for child actress Cassidy, the series represents her first acting role since 2016.
TheLord of the Ringstelevision show also has a lot of exciting figures working behind the scenes. Patrick McKay and JD Vance, uncredited writers ofStar Trek: Beyond, are the showrunners, withJurassic World: Fallen Kingdomdirector J.A. Bayona directing the first two episodes.The Witcherepisode directorCharlotte Brändström andDoctor Whoepisode director Wayne Yip will also be directing an unannounced number of episodes. Amazon is positioning theirLord of the Ringsseries to last for at least five seasons, with the potential of an added spin-off.
The BoysandInvinciblewere both important stepping stones toward gaining general audience attention with genre-specific adaptations, but theirLord of the Ringsshow will be their biggest step yet, as it is easily the most popular property they’ve been able to adapt. As a beloved franchise with successes in multiple forms of media,The Lord of the Ringshas achieved a status of audience familiarity rivaled only byStar Wars, James Bond films, Harry Potter films, and films adapting Marvel and DC comics. It’s safe to say that the series will continue to gain attention before, during, and after its release on Amazon Prime streaming.
The Lord of the Ringsseries is currently in production.
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