20 new actors join The Lord Of The Rings series

Amazon Studios has announced 20 additional cast members to the ensemble cast of The Lord of the Rings television series, which is based on the iconic novels by JRR Tolkein. The new members will join the previously announced global cast and crew, who are currently filming in New Zealand.

The new additions to the cast are Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Simon Merrells, Geoff Morrell, Peter Mullan, Lloyd Owen, Augustus Prew, Peter Tait, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, and Sara Zwangobani.

Blackburn, Chapman, Crum, Cunliffe, Tait, Tarrant, and Wadham are all actors who hail from New Zealand with the remaining ensemble cast originating from Australia, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Speaking about the project, executive producers JD Payne and Patrick McKay said, "The world that JRR Tolkien created is epic, diverse, and filled with heart." On the international ensemble cast, they added that "these extraordinarily talented performers, hailing from across the globe, represent the culmination of a multi-year search to find brilliant and unique artists to bring that world to life anew. The international cast of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings series is more than just an ensemble. It is a family. We are thrilled to welcome each of them to Middle-earth."

The previously announced cast members are 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.

Written by Payne and McKay, the series also has Game of Thrones alumnus Bryan Cogman as a consulting producer and with JA Boyona set to direct multiple episodes. 

Though there is little information about the plot of the series, it is known to be set in Middle-earth and will explore new storylines preceding Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Lord of the Rings is a world-renowned literary work, which won the International Fantasy Award and Prometheus Hall of Fame Award. The novels were named as Amazon customers’ favorite book of the millennium in 1999 and Britain’s best-loved novel of all time in BBC’s The Big Read in 2003. 

The upcoming series is produced by Amazon Studios, in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros Entertainment.