From a cast list with no character names attached to a series of teaser posters that showed mostly hands, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been pretty secretive thus far about details. This despite the fact that we know exactly what parts of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work were optioned for the five-season series. And that they’re available to read. The show adapts the 150-page Appendices completed before Return of the King, and any reference to them in The Lord of the Rings trilogy itself. These follow the Second Age and the forging of the rings. And per a new feature in Vanity Fair, the series will take the liberty of condensing most major story events to a single point in time, so as to avoid constantly aging and recasting key characters. The Tolkien estate approved the change.
Here’s what we now know also about who’s playing whom: Morfydd Clark will portray the younger Galadriel. Charlie Vickers plays a new human character named Halbrand, who’s running from his past. Owain Arthur is the dwarf Prince Durin IV, of Khazad-dum. His princess, Disa, will be Sophia Nomvete’s role. Ismael Cruz Córdova plays a new elf character named Arondir; his human lover Bronwyn, a single mother and healer, is played by Nazanin Boniadi. Robert Aramayo is young Elrond. Megan Richards and Markella Kavenagh are harfoots, two hobbit-like characters who aren’t from the Shire; Lenny Henry is a harfoot elder. Charles Edwards will embody the elven smith Celebrimbor, with Maxim Baldry as Aragorn’s ancestor Isildur.
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The story will follow 22 primary Rings of Power characters across multiple storylines, all leading to the creation of the rings and their after-effects. Per the feature, “The wicked god Morgoth has been defeated, and his apprentice, Sauron, has vanished. As the series begins, Galadriel is hunting down the last remnants of their collaborators, who claimed the life of her brother.” While the obvious format model might sound like Game of Thrones, expect the content to stay more PG-13. Co-showrunner Patrick McKay says the show should be fine for “kids who are 11, 12, and 13, even though sometimes they might have to pull the blanket up over their eyes if it’s a little too scary.”
Expect to see more in the first trailer this Sunday. Are you excited yet? Let us know in comments.
Recommended Reading: J.R.R. Tolkien 4-Book Boxed Set: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
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