Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power have announced that several new cast members will be joining season two, and revealed that a major role has been recast for the second instalment of the hit Amazon Prime Video show.
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The Orc leader Adar has been recast from season one, and will now be played by Slow Horses star Sam Hazeldine. The actor has also starred in Peaky Blinders, The Huntsman: Winter’s War and is set to star in Band of Brothers sequel Masters of the Air.
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The role was originally played by Game of Thrones star Joseph Mawle, and no reason has been given for why he has been recast at this time.
Other new cast members include Hanna star Gabriel Akuwudike, The Witcher’s Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour, The Crown star Ben Daniels, and Persuasion actor Nia Towle alongside newcomer Amelia Kenworthy and Poirot actor Nicholas Woodeson.
Joseph Mawle has been replaced as Adar
Chatting about season two, Charlie Vickers told NME: "All I can say is we’re getting into the meat of it now. The world has been established in season one and now we can get into the lore.
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"I’m talking about the stuff at the heart of The Rings Of Power: the Akalabeth [the downfall of the kingdom of Numenor]. Sauron is out there now and there are no longer any questions or theories about who he is – which is a shame for some I guess. We’re gonna be with him while he’s doing shit, while he’s out there manipulating people and taking on the elves."
Sam Hazeldine will play Adar in season two
The show has recently come under fire from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy actor Bernard Hill, who played King Theoden. Chatting to Metro, he said: "It’s a money-making venture and I’m not interested in watching that or being in it. Good luck to them and all that stuff but it’s not like the real thing."
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