Two decades ago, Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy brought J.R.R. Tolkien’s tales to the big screen. This fall, Amazon Prime Video is carving out its place in Tolkien’s lore with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. And while the first trailer won’t debut until Sunday, Vanity Fair has shared the first details about the main characters who will headline The Rings of Power.
Since this series takes place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, the events of the core LOTR trilogy won’t happen until thousands of years later. That doesn’t leave many options for characters who can appear in both, except for the nearly immortal elves. That’s why Morfydd Clark is headlining the series as Galadriel, a younger version of the character portrayed by Cate Blanchett in the movies. At this time in her life, Galadriel is a warrior and the leader of the Northern armies. She also senses the coming darkness and vows to fight it.
At its core, #TheRingsOfPower takes its biggest cue from the heart of Tolkien’s books. “It’s about friendship,” says McKay. “It’s about brotherhood and underdogs overcoming great darkness.”
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— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 10, 2022
Hugo Weaving’s elf king, Elrond, will also be present as a much younger character portrayed by Robert Aramayo.
Robert Aramayo plays Elrond, the elven statesman who is just beginning to build his reputation—starting with mending the relationship between his people and the dwarves of Khazad-dûm.
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— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 10, 2022
Additionally, several new characters have been created for the series, including the elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) and a dwarven princess named Disa (Sophia Nomvete).
#TheRingsOfPower, set within Tolkien’s Second Age, will juggle 22 stars and multiple storylines—from deep within the dwarf mines to the elven kingdom of Lindon. Here, the adventures of the fellowship are still some 2,000 years in the future.
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— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 10, 2022
All told, there will be 22 main cast members as showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay bring viewers into a seldom-explored period in Middle-earth’s history. The Vanity Fair story also confirmed that Owain Arthur will play Prince Durin IV, alongside Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn, Charlie Vickers as Halbrand, Maxim Baldry as Isildur, Simon Merrells as Trevyn, and Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor. Note that in the LOTR backstory, Celebrimbor was the elf who was tricked into helping Sauron create the Rings of Power. Presumably, viewers will get to see that momentous occasion on screen for the first time.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will premiere on September 2 on Prime Video.
