The names of some of the major characters in Amazon's upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series have been revealed, and they're a mix of familiar and new.
Heading the list of those familiar are Morfydd Clark as Galadriel and Robert Aramayo as Elrond. Both Elves played important roles in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, but the versions in The Rings of Power are more than a thousand years younger. The Dwarf Prince Durin IV will be played by Owain Arthur and is part of the family that rules the subterranean realm of Khazad-dûm. Readers of J.R.R Tolkien's books or players of The Lord of the Rings Online may be familiar with his name already, as he featured in both as a king, albeit only in the appendix of the original novel.
New characters created for the show include Sophia Nomvete's Dwarven Princess Disa. There is no confirmation from Amazon as yet whether Princess Disa and Prince Durin IV are related or not. Ismael Cruz Córdova plays the Silvan Elf Arondir, who falls in love with the human Bronwyn, played by Nazanin Boniadi. The final character revealed is Halbrand, played by Charlie Vickers, who is described as mysterious fugitive trying to escape his past.
The Rings of Power is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, over a thousand years before the events of The Lords of the Ring. It will tell the story of the creation of the titular rings of power -- a story Tolkien frequently referenced but never wrote himself. Co-showrunner Patrick McKay says the show will delve into how the rings were created and how they affected those who held them. "It’s the story of the creation of all those powers, where they came from, and what they did to each of those races," he said.
Several of the characters that have been identified and named are played by people of color, and the executive producer of the series, Lindsey Weber, considered this diversity to be important. "It felt only natural to us that an adaptation of Tolkien’s work would reflect what the world actually looks like," she said, adding, "Tolkien is for everyone." She pointed to how one of the key themes of The Lord of the Rings was a variety of races "doing their best work when they leave the isolation of their own cultures and come together."
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Sept. 2.
Source: Amazon Studios