The names of many main characters in Amazon’s forthcoming Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series have been revealed, both familiar and unfamiliar.
Morfydd Clark as Galadriel and Robert Aramayo as Elrond are the first names on the list of familiar faces. Both Elves performed significant roles in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, although the ones in The Rings of Power are thousands of years younger. Owain Arthur will portray Dwarf Prince Durin IV, a member of the dynasty that dominates the underground kingdom of Khazad-dûm. Readers of J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings or players of The Lord of the Rings Online may recognize his name, since he appeared as a king in both, albeit only in the appendix of the original novel.
Sophia Nomvete’s Dwarven Princess Disa is one of the new cast members developed for the series. Amazon has not confirmed if it has a reference with Princess Disa and Prince Durin IV yet. Ismael Cruz Córdova portrays Arondir, a Silvan Elf who falls head over heels with Nazanin Boniadi’s human Bronwyn. Halbrand, performed by Charlie Vickers, is the final character introduced. He is characterized as a mystery fugitive desperate to escape his past.
The Rings of Power takes place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, more than a thousand years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. It will explain the narrative of the forging of the titular rings of power, which Tolkien often alluded to but never wrote himself. According to co-showrunner Patrick McKay, the show will explore how the rings were made and how they impacts people who wore 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 explained.
Several of the characters that have been recognized and named are performed by people of color, and the series’ executive producer, Lindsey Weber, believes that this diversity is crucial. “It felt only natural to us that an adaptation of Tolkien’s work would reflect what the world actually looks like,” she explained, adding that “Tolkien is for everyone.” She emphasized how one of The Lord of the Rings’ central themes was a diverse range of ethnicities “doing their best work when they leave the isolation of their own cultures and come together.”
Audiences can stream The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime Video as of September 2.
