The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is saying goodbye to one of its most popular actors.
Joseph Mawle — who played Adar, the leader of the Orcs — is departing ahead of Season 2.
The role has been recast, with Peaky Blinders alum Sam Hazeldine taking over the role.
No reason has been given for the departure, but it is a huge blow to the series.
Mawle earned much praise for his portrayal of Adar, and there will undoubtedly be a lot of questions about how the character will fit into future storylines.
Amazon has also revealed that there will be even more new faces on the sprawling drama’s second season.
Gabriel Akuwudike (Ridley Road), Yasen “Zates” Atour (The Witcher), Ben Daniels (The Crown), newcomer Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle (Persuasion), and Nicholas Woodeson (Rome)
“Since its premiere, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been bringing audiences together to experience the magic and wonder of J.R.R. Tolkien’s magnificent Middle-earth,” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television, Amazon Studios.
“To date, season one is the top original series for Prime Video in every region and has been viewed by over 100 million people worldwide, a truly global hit that speaks to the universal nature of powerful storytelling.”
“We welcome these wonderful actors to our ‘fellowship’ and look forward to telling more incredible Second Age stories in season two.”
The series launched on Prime Video on September 1, and it quickly cemented itself as a huge hit.
It was said to have launched with 25 million viewers around the world on its first day alone, with numbers continuing to rise as the series progressed.
“It is somehow fitting that Tolkien’s stories – among the most popular of all time, and what many consider to be the true origin of the fantasy genre – have led us to this proud moment,” said Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke of the numbers.
“I am so grateful to the Tolkien Estate – and to our showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, executive producer Lindsey Weber, cast and crew – for their tireless collaborative efforts and boundless creative energy.”
“And it is the tens of millions of fans watching – clearly as passionate about Middle-earth as we are – who are our true measure of success.”
This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.
Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.
“From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone,” according to the logline.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
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