“LOTR: The Rings of Power” Is Adding 14 New Cast Members in Season 2

Many of your favorite actors from season one will return in season two, including Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Charlie Vickers as Sauron, Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Markella Kavenagh as Elanor ‘Nori’ Brandyfoot, Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir, and Sophia Nomvete as Princess Disa.

On Dec. 1, Variety announced seven new cast members joining the second season of “Rings of Power”: Sam Hazeldine, Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour, Nia Towle, Gabriel Akuwudike, Amelia Kenworthy, Nicholas Woodeson, and Ben Daniels. On Dec. 7, Variety announced a second wave of newcomers joining the fantasy-adventure series: Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Gavi Singh Chera, William Chubb, Kevin Eldon, Will Keen, Selina Lo, and Calam Lynch.

Hazeldine is the only actor whose character has been confirmed – the London native and “Peaky Blinders” actor will play the recast Adar, previously portrayed by Joseph Mawle. The rest of the cast additions’ character details are being kept under wraps.

Although no storylines have been confirmed, Prime Video shared that Círdan, a key character in Middle-earth’s history, is part of the upcoming season. Showrunner Patrick McKay offered some general hints about the future direction of the series, telling Esquire, “we’re going to tell the story of the forging of the rings of power, the rise the Dark Lord Sauron, the fall of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Exactly when and how we’re going there, and what hopefully delightful twists come along the way, will be things that people will have to wait and see.”

“The Rings of Power” season two is shooting in the UK, making history by being the first J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation to be filmed outside of New Zealand. So far, the filming and production locations that have been named are Bray Film Studios and Bovingdon Airfield, both of which are just outside of London. The two named locations have been home to major films, including “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Rocketman.”

The second season of the Amazon Prime television series will have eight episodes. This mirrors season one, which also had an eight-episode run.

A release date has not been confirmed for the show’s second season, however season one of “The Rings of Power” filmed for 18 months. With a production start date of Oct. 3, 2022, we can anticipate season two will premiere in early 2024. This is in line with what showrunner Patrick McKay shared during an October interview with The Hollywood Reporter, noting he anticipated working on season two for “another couple years.”

Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke provided more hope to fans eager to see the next season, sharing with Variety, “We want the shortest time possible between seasons, but we want to keep the bar just as high. So it’ll take what it takes. But there’s been some urgency around moving quickly.”