Amazon’s fabulously expensive Lord of the Rings show continues to staff up. Deadline reports that actor Maxim Baldry will play a lead role in the mysterious epic.
The 24-year-old English actor has appeared in stuff like the HBO-BBC miniseries Years and Years and the Emilia Clarke-driven romantic comedy Last Christmas, although we have no idea who he might play on Amazon’s show. We could see him as an elf; he’s already got long Legolas-style hair, albeit brunette. Or maybe he’s a Númenorean, a group of long-lived men who live on the mystical isle of Númenor during the Second Age of Middle-earth, which is when Amazon’s show is set. Maybe he’s young Sauron, I don’t know.
We’d heard that Baldry was involved with the Lord of the Rings show months ago, but he wasn’t among the names Amazon revealed when it announced the cast on the most recent Television Critics Association press tour. Apparently he was circling the role back then but his deal hadn’t closed. Well, it’s closed now.
The Lord of the Rings — or whatever it ends up being called, we really have very few details despite how long it’s been in production — also stars Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers and Daniel Weyman. Baldry may be playing a “lead” role, but it looks like the show will spread the wealth around a bit. From what we can tell, Aramayo — who Game of Thrones fans may recognize as Young Ned Stark — is also playing a lead character. Mawle, also a Thrones alum, is playing a villain.
The whole shebang is overseen by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, while J.A. Bayona will direct the first two episodes. The show has already been renewed for a second season, so whatever the team is working on, Amazon is pretty confident in it.
The first season should start shooting in New Zealand any day now, if it hasn’t begun already. Hopefully we’ll learn more details soon.
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