Before “Game of Thrones,” in the
early 2000s, general fans of medieval fantasy were perhaps more attuned to “The
Lord of the Rings,” particularly because of the massive film trilogy epic
directed by Peter Jackson for New Line Cinema. While the follow-up prequel trilogy
based on “The Hobbit” that premiered in the early 2010s was less
critically-favored in comparison, the overall franchise succeeded in expanding
the fandom for the fantasy works of J.R.R. Tolkien. They would be the target of
a spinoff TV series called “Lord of the Rings” for Amazon streaming. And while
production has not yet started, another cast member has been revealed.
Variety tells us that Amazon may have tapped Welsh actress Morfyyd
Clark to join the cast of their planned “Lord of the Rings” streaming series.
She will join already-announced names such as Markella Kavenagh (“Picnic at
Hanging Rock”), Maxim Baldry (“Rome”) and Joseph Mawle (“Game of Thrones”) in a
production that is said to adapt certain adventures on Middle-Earth that occur
before the events of both “The Hobbit” and the “Lord of the Rings” stories. While
the rest are playing characters not yet adapted in film, Clark is said to be
cast as a young Galadriel, a role originated in the movies by Cate Blanchett.
A co-production between Amazon
Studios, New Line Television, HarperCollins and the Tolkien Trust, the “Lord of
the Rings” series is said to take place during the Second Age of Middle-Earth
(as opposed to the closing Third Age when “The Hobbit” and the actual “Lord of
the Rings” written by Tolkien take place). This was the time when the Dark Lord
Sauron incognito helped the races of Elves, Dwarves and Men to create the Rings
of Power, which he then secretly controlled with the One Ring from Mordor to
sow chaos.
This would not be the first rodeo
of sorts for Morfyyd Clark when it comes to book adaptations on TV. She already
stars as Sister Clara in HBO/BBC One’s ongoing take of Philip Pullman’s “His
Dark Materials.” This series is also a co-production with New Line, which
originally made a movie of the first “Dark Materials” book “The Golden Compass”
in 2007, only to be a critical and box-office flop. Photography of the “Lord of
the Rings” series will start in New Zealand next year, but Clark already has
other TV and movie appearances in store for 2020, such as BBC’s “Dracula” show and
Fox Searchlight’s “The Personal History of David Copperfield” on May, where she
costars with Dev Patel.
0 comments:
Post a Comment