MAXIM BALDRY Latest Confirmed Casting for AMAZON’s “LORD OF THE RINGS”

The Second Age of Middle Earth that J.R.R. Tolkien created will be coming to stream sometime next year in Amazon. That is the projected release of their “Lord of the Rings” spinoff being developed by New Line Television, HarperCollins, and the Tolkien Estate and Trust. And quite the number of actors and actresses has been named in the casting, such as Morfydd Clark (“His Dark Materials” on HBO/BBC One) supposedly taking up the role of a younger Galadriel from Cate Blanchett. Maxim Baldry was also stated to have been in negotiations, though a deal took too long to finalize that he was not definitively named.

Now however, Maxim Baldry is signed, sealed and confirmed to be part of Amazon Studios’ “Lord of the Rings” streaming series according to Deadline. The show, under executive producers Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, will be set a significant period of time before the familiar “Third Age” setting of the “Rings” books and “Hobbit” prequel by J.R.R. Tolkien, which were made into two trilogies by New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson. Baldry’s talks for a key role in the Amazon series took too long that he could not be part of the confirmed series cast that was announced in January.

Amazon TV Co-Chief Vernon Sanders notes that the British actor, who was part of HBO’s “Rome” and “Years and Years,” could be playing among the principal characters of this series, of which the first two episodes have been confirmed to be directed by J.A. Bayona (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”), with some principal photography being done in New Zealand, similar to the Jackson-directed New Line Cinema film trilogies. Even while the first season is still beginning production, Amazon has already approved the development of Season 2. Baldry’s most recent role has been an episode (above) in the recently-concluded “Doctor Who” series 12 with the Thirteenth Doctor.

The rest of the already-confirmed cast in January 2020 for Amazon Studios’ “Lord of the Rings,” aside from Morfydd Clark, includes Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers and Daniel Weyman. Mawle is reported to be playing the main antagonist of the series, which will see premiere on Amazon Prime Video next year, in 2021.

Image from Bleeding Cool