Lord of the Rings: Tom Budge exits Amazon series amid “creative differences”

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

It would appear the actor Tom Budge was not enjoying his time on Middle Earth. Budge made the announcement that he has decided to exit the upcoming Amazon Lord of the Rings series.

Budge is citing those pesky "creative differences" as the reason he has walked away from the show. The actor was cast in a mysterious role on the series so there isn't anything known about who he was exactly set to play. Budge made the announcement on his Instagram page and you can view that post below.

It's not known at this time if the role will be recast or will be cut altogether. Judging from Budge's post, a few episodes have already been shot, and apparently, that was enough for the creative minds behind the show to change direction with his character that wasn't entirely to his liking. The series has been shrouded in secrecy, other than various cast announcements, so we likely won't be clear on what changes were made that didn't sit well with Budge until the show premieres and we learn what character he was set to play.

Amazon's ambitious and very expensive Lord of the Rings series is set hundreds of years before the events of Peter Jackson’s acclaimed film trilogy. The streamer is hoping that the show will become their Game of Thrones so they're investing a lot in its potential success. The show is currently filming in New Zealand and is expected to arrive on Amazon Prime Video sometime in 2021.

Do YOU have any idea who Tom Budge may have been playing? Do YOU think an actor departing in the middle of shooting is a negative sign for the show?