Gone are the days where sweeping fantasy epics were regulated to the big screen. HBO's Game of Thrones proved that intelligent spectacle and story translates just as well to the small screen. The further success of shows like Netflix's Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and The Witcher only underscore the point. Not to be outdone by their contemporaries, Amazon Prime Video began developing a Lord of the Rings television series in late 2017. The show, said to be vast in scope and set centuries before the events of Peter Jackson's film series, sports a budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars and even landed rising star Will Poulter as the lead.
Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts Poulter (MIDSOMMAR) left the project last month, leaving the creatives behind the project scrambling to find a replacement. Thankfully that replacement has now been found and it's someone who has more than a passing acquaintance with high fantasy. Game of Thrones actor Robert Aramayo will take over for Poulter and play Beldor in the show based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. Aramayo you may recall played young Ned Stark in seasons six and seven of Game of Thrones.
Filming on the Lord of the Rings program is set to start early this year. The show will film the first two episodes before taking a four to five month break and then resume later this year. This move comes in part from a desire to shore up the tone and story but also as a result of the show's early season two renewal. The first season will consist of ten episodes with prominent director J.A. Bayona (THE IMPOSSIBLE) helming several of them. Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle and Morfydd Clark will also be joining Aramayo in the series.
This actually isn't the only high fantasy series Amazon Prime Video has on tap. An adaptation of Robert Jordan's fourteen novel cycle The Wheel of Time is currently shooting. The series, starring Rosamund Pike is set to release later this year.