“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” on Amazon is doing incredibly well. Which is why it may come as a shock that Joseph Mawl will no longer play the part of Adar. He is the Elvish leader of the Uruks (the species tainted by Morgoth, which become orcs). The character has became a fan-favorite shortly after his introduction, and one of the most important figures in the story itself. Hopefully this isn’t a portent of casting issues to come for the five-season series.
“Unfortunately it didn’t work out…With a show that had this many series regulars and this many recurring characters, it unfortunately happened,” Vernon Sanders, Head of Amazon Studio’s Television division, explained. “Joseph was tremendous and gave an incredible performance.”
While Sanders expresses his excitement over the actor taking Mawl’s place, we can’t help but wonder what didn’t work. It’s hard to know what goes on behind the curtain of production. Perhaps Mawl received casting in a larger project and couldn’t sustain both. Or perhaps some office politics got in the way. We don’t know!
Apparently the decision was made months ago. Which makes sense as to why Mawl did not attend any promotional events for the series. On December 1st, the actor tweeted about his reasoning, citing his desire to “explore new characters.”
Sam Hazeldine (“Peaky Blinders,” “Sandman,” “Slow Horses“) will be taking over the role going forward.
Newcomers to season 2 of “The Rings of Power” include Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour, Ben Daniels, Amelia Kenworthy (a new face), Nia Towle, and Nicholas Woodeson. Amazon moved main production from New Zealand to the UK, and cameras started rolling in October of this year.
We’ll let you know what we hear about a release date. Season 1 of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is available to stream on Prime Video.
