Game of Thrones Star Joining Rings Of Power Season 2
Ciaran Hinds, Mance Rayder on Game of Thrones and Steppenwolf form Justice League, has signed on for Rings of Power Season 2.
Rings of Power was either a record-shattering hit for Amazon or a monumental failure of epic proportions, depending on who you talk to, but it’s coming back for a second season. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the cast is expanding, with a group of familiar faces, but first among them is Ciaran Hinds, famous for playing Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones. We don’t know who he’s playing in The Lord of the Rings series, but he will be a recurring character, and based on his success as the King Beyond The Wall, no matter the amount of screen time, he’ll make an impact.
That’s been a recurring theme in Hinds’ roles, which include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 as Aberforth Dumbledore, the younger brother of the Hogwarts headmaster. Maybe you’d recognize him under a mountain of makeup and CGI effects from Justice League, where he played Steppenwolf, leader of the invaders from Apokolis. Even if you prefer historical drama, he played Julius Ceaser in Rome, adding to his incredible resume and giving hope that he’ll soon be a bright spot in Rings of Power.
Joining Hinds is Rory Kinnear, known for playing Tanner in Daniel Craig’s James Bond films and, recently, the creepy horror film Men. Tanya Moodie, known for Ella in Sherlock, rounds out the latest casting announcement. As with Hinds, the latter two are also listed as recurring characters, so hopefully, they don’t get lost in the shuffle of the stuffed ensemble for season two.
Three of the titular Rings have been crafted already, and according to The Lord of the Rings, Sauron shouldn’t get his hands on them for a thousand years, opening up plenty of possibilities for how they can influence the elves of Middle-Earth. The One Ring, forged by Sauron himself, hasn’t yet appeared and could be a major plot point in Rings of Power Season 2 now that the Dark Lord is present in Mordor. Could any of the new cast be his first generation of servants, even possibly new officers in the growing army of orcs?
No matter where the story goes, it will feature an enormous ensemble of elves, humans, dwarves, and orcs. Likely to return are Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor, Owain Arthur as Durin IV, Lloyd Owen as Elendil, Charlie Vickers as Sauron, and Daniel Weyman as The Stranger. Most important is whether the audience will return to watch how the newcomers fit in with the returning cast.
Rings of Power started strong on Amazon Prime, though it ultimately fell behind The Boys as the streaming service’s biggest series of the year. Since the season 1 finale, it seems like the show has fallen into a cultural wormhole and failed to leave a lasting mark on the audience. Could the addition of some of the best ensemble actors from the United Kingdom be enough to make Season 2 a success, or will the announcement of more Lord of the Rings movies consign Amazon’s costly series to the dustbin of history?
