The Rings of Power season 2 adds James Bond, Star Wars, and Harry Potter stars to its ranks
Middle-earth adventures await for this starry trio
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The Rings of Powerseason 2’s ensemble cast has grown larger with the addition of stars from three other major franchises.
In a press release,AmazonStudios confirmedHarry Potter’s Ciaran Hinds,James Bond’s Rory Kinnear, andStar Wars' Tanya Moodie have all signed on to appear in the fantasy show’s next installment. Amazon declined to reveal which characters the trio are playing but confirmed they would appear in recurring roles throughoutThe Rings of Power’s second season.
Hinds, who was last seen inNetflix’s espionage thriller seriesTreason, is no stranger to starring in big film and TV franchises. The Northern Irish actor’s extensive catalog of roles includes appearances as Steppenwolf inZack Snyder’s Justice League, Mance Ryder inGame of Thrones, and Aberforth Dumbledore inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Kinnear, who is best known for playing MI5 agent Bill Tanner in theDaniel Craig James Bond movies, has also featured in Alex Garland’s psychological horror filmMen, the acclaimedHBO MaxseriesOur Flag Means Death, and Netflix/Channel 4 anthology seriesBlack Mirror.
Despite being the least-known actor among the trio, Moodie’s career shouldn’t be dismissed so easily, either. Moodie’s most famous role saw her portray General Parnadee inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but she’s also appeared inEmpire of Light,A Discovery of Witches, andSherlock. Moodie can currently be seen starring inRaindogson HBO Max.
Hinds, Kinnear, and Moodie join numerous new hires forThe Rings of Powerseason 2. On December 7, 2022,Amazon revealed eight actors had joinedthe show’s cast, including anotherGame of Thronesalumnus and aBridgertonstar. One week later on December 14, the studio revealedthe all-female trio of directors who are helming season 2’s eight episodes.
One actor who isn’t returning from the series' first season, though, is Joseph Mawle.The Rings of Powerseason 2 dropped its big-name starin early December, with Sam Hazeldine (Peaky Blinders) set to take over the role. Six other new cast members were also announced alongside Hazeldine’s arrival.
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The Rings of Power’s next outing has been in production in the UK and Europe since October 2022. The hit series, which is one of thebest Prime Video showsin our view, isn’t expected to return to our screens until 2024. However, there are plenty of other popular Prime Video TV series set to debut on the streamer this year, includingInvincibleseason 2andThe Wheel of Timeseason 2.
Ringing in a new Middle-earth era
Major spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 1.
As mentioned, there’s no word on who Hinds, Moodie, and Kinnear will play inThe Rings of Power– but that won’t stop us from speculating.
For one, Hinds and Moodie have displayed an air of authority and/or had an ethereal nature in some of their previous roles. It wouldn’t be a stretch, then, to learn that one or both of them have been hired to play elven characters in the show’s second season. Kinnear, meanwhile, wouldn’t look out of place as a Númenórean or a Khazad-dûm-dwelling dwarf.
The beauty of theLord of the Rings' live-action universe – and, in particular,The Rings of Power– is that it has the tendency to surprise us with which characters are played by certain actors. Many of us didn’t expect Morfydd Clark to play a younger version of Galadriel. Not many people foresaw Charlie Vickers' Halbrand being an alias for Sauron. Ismael Cruz Cordova’s casting as a Black elf called Arondir – a landmark moment forThe Lord of the Ringsfranchise – was a pleasing surprise, too, despite the baffling backlash it received in some quarters.
So Hinds, Kinnear, and Moodie may end up portraying new or existing characters that we wouldn’t expect them to inThe Rings of Powerseason 2. After all, the series' next installment is set to take viewers to new realms, including the Eastern Kingdom of Rhûn and the great Gondor port of Pelargir. Maybe the trio will play individuals in these world regions instead? Either way, we can’t wait to find out.
For more Prime Video-based coverage, read up on thenew Prime Video moviesto hit the platform recently, plus thebest Prime Video moviesaround. Additionally, read ourRings of Powerseason 1 ending explainerto catch up on everything worth knowing before season 2.
As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
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