Hot on the heels of Amazon’s Lord Of The Rings series losing Midsommar’s Will Poulter, arguably the show’s most prominent cast member to date, comes news that Welsh actor Morfydd Clark has joined the cast. And, while her name might not ring any bells just yet, it will by the time this thing premieres in 2021. Not only is she receiving raves for her turn in A24's upcoming Sister Maud, but she’s soon to appear as Mina in BBC’s Dracula and in a key role in Armando Ianucci’s buzzy The Personal History of David Copperfield. Of course, you may also recognize her from her recent turns in gator-horror flick Crawl and HBO’s His Dark Materials.
What’s especially notable about her casting, however, is that, per Variety, she’s slated to play Galadriel, the elven ruler of the woods of Lothlórien that Cate Blanchett played in Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit trilogies. Amazon has yet to confirm the casting, but, if it’s true, it makes Clark the first person cast as an established character from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth lore. Fellow cast members Joseph Mawle and Markella Kavenagh are rumored to be playing characters named Oren and Tyra, respectively, both of which appear to be characters created for the show.
As we previously reported, the series, which has already been renewed for a second season, will unfold during the Second Age of Middle-earth. In Tolkien’s mythology, the Second Age saw the creation of the Rings of Power. Amazon, knowing their obsessive audience, even provided an interactive map of the era to tide you over, because this thing isn’t premiering anytime soon.