Stage stars set to appear in new Lord of the Rings TV series

One of the most eagerly anticipated shows in a long long while, we're excited to see that the producers and casting directors of the new Lord of the Rings Amazon TV show have tapped into the wealth of stage talent to find their initial cast.

Tolkein's classic tale was, of course, brought to the stage at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and it's exciting for a fresh take on the world of Middle Earth (now taking place during the Second Age, generations before the time of Frodo) to be hitting screens.

Few character names have been revealed (and some of them, intriguingly, are said to be in code) but we're telling you what we know!

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Sophia Nomvete

A WOS Award nominee for her performance in The Color Purple (playing Sofia), Nomvete was recently in the hit RSC musical Miss Littlewood.

Morfydd Clark

Clark was a brilliant Cordelia in the Old Vic's King Lear, with roles before that in the Donmar Warehouse's Dangerous Liaisons. She has a named part already  – a younger version of the iconic Galadriel (played by Cate Blanchett in the original film).

Trystan Gravelle

A true theatre vet, the Welsh screen and stage actor has a whole range of credits including Blanche McIntyre's The Norman Conquests in Chichester, Caryl Churchill's Light Shining In Buckinghamshire and Dominic Dromgoole's The Changeling.

Thusitha Jayasundera

Having played Ros Mahendra in Mike Bartlett's iconic TV series Doctor Foster, Jayasundera will likely be familiar to viewers. Her other credits include War Horse, The Divide and Stories and, recently, she appeared in the powerhouse [BLANK] at the Donmar.

Daniel Weyman

Appearing in the WOS Award-nominated The Comedy of Errors at the Open Air Theatre in 2010, he has other credits including 4000 Days at the Park and new play The Mentor in Bath and in the West End.

Joseph Mawle

Better known these days as the ill-fated Benjen Stark in ''Game of Thrones (out of an assortment of ill-fated characters, admittedly), Mawle had a host of top roles at venues such as the Nuffield Theatre, Royal Exchange and the Almeida (where he took on the role of Jesus). He is said to be playing Oren in the series.

Simon Merrells

English theatre performer, Merrells performed with his brother in a production of The Comedy of Errors (playing twins) at the RSC, with other credits including The Life of Galileo at the National and Raz Shaw's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Globe. Said to be playing Trevyn.

Dylan Smith

Canadian actor Dylan Smith has a variety of stage roles across the world – having appeared in Southwark Playhouse's Trout and Private Lives, directed by Richard Eyre, on Broadway.

Lenny Henry

A comedy stage and screen legend, Henry was last on stage in King Hedley II at Theatre Royal Stratford East. He was also meant to have appeared in a 2020 National show – Richard Pryor on Fire – but the pandemic has sadly scuppered plans for now. He also has an unspecified role.

Peter Mullan

Award-winning actor Mullan is a veteran performer, director and writer – with brilliant turns in Trainspotting, My Name Is Joe and more. Some may recognise him as the menacing Yaxley from the Harry Potter films. He cut his teeth on stage as part of the left-wing theatre movement that emerged during Thatcher's time in office.

Lloyd Owen

Early in his career Owen worked extensively with Cheek by Jowl, with other credits including The York Realist directed by Peter Gill. More recently, he played Lloyd in Jeremy Herrin's Noises Off at the Lyric Hammersmith, while also appearing alongside Matthew Perry in The End of Longing in the West End.

Robert Aramayo

Another Thrones alum, Aramayo played the young Ned Stark in the hit series. He is now expected to take on a leading role in the series as Beldor. Hailing from Hull, he joined Hull Truck Youth Theatre before hopping over the Atlantic to study at Juilliard.

Owain Arthur

Welsh actor Arthur has a whopping number of credits, taking on the role of Francis Henshall in the National's One Man, Two Guvnors after James Corden completed his stint in the show. He has also appeared in shows with the RSC, the Royal Exchange and Original Theatre's Birdsong.

Augustus Prew

Prew has three credits at Riverside Studios and, subsequently, appeared in Adam Curtis and Damon Albarn's Punchdrunk show It Felt Like A Kiss, as well as Zonal at the Lyric Hammersmith.

Maxim Baldry

One of the top characters in Russell T Davies' Years and Years, Baldry has also appeared in Nick Hytner's Rose Tattoo at the National.

Benjamin Walker

Technically not having appeared on a British stage, we wanted to include Walker because he is a Tony Award nominee for his performance in All My Sons. He also took on the lead role in the American Psycho musical after it transferred to Broadway from the Almeida.