The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’s Joseph Mawle has responded to the recent news that his role in the Prime Video fantasy series will be recast for the show’s second season. Among the announcements of new cast members joining the J.R.R Tolkien adaptation, it was revealed that Mawle would not be reprising his role as Adar. Instead, the part will be taken over by Sam Hazeldine in the new season, which is not expected to hit screens until 2024.
Mawle is no stranger to fantasy TV shows, having previously appeared in Game of Thrones. From his comments on his departure, it seems that he is ready for a new challenge and wants to continue his personal journey as an actor. He wrote on his Twitter account:
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
The Rings of Power has been the subject of several controversies since the first season debuted on Prime Video. This has included fan issues with the series taking liberties with Tolkien canon and a select group of social media users having issues with some of the casting choices and story directions. While it is unclear if anything about the show’s direction has led to Mawle’s departure, the actor seems to bear no ill will to the production going forward.
“I loved my time exploring middle earth and diving into Tolkien’s mythology. I’m so honoured that the character was liked. He cared deeply about telling you his story. Though as an actor it remains my wish, my job description to explore new characters and worlds. Wishing all the best to cast and crew for S2, I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines X.”
The Rings of Power Has Even Divided Opinions of Lord of the Rings Stars.
The Rotten Tomatoes reviews of The Rings of Power are a mess, with many reviews being left without any real explanation for the many 1-star ratings, while others have constantly focused on the “woke” castings and characters. It seems that even the stars of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy cannot agree on the show.
Gollum actor Andy Serkis praised the show early last month, commenting that he had watched it and really enjoyed it once he got through “understanding the rules of it, and actually how loyal to the trilogy” it was. Having been involved in several audiobook recordings of Tolkien’s works, it seems that Serkis is more than happy to invest himself in The Rings of Power.
In stark contrast, Bernard Hill, who played Theoden in Jackson’s movies, has little time to watch the series, calling it out as nothing but a “money-making venture” that is “not like the real thing.” He also called out Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy for “pushing it” by padding out the relatively short novel into three movies.
The Rings of Power certainly managed to get people talking when its first season dropped new episodes weekly in the Fall, and that was enough to pull in some impressive viewing numbers. However, Prime Video had already invested too much in the series for it not to get a second season, and with that promising “more Tolkien canon,” maybe the continuation of the series will manage to please a few more viewers when it finally arrives.
