The Lord of the Rings TV show nabs a Stark from Game of Thrones

Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV show has found its newest cast member: Joseph Mawle, a veteran television and film actor with a filmography dating back to the late 90s. Perhaps his most notable role, though, is playing Benjen Stark, First Ranger of the Night's Watch and younger brother to Ned Stark (somewhat ironically played by Boromir himself, Sean Bean), on Game of Thrones.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Mawle will likely play a leading role in the Lord of the Rings TV show, naming the character as the villain Oren. Amazon has yet to confirm Mawle's casting.

The series is still a way off from airing and has yet to be given an official release date, although Amazon Studio Head Jennifer Salke says the studio is aiming for 2021. That said, we know a few key details. JD Payne and Patrick McKay act as showrunners, with Bryan Cogman (also of Game of Thrones fame) stepping in for consulting. Writers include Gennifer Hutchinson (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Helen Shang (Hannibal), Justin Dohle (Stranger Things), and Stephany Folsom (Toy Story 4).

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Joining Mawle in the cast will be Australian actress Markella Kavenagh and Will Poulter, who recently appeared in Midsommar and the Black Mirror episode, Bandersnatch. The Lord of the Rings TV show will take place in Númenor, which is where the trilogy's protagonist, Aragorn, descended from. However, the time period in which the show happens, the Second Age, was long before Aragorn was born.

For more details, read up on everything we know about the Lord of the Rings TV show. To increase hype levels, here are the best new TV shows coming in 2019 and beyond.

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.