Amazon’s Lord of the Rings may have recently added new cast member Ema Horvath to the show’s growing ensemble, but it also just lost a major star due to the show’s five-month creative hiatus. The series has already been renewed for Season 2 at Amazon, but Will Poulter won't be around for it, as he is officially leaving Middle Earth behind.
Will Poulter’s casting made headlines back in September. After months of negotiations, the Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and MIdsommar actor landed the role of a lead character, the name of which remained heavily under wraps. However, Poulter has left the Lord of the Rings series after only a few months due to scheduling conflicts. Poulter had other project commitments that clashed with the hiatus.
Although the early Season 2 renewal aimed to help Lord of the Rings be a lot more like the films, the news also halted the production on Season 1 after only two episodes. According to Deadline, Will Poulter had to leave because the series queued up a months-long break so the writers could regroup and finish the majority of the Season 2 scripts, with a goal of constructing the universe as wholly as possible in the early days.
The unforeseen production changes may have altered the course of Season 1 of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings, which has an unprecedented 20-episode count. Will Poulter, who also had to drop out of playing Pennywise in IT, was playing a lead role, and there’s no telling whether Amazon will have to recast and reshoot his scenes with another actor when production picks back up.
There’s still a lot for fans to be excited about when it comes to Lord of the Rings, which will specifically cover the era before The Fellowship of the Ring (also known as the Second Age). It's the biggest project the streamer has ever taken on, and is reportedly costing Amazon over $1 million to produce. That means Amazon is confident that the series will do well and fans will get to travel back to Middle Earth big budget style.
That said, there’s plenty to be nervous about as well. With Will Poulter having to exit the series after only two episodes, there’s no telling whether the production shutdown will lead to other actors following in his footsteps. After all, five months is a long time to halt filming on Lord of the Rings and I can only imagine what that will mean for the remainder of actors who may have locked in other projects. Or, conversely, who might need something to work on in the meantime.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news on Lord of the Rings Season 1 and Season 2. In the meantime, be sure to check out what’s new and returning to network TV and streaming after the holidays with our 2020 midseason schedule.
