The team behind Amazon Prime’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power recently shared a press release which contained news of seven fresh additions to the cast. Among them was Sam Hazeldine, who’s set to replace Joseph Mawle as orc leader Adar. News that Adar is recast rocked the fandom, disappointing many, and sparked inevitable backlash. Speculation about who the remainder of the newcomers will play is serving as a distraction from fan dismay, but not quite enough to ease the hurt.
This comes as Warner Bros. edges ever closer to the announcement of a Harry Potter show. The media property is simply too big to abandon when it offers up so much potential, but few fans are welcoming to the idea of a televised spin-off.
And, far from the worlds they help to define, two fantasy heavy hitters are shifting their focus to the real world. Mads Mikkelsen, of the Fantastic Beasts franchise and hundreds of hopeful The Witcher fancastings recently tweeted out his dismay at an unexpected World Cup loss, and fans somehow dragged Geralt of Rivia’s real replacement into the mix.
Fans think they’ve sussed out who one Rings of Power newcomer will play
A range of fresh faces are set to join the cast of Rings of Power for season two. Among them is Amelia Kenworthy, a blond-haired, blue-eyed newcomer whose resemblance to a certain golden-haired hero is not going unnoticed. A single image of the actress was enough to spark widespread theories that she’s set to enter the series as Celebrían, the daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn, and eventual Lady of Rivendell. There is yet to be any confirmation of this persisting fan theory, but many viewers have their minds made up.
The fan pick for Geralt of Rivia suffers yet another loss to Liam Hemsworth
Following news that Henry Cavill will conclude his run as Geralt of Rivia with The Witcher’s third season, fans quickly selected their own pick for his replacement. Mads Mikkelsen is unfortunately not Netflix’s pick for the role, which is instead going to Liam Hemsworth. As if adding insult to injury, the Danish actor suffered an additional loss to Hemsworth this week, after Denmark lost to Australia in the 2022 World Cup.
A Harry Potter show is inevitable, and incoming
Fans of the Wizarding World have been mired in uncertainty for several years now as they grapple with nostalgia and J.K. Rowlings’ continued presence as a TERF. The Harry Potter franchise, which concluded before Rowling’s first problematic tweet hit the web, continues to exist as a largely separate entity in some fans’ minds, but the same can’t be said for the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Further expansion of the world is all but inevitable given Harry Potter’s massive popularity, but few fans are enticed by the idea of a television show set in the rapidly-declining Wizarding World.