Will Poulteris one of the most interesting young talents in all of Hollywood, having already worked with A-list filmmakers such asAlejandro González Iñárritu(The Revenant) andKathryn Bigelow(Detroit). But the English actor has just landed the biggest role of his career, as he has been cast as one of the leads in Amazon’sLord of the Ringsseries.
Poulter joins Australian actressMarkella Kavenaghin the big-budget adaptation ofJ.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved masterwork. Plot details remain scant, though the show’s official Twitter account hinted at exploring the Second Age, which in Tolkien mythology was the time in which the Rings of Power – including Sauron’s One Ring – came into existence.
TheLord of the Ringsseries hails fromStar Trek BeyondscribesJD PayneandPatrick McKay, and boastsGame of ThronesalumBryan Cogmanas a consulting producer. Additionally,J.A. Bayona(Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) is set to direct multiple episodes, as well as executive produce alongside his partnerBelén Atienza. The series will be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema, which distributedPeter Jackson’s feature films.
Other executive producers includeLindsey Weber,Bruce Richmond,Gene Kelly,Gennifer Hutchison,Jason Cahill,Justin Doble, and Amazon’s former head of genre programmingSharon Tal Yguado.Ron Amesserves as producer, whileHelen Shangserves as co-producer, andStephany Folsomserves as consulting producer. Hutchison, Cahill, Doble and Shang are credited as writers, whileGlenise Mullinsserves as writing consultant.
Poulter recently starred in Netflix’s interactiveBlack MirrormovieBandersnatchas well asAri Aster’s deranged horror movieMidsommar. He broke out in films likeThe Maze RunnerandWe’re the Millers, and nearly played Pennywise in It before directorCary Fukunagawas replaced byAndy Muschietti, who wound up castingBill Skarsgårdas the killer clown instead.
But everything happens for a reason in Hollywood, and you never know where a closed door might lead you. In this case, it led to Lord of the Rings, which is probably one of the most anticipated series of all time. It will require a major time commitment from Poulter, who will likely spend years on theLOTRseries, but that doesn’t sound so bad, especially given the fanfare that surrounds this property. He may have missed out on Pennywise, but I’d say everything worked out for Poulter in the end. He’s represented by WME and Hamilton Hodell, andVariety broke the newsof his casting.
