Lenny Henry joins cast of Amazon’s The Lord Of The Rings

SIR Lenny Henry has joined the cast of Amazon’s TV adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings.

The legendary comedian and actor, 62, features in the production of the fantasy classic, filming of which was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, but is currently underway in New Zealand after resuming this autumn.

Sir Lenny, who co-founded Comic Relief, joins previously announced names including Welsh stars Owain Arthur and Morfydd Clark and Iranian-British actress Nazanin Boniadi.

Seven of the new cast hail from New Zealand while the others originate from locations including Australia, Sri Lanka, the UK and US.

Ozark and Westworld star Peter Mullan and Lloyd Owen from You, Me And The Apocalypse on Sky both feature.

Peter Tait, who played multiple minor roles in Peter Jackson’s third and final The Lord Of The Rings film The Return Of The King, has also been cast.

Other names include Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Simon Merrells,​ Geoff Morrell, Augustus Prew, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham and Sara Zwangobani.

Showrunners and executive producers JD Payne and Patrick McKay said: “The world that JRR Tolkien created is epic, diverse, and filled with heart.

“These extraordinarily talented performers, hailing from across the globe, represent the culmination of a multi-year search to find brilliant and unique artists to bring that world to life anew.

“The international cast of Amazon’s The Lord Of The Rings series is more than just an ensemble. It is a family.

“We are thrilled to welcome each of them to Middle-earth.”

The Impossible filmmaker JA Bayona is directing the first two episodes and serving as executive producer.

The series will be set in the Second Age and explore the events before Jackson’s film trilogy, which are based on JRR Tolkien’s books.

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