Casting for Amazon's Lord of the Rings

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

I've been trying to overcome the fact that I honestly can't see anyone other than the original actors in their roles, because obviously Amazon will want new faces, and some of the LotR cast probably would have a difficult time reprising roles of seventeen years ago (though I think Ian McKellan said he was feeling up to playing Gandalf again?). Who would you recommend for roles such as Aragorn, Arwen, young Theoden, Denethor, Elrond, etc. I'm working on creating my own list, but I'd love to hear what everyone has to offer!
(But, since I've already stated this elsewhere, I want Elle Fanning as Goldberry, regardless of whether or not that character even shows up)
(And could anybody else see Sebastian Stan as Prince Imrahil?)

[Otaku-sempai]

Well, it is possible that we could see a few cast members from Peter Jackson's Middle-earth films carry over to this, but it's a slim chance at best. Viggo could, for example. conceivably appear as King Elessar telling the story of his early travels to his children. But Aragorn in his earlier stages of life would still need to be recast.

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

I love the idea of Viggo as an older Elessar, personally, and I would like to see that idea brought to fruition.
(and Gal Gadot as Arwen!)

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

And I really want Tilda Swinton in a role in Middle-earth (not as Galadriel, of course, but maybe as Morwen of Lossarnach?)

[Krypton_Son]

I love the idea of Viggo as an older Elessar, personally, and I would like to see that idea brought to fruition.
(and Gal Gadot as Arwen!)

Gal Gadot as an Elf. That's an amazing idea. Have they confirmed what point in time this is going to be set in? I wouldn't be opposed to it being in the first or second ages.

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

It'll be set in the 60 years between the Hobbit and the LotR. Speculation has been that the journeys of a young Aragorn will be the series' focus, but nothing has been confirmed, except that it will be "characters you love" and original storylines. Peter Jackson is assembling the creative team behind the series, and there was a report that Amazon is going to be filming in New Zealand, but we have very little else to go on so far. The show will air in a few years, i think

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

And how about Lupita Nyong'o? (for some reason, the reference to Lothiriel, daughter of Imrahil, always conveys an image of Lupita Nyong'o.) I would love to see some diverse casting.
Others from Marvel who would absolutely sell this Amazon series for me, if they were in it, would be Scarlett Johannsson, Tom Hiddleston (Glorfindel?), or Chris Hemsworth (young Theoden?). Or Pom Klementieff. Any of them would be enough for me.

[Otaku-sempai]

And how about Lupita Nyong'o? (for some reason, the reference to Lothiriel, daughter of Imrahil, always conveys an image of Lupita Nyong'o.) I would love to see some diverse casting.
Others from Marvel who would absolutely sell this Amazon series for me, if they were in it, would be Scarlett Johannsson, Tom Hiddleston (Glorfindel?), or Chris Hemsworth (young Theoden?). Or Pom Klementieff. Any of them would be enough for me.

Well, the suggestion of Lupita Nyong'o is surely thinking outside of the box. I would have probably only considered her as a woman of either the Corsairs of Umbar or of Far Harad. What to your mind connects her to Lothíriel daughter of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth? How do you see him meeting and wedding a woman of the far South? If nothing else, I'll admit that there could be an interesting story there.

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

Frankly, I don't know why I imagine the men of Dol Amroth as being black, or at least of mixed races; maybe their proximity to Harad suggests to me that in times of peace there could have been a marriage between these two nations, though I suspect it would have had to have been a long time ago, so that the bond is no longer strong. Or, I suppose a Haradrim princess might have been taken captive long ago, and was wedded to a Prince of Dol Amroth, or simply bore his children (I create whole stories for Dol Amroth and its people, and I've always been intrigued as to why the genealogy of their royalty didn't end up in the final Appendix; I would have liked much more about them. And Lothiriel, for some reason, suggests a beautiful and intelligent black woman, watching as her kinsfolk in both Dol Amroth and Harad tear each other apart in a savage war. I can't see her standing idly by. Now I'm getting into fan-fiction territory, I know, but her character feels like so much more than the single mention she receives in the Appendixes. I could see a very interesting storyline playing out if the royal family of Dol Amroth were related to Harad, or even the Corsairs, by something in their past - while also having Elven blood inherited from Lorien. That bit also makes me feel like that family was a veritable melting pot of different colors and creeds; any time spent in Dol Amroth in this new series would make me extraordinarily happy.

[Otaku-sempai]

That's curious as there is nothing in the text of The Lord of the Rings to suggest such an interpretation of the ethnicity of the people of Dol Amroth. Our first introduction to Imrahil and his followers comes (if I have it right) in Chapter 1 of Book V. First there is this:

But beyond, in the great fief of Belfalas, dwelt Prince Imrahil in his castle of Dol Amroth by the sea, and he was of high blood, and his folk also, tall men and proud with sea-grey eyes.

And a bit later:

And last and proudest, Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth, kinsman of the Lord, with gilded banners bearing his token of the Ship and the Silver Swan, and a company of knights in full harness riding grey horses; and behind them seven hundreds of men at arms, tall as lords, grey-eyed, dark-haired, singing as they came.

Legolas upon meeting Imrahil immediately recognizes his elven blood, but it seems clear that the Prince of Dol Amroth also has a strong strain of Númenórean blood. I just don't see any evidence for a southern heritage. That said, giving him a wife and children of such blood would be a bold and interesting choice.

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

I have a tendency to build off what is defined in Tolkien's text; I don't see why his high blood means he would have pale skin? A black man could be tall, proud, dark-haired and have sea-grey eyes; I checked LotR and have found no specific references to Imrahil's skin colour – maybe it's just me, but I love the idea that the men of Dol Amroth could be darker than the Men of Gondor. There might be no evidence that their people had relations with Harad, but the proximity and the fact that in ancient days the men of Harad did homage to Gondor suggest it to me (if the sons of the Haradrim kings lived as hostages in the courts of Gondorian royalty, isn't it safe to assume that the daughters were also forced into slavery? I could imagine that Gondorian princes in those days, when the Kingdom was vast and unassailable, probably took Haradrim as wives, fearing no consequence.
Then again, maybe it's just me!

[Otaku-sempai]

Not to harp on this, but it comes down to the Dúnedain being descended from the same Northmen who inhabited Rhovanion, Dale and the Anduin Vales. That isn't to say that the showrunner(s) of Amazon's show might not have their own ideas to add diversity to the cast.

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

Anyway, black actors have thus far been nonexistent in film representations of Middle-earth, so I wouldn't mind seeing some. Taraji Henson and Janelle Monae are also great; and what about those mysterious Blue Wizards? To blend into the eastern realms of Rhun and Harad, wouldn't it be a good idea for them to be darker?
If the show does focus, though, on Aragorn, then I suppose we should see some black actors when he leads the fleets of Gondor against Umbar. That should be interesting.

Now, who has any suggestions for Galadriel? I can't even imagine a Middle-earth without Cate Blanchett's Lady of Lorien…
(But if I must…how about Lady Gaga? partially kidding, but I was thinking about how – I think – David Bowie was considered for the role of Celeborn…sometimes, outlandish people like that can really show some talent, though I think Marton Csokas was a wonderful Celeborn.)

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

But a singer in the role of Galadriel could be quite touching, if she had a voice capable of achieving that Enya-like quality, with that echoing, haunting tone…(have I mentioned yet that my favourite song is "May it Be" ?

[Otaku-sempai]

Anyway, black actors have thus far been nonexistent in film representations of Middle-earth, so I wouldn't mind seeing some.

Well, nearly nonexistent in any recognizable roles other than a Ranger of Ithilien under the command of Faramir and some faces of color in Lake-town. None of them are named characters.



Aragorn's travels should take him places where he would meet peoples of Middle-eastern and Asian appearance, as well as dark-skinned peoples of Far Harad. At least some Easterlings should physically and culturally resemble the Mongols. And the folk of Dorwinion might well have a Mediterranean cast about them.

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

Wow, I had never noticed him! That's a surprise, and makes me much happier; I had noticed the extras in Lake-town, and had eagerly followed the conversation on this forum dealing with them. Honestly, I would think the men of Gondor would have a more Mediterranean cast than the men of Dorwinion; didn't Tolkien say that Minas Tirith was roughly geographically equivalent to Florence or Rome? I've never imagined them as being very pale. Dorwinion, I've never even thought about, but I would think of their land as being more like the Caucasus Area, around the Caspian Sea. And I would love to see a more East Asian culture, with Claudia Kim playing…somebody. Nobody from the far east is ever mentioned.
Also, the skin-color of the men from Rhovanion who intermarried with the royal family of Gondor in the Third Age, leading to the Kin-Strife, is never specified, is it? It might be in UT, I can't remember (I need a copy of that book).

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

I find myself disagreeing vehemently with a thought I found expressed on TORN, that people were considering Henry Mortensen as young Aragorn; I don't see that working at all. Nicholas Hoult, another choice on that list, is, I admit, a fine actor, but I'm not sure I want him in Middle-earth just now, and I don't think he looks rough enough to pull off the role. I am quite puzzled about who SHOULD play Aragorn, though. Nobody comes to mind instantly.

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

Though, as Nicholas Hoult will be playing Tolkien in the biopic (has anybody even heard from that project recently?), then it might be interesting to have him play Aragorn, with the woman playing Edith Bratt as Arwen

[Denethor]

If the TV series ends up focusing on the Rings of Power and the Second Age, rather than Aragorn, that pretty much only leaves Elrond and Galadriel to be re-cast, unless they're using flashbacks from the Aragorn era to tell the older story.

[Otaku-sempai]

If the TV series ends up focusing on the Rings of Power and the Second Age, rather than Aragorn, that pretty much only leaves Elrond and Galadriel to be re-cast, unless they're using flashbacks from the Aragorn era to tell the older story.

If the series is set in the Second Age and before the fall of Númenor, how would you cast Sauron/Annatar? If I could get either of them, I might cast Jude Law or Benedict Cumberbatch.

[Thor 'n' Oakenshield]

Jude Law, or Rami Malek, are the two choices that spring to my mind instantly. If they were going for an older take on Sauron, then maybe Mads Mikkelsen. Or Christian Bale could be interesting.

[Elmtree]

Oh my... I remember in 1999, speculating online on who would be cast in Lord of the Rings. Memories....

I would be doubtful for any connection (other than the original source material) to Jacksons' works or his actors in any of the roles.