The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has just unleashed a catastrophe tantamount to the eruption of Mount Doom. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. A little. Along with the actually happy news of 6 new cast members in Season 2, the Farewell to Adar actor Joseph Mawle known and that’s quite a blow. Because he and his character were one of the biggest pluses of the series on Amazon Prime *. His replacement Sam Hazeldine has big shoes to fill.
Why is the Lord of the Rings series recasting Adar?
There is currently no official explanation as to why Amazon is saying goodbye to Joseph Mawle in Season 2 of The Rings of Power. Deadline knows that The decision to replace Adar was made months ago. That’s why the actor, who already starred in the blockbuster fantasy series Game of Thrones, no longer took part in the Lord of the Rings promo tour before the start of the series.
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The Rings of Power: Adar with his orcs
The reasons for replacing Adar can be varied. Already during the shooting of Season 1, an actor was fired – a creative decision at the time. But whether the Adar change has personal or professional roots can only be speculated at the moment. The only thing that is certain is that Adar and Joseph Mawles farewell a real loss is.
Joseph Mawles Adar was a great addition to The Rings of Power
Not all characters from The Rings of Power were received with enthusiasm. But the orc leader Adar agreed: As exciting, multi-faceted villain character he ranks very high in the figure ranking of the Lord of the Rings series. A fallen elf mourning his orc children we could welcome in Middle-earth with open arms. Nothing like this has existed before.
And that’s largely due to cast member Joseph Mawle. The almost deaf English actor made the own role and gave Adar an impressive profile. When he spoke in a menacingly low voice and, even under the mask of his scars, teased sadness out of the smallest facial expression, he lured us into the inner life of the opponent. Even more so after he revealed himself to be an enemy of Sauron.
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Joseph Mawle as Adar in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
There was a longing in Joseph Mawle’s performance. A longing for a better Middle-earth and for an end to his people’s contempt. Thanks to him we felt for the orcs for the first time. Thanks to him, Tolkien’s black-and-white world suddenly took on believable shades of gray. Thanks to him, the non-Tolkien characters in The Rings of Power passed their acid test. But now Adar has to be the Lord of the Rings character redrawn will.
Newcomer Sam Hazeldine will have a difficult time as the new Adar
It falls to Sam Hazeldine (Slow Horses, Peaky Blinders) to follow in Joseph Mawle’s big footsteps. The new British actor has a character face, no question. Even one that we can attest to having a vague resemblance to its predecessor. Hazeldine proved his menace most recently when he appeared as the creepy foster father Barnaby in Netflix’s Sandman.
But one A brilliant achievement to be followed by a second infusion, feels wrong. As if the cogs of a well-running machine are replaced for no (to us) discernible reason – and thus potentially leading to problems that did not exist before. The character of Adar will certainly remain exciting within the new Lord of the Rings narrative. But a break is inevitable because we have to get to know the Moriondor Elf all over again with Sam Hazeldine’s interpretation.
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Sure there were previously recast fantasy characters. Michiel Huisman was clearly the better choice for Daario Naharis in Game of Thrones after Ed Skrein. Mads Mikkelsen even convinced some Johnny Depp fans as the new Grindelwald. However, how Liam Hemsworth is supposed to succeed Henry Cavill in The Witcher is a mystery to most.
One thing is certain: In The Rings of Power it is difficult to say goodbye to Joseph Mawle. Which is why accepting Sam Hazeldine in the role might be difficult at first. As if someone said you only had to put a red beard on any actor to replace Prince Durin (Owain Arthur).
The loss of the radiant Adar actor will be the new Lord of the Rings episodes (as will we) have to deal with first. And the whole Amazon series will suffer as a result.
The Power Rings: Lord of the Rings Series Finale Podcast with Season 2 Outlook
In the grand finale of Episodes 7 and 8, Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power solves the greatest mysteries of Season 1. We discuss the revelations and take a look ahead at what promises the show is already making for Season 2.
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From hidden Lord of the Rings references to promised new characters joining Galadriel and Sauron, we take a close look at the season ending, covering the best and worst moments alike.
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How did you take the news of Joseph Mawle’s Lord of the Rings farewell as Adar?