‘The Rings of Power’: Sam Hazeldine to Replace Joseph Mawle as Adar in Season 2

Joseph Mawle as Adar in 'The Rings of Power' (left); Sam Hazeldine (right)
Prime Video

Joseph Mawle will not return as Adar in The Rings of Power Season 2 at Prime Video, the streamer announced December 1. The Orc leader will instead be played by Sam Hazeldine (Slow Horses, The Sandman, Peaky Blinders). Why Mawle is leaving the series is unknown.

Additionally, six more actors have been added to The Rings of Power Season 2 cast: Gabriel Akuwudike (Hanna, Ridley Road, War of the Worlds), Yasen “Zates” Atour (The Witcher Season 2, Young Wallander), Ben Daniels (Jupiter’s Legacy, The Crown Season 3), newcomer Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle (Persuasion), and Nicholas Woodeson (Skyfall, Rome). Details about their characters will be revealed at a later date. The fantasy series is currently in production in the U.K.

Check out the new cast members of The Rings of Power, below. (Top row, left to right: Hazeldine, Atour, Daniels. Bottom row, left to right: Woodeson, Towle, Akuwudike, Kenworthy.)

'The Rings of Power' Season 2 new cast members

Prime Video

Mawle’s Adar was the main villain of Season 1 until Sauron (Charlie Vickers) was revealed in the finale. Adar, one of the first Orcs, will likely be an adversary against Sauron in Season 2. It seems all other Season 1 cast members will be returning in the new episodes, save for Sir Lenny Henry, whose Harfoot leader, Sadoc Burrows, died in The Rings of Power finale.

“Since its premiere, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been bringing audiences together to experience the magic and wonder of J.R.R. Tolkien’s magnificent Middle-earth,” Vernon Sanders, Head of Global Television, Amazon Studios, said in a statement. “To date, season one is the top original series for Prime Video in every region and has been viewed by over 100 million people worldwide, a truly global hit that speaks to the universal nature of powerful storytelling. We welcome these wonderful actors to our ‘fellowship’ and look forward to telling more incredible Second Age stories in Season 2.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 1, Streaming Now, Prime Video