Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show is moving ahead, with filming now underway over in New Zealand. However, only the first two episodes of Season 1 will be shot. After that production takes a several months hiatus to work on scripts for Season 2. The plan is then to reconvene the production and shoot the rest of Season 1 and Season 2 concurrently.
The new show will deal with events from the Second Age of Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Though, since that Age lasted thousands of years, it’s hard to say exactly where the show will begin. Most of the cast has been announced and paraded before the press. Though, we don’t know exactly who they are all playing. So far the only character which Tolkien fans might be familiar with is Galadriel. The Elven queen is one of the oldest living beings in Middle-earth by the time of The Lord of the Rings story. Now we have a new cast member to add that ever-growing list. Maxim Baldry has signed on and his character is described as having a leading role in the show. That’s all we know really for now about the character Baldry will be playing.
However, why not let us do a little speculation? There is one character who I believe HAS to be in this show, and that’s Sauron. Fans will, of course, remember Sauron as a flaming red eye, and the main antagonist of The Lord of the Rings. However, during the Second Age, things were a little different. Depending on where Amazon set this show, Sauron could be played by a normal non-CGI actor.
Why Sauron?
Until the very end of the Second Age, Sauron was known as Annatar by some. Sauron (or Mairon to give him his oldest name) is an angelic-like being. What I mean by that, is that he was pure spirit, taking on any appearance he wished. Sauron could, therefore, appear Elven, or Human (or even Werewolf) depending on his audience. It was not until the Fall of Numenor (signaling the ending of the Second Age) that Sauron lost this ability.
Surely the most interesting character in this timeline (and for any actor to play) would be Sauron? Since Baldry’s casting announcement there are many fans, like me, who look at the actor and see potential for Sauron. This is merely speculation, so please don’t think we are suggesting for certain Baldry will play Sauron, we don’t know that. It is, however, possible for Sauron not to appear at all in Season 1. Again, it really is going to be dependent on where Amazon begins this story, which we don’t know.
RELATED: Amazon Officially Announces Lord Of The Rings Cast
Baldry is not going to be recognizable to most fans. The actor is probably most known by U.K. audiences for appearing in soap opera Hollyoaks. Baldry has also appeared in Doctor Who. Most recently appearing in the BBC/HBO limited series Years and Years, where he played standout Viktor (see Image above). It should be pointed out that Amazon had stated that the cast was never rounded out. We might then expect even more cast additions as production continues. I doubt it’s urgent for Amazon to cast roles outside of the opening two episodes of Season 1. That’s given the hiatus I mentioned above, which would give them several more months.
The casting of Sauron is the one piece I am waiting on for this show. Is Baldry that character, or will Amazon go for someone a bit more experienced and high profile for that role? My personal top choice has always been Tom Hiddleston of MCU fame. Hiddleston is one of my favorite actors right now, and Sauron would be a very different role to that of Loki. However, I could genuinely see Baldry as someone a little darker. Whether that is the big bad of the Second Age or not, we just don’t know?
If you have an interest in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show then check out my weekly column ‘What This Fan Wants From…’. This week I will be covering Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show, and that should be with you by Thursday or Friday at the latest.
What do you think of Baldry’s casting, do you think he could be Sauron, if not, why not? Leave us your thoughts in the usual spots below.
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