Entertainment Movies Historical Movies 'Game of Thrones' Actors Set to Star in New 'Lord of the Rings' Amazon Series The series will explore storylines set before the events in the first Lord of the Rings novel, The Fellowship of the Ring By Eric Todisco Eric Todisco Eric Todisco is a former digital news writer at PEOPLE. He left PEOPLE in 2021. People Editorial Guidelines and Scott Huver Scott Huver Scott Huver is a freelance writer-reporter at PEOPLE. He has been writing about entertainment, celebrity, pop culture, crime, fashion and the Los Angeles area for over 20 years. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 15, 2020 12:56PM EST Winter is coming to Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series. During the TCA’s presentation on Tuesday, the streaming service unveiled the first group of series regulars for the show — including two Game of Thrones alumni: Robert Aramayo, who played a young Ned Stark, and Joseph Mawle, who portrayed Benjen Stark, Ned’s younger brother. Aramayo, 27, will play the reported protagonist role that was previously vacated by Midsommar actor Will Poulter, who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. No details have been shared yet about Mawle’s role. The cast also includes Owain Arthur (A Confession), Nazanin Boniadi (Hotel Mumbai), Tom Budge (The Proposition), Morfydd Clark (His Dark Materials), Ismael Cruz Cordova (The Mandalorian), Ema Horvath (The Gallows Act II), Markella Kavenagh (The Cry), Tyroe Muhafidin (Caravan) and more. Jeremy Chan/Getty; Nick Harvey/Shutterstock Lord of the Rings TV Series Gets Multi-Season Order at Amazon The series is led by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. They are joined by filmmaker J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage, Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom), who is directing the first two episodes and serving as an executive producer, along with his partner, Belén Atienza. Additional executive producers include Lindsey Weber (10 Cloverfield Lane), Bruce Richmond (Game of Thrones), Gene Kelly (Boardwalk Empire), Sharon Tal Yguado, Gennifer Hutchison (Breaking Bad), Jason Cahill (The Sopranos) and Justin Doble (Stranger Things). THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, Elijah Wood, 2003, (c) New Line/courtesy Everett Collection The Witcher Author on New Netflix Show Starring Henry Cavill: I Want to ‘Leave the Viewers Hot’ “After undertaking an extensive global search, we are delighted finally to reveal the first group of brilliant performers who will take part in Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings series,” J.D. Payne and McKay said in a press release. “These exceptionally talented women and men are more than just our actors: they are the newest members of an ever-expanding creative family that is now working tirelessly to bring Middle-earth to life anew for fans and audiences worldwide.” Set to take place in the Second Age of Middle-earth, the series will explore new storylines preceding the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s first LOTR novel, The Fellowship of the Ring. Production on the TV adaptation of the Academy Award-winning films and the beloved books will begin in February. The series was also given an early season 2 renewal in November. The Lord of the Rings series will premiere on Amazon in 2021.