Will Poulter leaves Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show

Amazon’s Lord of the Rings has lost one of its main cast members. Variety reports that Will Pouter (Bandersnatch, Midsommar), the first actor we learned was cast in the show, has left because of scheduling issues.

I can’t imagine what project was good enough to lure Poulter away from this insanely expensive show that has already been picked up for a second season. We don’t know exactly who Poulter was going to play, although it may have been a character named Beldor.

Amazon does have a bunch of other cast members in place. There’s Australian actress Markella Kavenagh as Tyra…

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 03: Markella Kavenagh attends the 2018 AACTA Awards Presented by Foxtel | Industry Luncheon at The Star on December 3, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images for AFI)

Game of Thrones veteran Joseph Mawle as a villain named Oren…

Image: Game of Thrones/HBO

…Maxim Baldry in a “significant” role…

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 22: Maxim Baldry attends the HBO’s Post Emmy Awards Reception at The Plaza at the Pacific Design Center on September 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

…and new hire Ema Horvath in an unnamed role:

Amazon’s show is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, when men have taken residence ont he isle of Númenor, the elves of Middle-earth are still holding pretty strong, and Sauron is busy forging the rings of power. Outside of some leaked audition dialogue, that’s about all we know.

Amazon is currently gearing up to film the show in New Zealand. Hopefully, Poulter’s exit doesn’t mean that the series is already in trouble. We’ll light the beacons if we find out there’s more.

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