Simon Pegg must be one of the funniest British actors working, with selected credits including Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul and The World’s End. That’s why many were taken by surprise when he was announced as the voice of the Balrog in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3. But Pegg has some sinister fantasy voice work to his name too, and his recent comments are probably as funny as he’ll get in relation to the role.
“I hope I do pass”
In an Instagram story following the initial casting announcement, Pegg referred to the famous scene in Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring where Gandalf shouts “You shall not pass!” at the Balrog. His comment was: “I hope I do pass. Muster, that is.” It’s a classic Pegg gag, taking what may be the most quoted line in the whole franchise and turning it on himself. But the joke also hints at how seriously he’s taking the job.
Taking on the Balrog means taking on Durin’s Bane, the demon that dragged Gandalf into the abyss beneath Moria. Fans have pictured it as one of the most terrifying creatures in the legendarium for decades. The Balrog has never spoken on screen before, and its ability to speak is disputed even in the legendarium, which varied between claiming the beasts had no speech and having them make certain noises. Plus, commanding armies.
The responsibility comes with deep roots for Pegg. His father read him The Hobbit when he was a child and did all the voices. Now it’s his turn to give voice to Middle-earth, paying back the passion his family instilled in him as a child.
A comedy legend with a darker side
Pegg made his name with Edgar Wright in the cult sitcom Spaced before the two went on to make the Cornetto trilogy. Shaun of the Dead turned the zombie film into a story about a slacker trying to sort his life out. Hot Fuzz let loose a London supercop on a sleepy, sinister village, and The World’s End sent a pub crawl crashing into an alien invasion. He has also played Scotty in the Star Trek reboot films and Benji Dunn in Mission: Impossible. Both are roles where he usually brings the laughs.
His voice work tells a slightly different story. Pegg voiced Reepicheep, the valiant mouse in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. He has also voiced Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black in Hogwarts Legacy and the Entity, the menacing AI in the last two Mission: Impossible films.
Most relevant here is the Chamberlain, skekSil, in Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. The scheming, simpering Skeksis is one of the more unsettling villains in modern fantasy television, and Pegg’s performance is anything but a punchline. If that’s anything to go by, his Balrog will be no laughing matter.
Arriving in Middle-earth
Pegg also appears in Amazon’s “Many Faces” featurette, which also teased a major clue about the Dark Wizard. In it, he recalled the moment the show’s world became real to him. “It was great when I arrived 'cause the first thing I saw was Sauron,” he said. “I thought, OK, yeah, I’m in Middle-earth now.”
His Balrog has unfinished business in the show. In season 2, Durin III woke the creature while wearing one of the Dwarf rings, then sacrificed himself to bury it. The season 3 trailer suggests it won’t stay buried for long. When it rises, expect Pegg to leave the jokes at the door. Especially as the Balrog will clash and negotiate with Sauron himself in Rings of Power season 3, as Sauron’s warfare expands in line with his growing regime.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 premieres on Prime Video on Nov. 11, 2026. Check back with us at Winter Is Coming for the latest news on all things Middle-earth.
Add us as a preferred source on Google