Amazon has apparently (re-)found its lead star for its upcoming Middle-earth series: Robert Aramayo, who played the younger version of Ned Stark in HBO’s Game of Thrones.
Deadline first reported the news, saying that he was replacing Will Poulter (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Midsommar). Poulter had previously been cast as one of the series’ leads, but had since reportedly dropped out due to his schedule.
Aramayo joins a growing cast for the series, which includes Morfydd Clark (Young Galadriel), Markella Kavenagh, Maxim Baldry, Ema Horvath, and Joseph Mawle as the show’s antagonist, Oren. In November, Amazon revealed that it had given the series an early second season renewal.
Set in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, Amazon’s series is set millennia before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Amazon has said little about the series, but has revealed that it’ll be set during the Second Age of the world, potentially teasing that it’ll explore the rise of Sauron and the fall of Númenor.