'Game Of Thrones' Alum Robert Aramayo Replaces Will Poulter As Lead In Amazon's 'Lord Of The Ring' Series

Amazon's The Lord of the Rings series has found its new lead in Game of Thrones alum Robert Aramayo. The actor best known for playing young Ned Stark in the HBO fantasy series will lead the Lord of the Rings TV series cast, replacing Will Poulter, who exited the project due to scheduling conflicts, in the young hero role referred to as Beldor.

Deadline broke the news that Aramayo has been tapped to lead Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV series, taking over from Will Poulter (Midsommar), who had been in negotiations to play the young hero Beldor.

While Beldor isn't an established character in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy series, there is a character named Baldor who lived during the Third Age of Middle-Earth — an unlikely connection since the series is reported to be set during the Second Age, long before the events of The Fellowship of The Ring. The era is known as the Age of Númenor, a 3,441-year period during which the One Ring was forged. Not many details have been released yet on Amazon's Lord of the Rings series, though it will reportedly focus on "previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien's original writings."

Aramayo is best known for playing young Ned Stark, the character first played by Sean Bean, in Game of Thrones — which makes for a fun Lord of the Rings connection for the actor. He has also starred in The Standoff at Sparrow Creek and the most recent season of Netflix's Mindhunter. I can't say I know much of what to expect from him, though it sure looks like he can wield a sword.

Aramayo will join a cast that includes Morfydd Clark, who was recently cast as a young Galadriel, as well as Markella Kavenagh, and Joseph Mawle, though none of these actors have been confirmed by Amazon. Poulter was by far the biggest name of the cast, so it's a bit of a gamble for Amazon to invest so much in a costly series lead by a lesser-known actor, but it seems like the company is all in, already renewing the show for a second season. J.A. Bayona will helm the first two episodes of the series, which is being overseen by JD Payne and Patrick McKay.

No premiere date has been set yet, but the Lord of the Rings TV series is expected to arrive on Amazon in 2021.