Ciarán Hinds becomes latest Game of Thrones veteran to join The Rings of Power

Another veteran of Westeros is coming to Middle-earth.

Amazon Prime announced on Monday that Ciarán Hinds, who played wildling leader Mance Rayder on Game of Thrones, will be joining season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in an undisclosed role. He joins Robert Aramayo, who played a younger Ned Stark in Thrones flashbacks and now stars as Elrond on the fantasy series.

That's not the only reason that Hinds' casting is notable, of course. Since his time on Thrones, Hinds earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in Kenneth Branagh's autobiographical 2021 film Belfast, making him the first Oscar-nominated actor to join The Rings of Power.

Helen Sloan/HBO Ciarán Hinds as Mance Rayder on 'Game of Thrones'

In addition to Hinds, Amazon also announced on Monday that Rory Kinnear and Tanya Moodie are joining the cast. Kinnear is perhaps best known for his role on the very first episode of Black Mirror, in which he played a beleaguered British politician who's blackmailed into having sex with a pig on live television, and just last year portrayed the shapeshifting embodiment of patriarchal oppression in Alex Garland's Men. Moodie, meanwhile, recently appeared in Sam Mendes' film Empire of Light and Showtime's TV adaptation of The Man Who Fell to Earth.

Also joining The Rings of Power's second season is Sam Hazeldine, who is taking over the role of orc leader Adar following Joseph Mawle's exit.

By the time season 2 rolls around, The Rings of Power may be facing some competition in the realm of J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations, what with Warner Bros. having announced plans to proceed with new movies based on The Lord of the Rings. No release windows have yet been announced by either studio.

For more on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, listen to EW's new podcast All Rings Considered, featuring in-depth episode breakdowns and exclusive interviews.

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