Ciaran Hinds and Rory Kinnear to star in The Rings Of Power series two

Ciaran Hinds, Rory Kinnear and Tanya Moodie are all set to star in the forthcoming second series of The Rings Of Power.

The Lord Of The Rings spin-off, which is inspired by author JRR Tolkien’s extended notes, launched on Amazon streaming service Prime Video last year.

The programme’s second series, which is currently in production in the UK, will see Belfast-born actor Hinds, 70, join the cast.

In 2021, Hinds starred as Pop in Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical film Belfast, a role which saw him nominated for both an Oscar and a Bafta.

He has also featured in Steven Spielberg’s Munich and Martin Scorsese’s Silence, as well as Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and is the voice of Grand Pabbie in Frozen and Frozen II.

Hinds has had a successful television career, having played Mance Rayder in Game Of Thrones, and has also starred in numerous stage shows.

Joining Hinds in The Rings Of Power series two is 45-year-old Kinnear, who is best known for his role as Bill Tanner in a trio of James Bond films – Quantum Of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre.

Kinnear has also starred in the Bafta award-nominated The Imitation Game and more recently featured in 2022 film Men, alongside Jessie Buckley and Paapa Essiedu.

On stage, Kinnear has performed in a variety of shows, including Othello at the National Theatre in 2013 which earnt him an Olivier Award for best actor for his portrayal of Lago.

Canadian-born British actress Moodie, 50, will join Hinds and Kinnear as a new recurring cast member in The Rings Of Power.

The series, set thousands of years before the events of the world-renowned The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings books, follows the events of the Second Age and the forging of the famous rings.

Since landing on Prime Video in September, the first series – consisting of eight episodes – has been viewed by more than 100 million people, according to Amazon.

Moodie previously scooped the Royal Television Society’s Breakthrough Award for her portrayal of Meg in BBC comedy Motherland.

She has recently starred as Delila in Sam Mendes’ Empire Of Light, alongside Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward.

Moodie also has extensive theatre credits, having performed in productions of Hamlet, Intimate Apparel and The House That Will Not Stand, among others.

The newly announced cast members join existing stars of the series, including Morfydd Clark, Robert Aramayo and Sir Lenny Henry.