As Prime Video gears up for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, it’s unveiled the first look at Círdan the Shipwright, a favorite character of Tolkien fans.
In Thursday’s announcement, the streaming platform also solved a long casting mystery: who Ben Daniels will be playing. Daniels, known for roles in House of Cards, The Crown, Jupiter’s Legacy, and a recent turn in Interview With the Vampire, was cast in an unspecified role back in 2022, and now we know that he’ll be the one playing Círdan. Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay previously revealed to TIME that Círdan would indeed be in Season 2, but didn’t confirm who would play him.
You can see the first image of Daniels as Círdan below.
Unlike several characters introduced in Rings of Power, Círdan isn’t a new one to Tolkien lore. While he doesn’t appear much directly in The Lord of the Rings, he’s crucial to Middle-earth history, being attached to several important events in the Second Age. Here’s Prime Video’s official description of the character:
Círdan the Shipwright is Master of the Grey Havens and a font of wisdom even among the High Elves. An expert ship-builder, Círdan is also the original bearer of Narya, one of the three Elven Rings of Power designed by Celebrimbor. In Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, he also serves as a mentor to Elrond.
Círdan has often been cited as one of Tolkien’s more underrated characters, so let’s hope he gets a decent spotlight in Season 2.
The Círdan news is only the latest detail that’s been revealed about Rings of Power Season 2. We got tons of insight during our visit to the set last year (check out the full breakdown here), and also recently caught a glimpse of a new character who might have some major implications for the canon.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 debuts on Prime Video on August 29, 2024.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
