<p class="title">Amazon.com Inc unveiled the first cast of actors for its highly anticipated <em>The Lord of the Rings</em> streaming television series on Tuesday, including two <em>Game of Thrones</em> veterans, and said production would begin in New Zealand next month.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Among the 15 cast members are the British actors Robert Aramayo, who portrayed a young Ned Stark, and Joseph Mawle, who played Benjen Stark on HBO's medieval fantasy hit <em>Game of Thrones</em>.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Others coming to<em> Lord of the Rings</em> include British theater actor Owain Arthur, British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi, Australian actor Tom Budge, British actress Morfydd Clark, and Slovak-American actress Ema Horvath, the company said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"After undertaking an extensive global search, we are delighted finally to reveal the first group of brilliant performers who will take part in Amazon’s <em>The Lord of the Rings</em> series, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"These exceptionally talented women and men are more than just our actors, they are the newest members of an ever-expanding creative family that is now working tirelessly to bring Middle-earth to life anew for fans and audiences worldwide," they added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The TV adaptation will explore new storylines preceding author J.R.R. Tolkien's <em>The Fellowship of the Ring</em>, the first installment in the famed fantasy trilogy set in the fictional land of Middle-earth.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Amazon announced the cast at a Television Critics Association event where TV networks preview upcoming shows.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The series still has a "few key roles left to cast," said Vernon Sanders, Amazon's co-head of television.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The company did not reveal details about the roles the actors would play or the storyline. </p>
<p class="title">Amazon.com Inc unveiled the first cast of actors for its highly anticipated <em>The Lord of the Rings</em> streaming television series on Tuesday, including two <em>Game of Thrones</em> veterans, and said production would begin in New Zealand next month.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Among the 15 cast members are the British actors Robert Aramayo, who portrayed a young Ned Stark, and Joseph Mawle, who played Benjen Stark on HBO's medieval fantasy hit <em>Game of Thrones</em>.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Others coming to<em> Lord of the Rings</em> include British theater actor Owain Arthur, British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi, Australian actor Tom Budge, British actress Morfydd Clark, and Slovak-American actress Ema Horvath, the company said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"After undertaking an extensive global search, we are delighted finally to reveal the first group of brilliant performers who will take part in Amazon’s <em>The Lord of the Rings</em> series, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"These exceptionally talented women and men are more than just our actors, they are the newest members of an ever-expanding creative family that is now working tirelessly to bring Middle-earth to life anew for fans and audiences worldwide," they added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The TV adaptation will explore new storylines preceding author J.R.R. Tolkien's <em>The Fellowship of the Ring</em>, the first installment in the famed fantasy trilogy set in the fictional land of Middle-earth.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Amazon announced the cast at a Television Critics Association event where TV networks preview upcoming shows.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The series still has a "few key roles left to cast," said Vernon Sanders, Amazon's co-head of television.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The company did not reveal details about the roles the actors would play or the storyline. </p>