The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power trailer from Amazon
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English actor Daniel Weyman portrays a mysterious new arrival to Middle Earth known only as the Stranger in Amazon Prime Video’s brand new Lord of the Rings prequel, The Rings of Power. Express.co.uk recently caught up with both Daniel and the fantasy series’ co-showrunners to shed some light on who the Harfoots’ strange companion could be.
Showrunners Patrick McKay and JD Payne could not outright confirm if Daniel was portraying an early iteration of the wizard Gandalf.
The iconic sorcerer was previously portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen in both the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, and the Stranger bears more than a striking resemblance.
However, his identity could remain a mystery long after his stunning arrival from the stars at the end of episode one, whereupon he’s found in a fiery crater by the Harfoot Nori (Markella Kavenagh).
In his exclusive conversation with Express.co.uk, Patrick already anticipated fans’ predictions of where the character could be headed after the Second Age of Middle Earth.
“In some ways, I would say it’s not a secret,” he said. “What you see is what you get.”
Daniel’s appearance as the Stranger certainly alludes to the classic Gandalf the Grey, complete with a long beard and grey cloak.
Even so, Nori soon discovers the powerful yet confused man has a long way to go before he becomes the familiar guide the Hobbits learn to trust during the battle against Sauron.
Patrick continued: “We’re not really all about, like, withholding information from the audience, or some huge twist or some huge reveal. We’re more about the journey.
“And this is a being who has fallen from what appears to be the stars. Stars are important to Tolkien, magic is important in Tolkien. It can be used for good or evil.
“And you’re seeing this being, sort of, find his footing and find himself.
“There’s a whole story there, that hopefully is emotionally engaging and surprising and delightful regardless of what his name may or may not turn out to be.”
Prime Video has already set its sights on 50 hours of content based on Tolkien’s world, so the identity of the Stranger and other iconic characters could be explored even further in the coming years.
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As the Stranger is currently unable to communicate with or even completely trust his short-statured helpers, it may be some time before he accepts the moniker of Gandalf the Grey.
Actor Daniel is also excited to see how viewers will handle this vastly different interpretation of such a beloved character.
“What I’m really excited about is people who know this material, because obviously, this is going to be Second Age stuff,” he told Express.co.uk.
“Nobody’s seen this on screen before. People might know the story from earlier books, but when they watch this, both the newcomers and the people who know it, they’re going to find a huge amount of mystery and enigma; the shadow is dark at times.
“And, I think, hopefully, the fact that we’ve managed to keep that to ourselves will allow people to experience it on the telly, together, every week. And that could be a really special moment.”
He added: “There’s such truth and honesty in every moment that the Stranger has that, actually, I could commit fully to those moments.
“I didn’t feel like I was tricking anybody or there was a plot device being employed. I just thought there was a true, honest depiction of a real, believable character there.”
Whether or not the Stranger is who fans believe he is, or perhaps a completely different wizard altogether, the world of Middle Earth already appears to be in very safe hands.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres Friday, September 2 on Amazon Prime Video.
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