Rings of Power Star Jumps Ship to Yellowstone's Prequel 1923
We have mentioned before that Joseph Mawle, who played Adar on The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, and was one of the more prominent actors in the show, had left the cast.
New details have emerged since then. As it happens, Joseph Mawle left The Rings of Power 's cast to play in 1923, a prequel to Yellowstone, according to Variety.
1923 already boasts an amazing cast, including Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Robert Patrick, Jennifer Ehle, Jerome Flynn, James Badge Dale, Sebastian Roché, Darren Mann, Michelle Randolph, Marley Shelton, Brian Geraghty and Aminah Nieves. Mawle would be in a good company there.
But these news also re-open the question what Mawle's decision to jump ship means for The Rings of Power, now that we know with certainty that he did not leave because of some personal crisis, but because he had an alternate offer, which he considered superior.
Well, the likely answer is "nothing good" – it is difficult to think of a reason for an acclaimed actor to suddenly switch shows that might reflect well on the show he left. Whether that reason is toxic atmosphere on set, fear of embarrassment, or simply thinking that the other show is so much creatively superior (as The Rings of Power is so lavishly funded, money hardly can be at the root of the issue), it is clear that in Mawle's opinion something is going quite wrong with The Rings of Power.
The explanation most complimentary to the show might be Adar simply having a small role in the upcoming seasons, but even that means that the Adar vs. Sauron plotline, which was much expected because it pitted two of the best actors on the show against each other, is not going to happen.
The fan reactions to this are also quite telling. Outside of some obvious jokes like "THEY STOLEEE HIIIM! MYYY PRECIOOOOOOOUUUUSSSSSSS," Redditors wish Mawle the best of luck on the new show.
The overall sentiment can perhaps best be summarized as follows:
"As a fan of both shows, I wish Mawle would have stayed with RoP. RoP needs him a lot more than Yellowstone." (via)
Whatever made Joseph Mawle prefer western to fantasy, it is clear that his move just substantially reduced hype for the second season of The Rings of Power.