‘Game of Thrones’ actor Joseph Mawle cast as lead villain in ‘Lord of the Rings’ TV series

Game of Thrones alum Joseph Mawle has been cast as the lead villain in Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings series.

The Benjen Stark actor was added to the expanding roster of talent earlier this week, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Mawle, 45, will star opposite Australian actress Markella Kavenagh and Will Poulter (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch), who were cast as the show’s protagonists — Tyra and Beldor — earlier this year.

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No details regarding Mawle’s onscreen character have been revealed; however, it’s been reported by Deadline that he will portray the series’ primary antagonist, Oren.

Mawle appeared in only eight Game of Thrones episodes. Benjen Stark was the First Ranger of the Night’s Watch and was last seen in the seventh season of the HBO fantasy series. He was the brother of Ned Stark (Sean Bean).

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The currently untitled Lord of the Rings series is set to take place before the events of J. R. R. Tolkien‘s Fellowship of the Ring book trilogy.

J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay (Star Trek: Beyond) will serve as showrunners and main writers for the show, while each episode will be directed by a number of different collaborators, including Juan Antonio Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), who is set to direct the first two episodes.

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The debut season of Lord of the Rings will also feature contributions from producer Belén Atienza, Gennifer Hutchison (Breaking Bad), Jason Cahill (The Sopranos) and Justin Doble (Stranger Things) among others.

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Production on the long-awaited series is expected to commence in 2020.

There is not yet an official release date set for Amazon’s Lord of the Rings.