Amazon Studios Boss Talks Joseph Mawle Exiting 'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' & Future of Season 2

Joseph Mawle announced and addressed his exit from Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power earlier this month, just as Prime Video revealed the new actors who were joining the show.

At the time, the 48-year-old actor told fans that his exit was because his job as an actor is “to explore new characters and worlds.”

In a new interview, Vernon Sanders, Head of Global TV for Amazon Studios, opened up about Joseph‘s exit and what season two is going to look like for fans.

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Speaking with Deadline, Vernon first addressed Joseph’s exit as Adar.

“Unfortunately it didn’t work out,” he simply said, adding that “with a show that had this many series regulars and this many recurring characters, it unfortunately happened.”

Vernon added that “Joseph was tremendous and gave an incredible performance. We’re also excited about our new actor. The character of Adar in Season 2 has some really exciting dynamic things to play so I’m telling them to stay tuned.”

Then, speaking of season two, Vernon shared that “it’s going great. Season 1 had so much establishing to do that we now get to have the fun of seeing the story ramp up as Sauron is revealed.”

“I think audiences can look forward to a show that, while it feels true to itself, feels like the stakes are ever higher and now that the rings are in play, seeing what they can do and seeing how the various factions within the world deal with those implications. I think it’s going to be really compelling,” he adds.

He also revealed how the filming location change to the UK is just adding to the content of the show.

“We’re going to new lands, and there are new expansive things happening in season two,” Vernon said. “Part of the benefit of being in the UK is that we’re going to be able to shoot in places that look very different than what we saw in season one. We’re able to shoot all across Europe, and we will see some of that production value on screen.”

Meet all the new additions to season two here.

You can stream the first season of The Rings of Power on Prime Video now.