Rings of Power Adds Lenny Henry as Hobbit Ancestor

Hobbits can be returning to Center Earth for Amazon Prime’s upcoming streaming epic, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy, however they will not be the identical homebodies from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings that followers are used to. As an alternative, the present’s creators J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are taking viewers again to the fabled Second Age of legends of Center Earth, 1000’s of years earlier than the occasions of The Lord of the Rings, and are introducing followers to the Harfoots. Extra particularly, The Rings of Energy will introduce Sadoc Burrows of the Harfoots, portrayed by Lenny Henry.

Staying true to Tolkien lore, Payne and McKay consulted the supply of Center Earth’s historical past to discover a race of beings that would convey again the long-lasting Hobbits to a world the place they did not fairly exist but. Enter the Harfoots, an ancestral breed of Hobbits. In keeping with an interview with Empire, Henry says, “We’re a nomadic tribe, shifting with the climate and the fertility of the crops. We’ve massive caravans on picket wheels and we’re excellent at hiding issues, as a result of people are a lot larger than us and produce bother.”

The Harfoots clearly have similarities to the Third Age Hobbits like Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, together with their signature massive furry toes and shorter statures, however these beings haven’t got a set dwelling just like the Shire. Henry says that the Harfoots can be “the standard Tolkien little man,” for The Rings of Energy, offering the extra comedic parts of Center Earth whereas additionally being “extremely courageous.” Henry said:

“Historically, the little folks on this world present comedy but additionally get to be extremely courageous. You’re going to see us run the total gamut of feelings and actions on this journey”

RELATED: Lord of the Rings: 8 Issues to Know About Harfoots Earlier than ‘The Rings of Energy’ Sequence

English actor and comic, Henry started his profession when he gained a televised expertise present, touchdown him a job on the TV sitcom collection The Fosters as Sonny Foster. With a Har-foot within the door, Henry filmed his personal stand-up comedy film Lenny Henry: Lenny Dwell and Unleashed in 1989, placing him on the map for Walt Disney. Different credit embrace Chef!, Penelope, The Pirates! Bands of Mischief and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Henry additionally spoke about how the function of Sadoc Burrows supplies not solely a outstanding function for folks of shade however an area within the fantasy style, as properly. “If you happen to can’t see it, you’ll be able to’t be it,” Henry says, “Lastly, on this present, youngsters are going to see folks of shade taking on house within the heart of a fantasy collection. We’re very seen on this world and that’s very thrilling.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy premieres on Amazon Prime on September 2.