The new cast members hailing from New Zealand include Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Peter Tait, Alex Tarrant, and Leon Wadham. Rounding out the list of newcomers is a group of performers originating from Australia, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and the United States, including Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Maxim Baldry, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Simon Merrells, Geoff Morrell, Peter Mullan, Lloyd Owen, Augustus Prew, Benjamin Walker, and Sara Zwangobani.
Lord of the Rings recently made headlines when multiple cast members of the film trilogy and others associated with the franchise called on fans to help save the late Tolkien’s house. Among those involved in the campaign is Sir Ian McKellen, who portrayed Gandalf in both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
In a video announcement, McKellen noted that the campaign cannot raise the funds needed to purchase the house without donations from fans. If the project is successful, the campaign intends to property into a literary center dedicated to Tolkien.
