‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Reveals First Look at Ben Daniels as Ancient Elf Círdan

You saw him play a dark angel of death in Interview With the Vampire Season 2, now get ready to see Ben Daniels going to the light as another (mostly) immortal being in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2. TV Insider can announce that Daniels will play Círdan the Shipwright in the upcoming season, a wise Elf pulled directly from J.R.R. Tolkien’s books.

Círdan the Shipwright is Master of the Grey Havens and a font of wisdom even among the High Elves. An expert ship-builder, Círdan is also the original bearer of Narya, one of the three Elven Rings of Power designed by Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). In Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, he also serves as a mentor to Elrond (Robert Aramayo). The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 premieres Thursday, August 29 on Prime Video.

The Grey Havens is the capital of Lindon, the Elven region of Middle-earth over which Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) rules as High King. TV Insider was on set of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 in April 2023. There, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay sang Daniels’ praises.

“The wonderful Ben Daniels is playing Círdan, and he’s a wonderfully classically trained British actor and brings a lot of wisdom and gravitas to the role,” says Payne. McKay says that Daniels brings a lot of “humor and warmth” to Círdan as well. “We really fell in love with him in The Crown and wanted to work with him. We’re thrilled to get him,” McKay adds.

Here’s the first full look at Daniels as Círdan in The Rings of Power Season 2, seen in his boat house:

Ben Rothstein / Prime Video

Daniels is one of the many new characters added to this season. While Payne and McKay couldn’t reveal who actors like Ciarán Hinds are playing, McKay says that “there’s quite a few new characters, but really it’s following the journeys of the characters we’ve invested in for a season. And then there’s a smattering of new folks in the mix who may also continue to rise into major players in the future.”

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We were shown set design art of Círdan’s boat house during the set visit. Supervising Art Director Martin Foley told us that “Círdan is a master boat builder, an ancient Elf. [The boat house] was inspired by ancient Japanese craftsmanship and artisans.”

“That was an amazing set,” Foley says. “We have an interior set on the stage, which was huge and beautiful. It was one of the first sets we did, and then we had an exterior set on the back lot where we had part of a bridge which linked to other islands in the Grey Havens setting. And then we had a lighthouse tower with a huge, like a bonsai tree wrapping around it. The Elves are all about nature, so bringing nature into our architecture and then trying to get that subtle amount so it’s not in your face is a challenge.”

Foley adds that creating sets like Círdan’s is “one of the nicest things to do for an art department. It’s a joy.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 2 Premiere, Thursday, August 29, Prime Video