Yet, beneath the thin veneer of a friendly professional parting lies apparent frustration, a phenomenon that is far from unique when it comes to this production.
“I sincerely thank the extraordinary cast and crew for their love, support and friendship over what has been a very difficult and unusual experience. Alas, some things just cannot be.”
A post shared by Tom Budge (@tombudgeofecal)
(UPDATE: We’ve since been told that this was “a studio decision” and confirmed that they were looking for a “different direction” for the mystery character)
While having a few cast members drop out is not an intrinsic sign of trouble, it represents a trend mirrored behind the scenes. Notably, the once-promising consultancy of former Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman abruptly ended before the pilot was completed, according to TheOneRing. Along with an array of producer exits, the production also declined the services of artist John Howe, a longtime illustrator and map-maker for J.R.R. Tolkien literature, who—along with fellow legend Alan Lee—set the mythology’s live-action aesthetic template as one of the lead artists on director Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Additionally, prominent Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey, who was serving as a consultant on the series, “unamicably” exited.
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