The cast for Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV show continues to grow as Morfydd Clark has been cast in a major role. The actress is set to play Galadriel, a character fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's books and Peter Jackson's movies will certainly be familiar with. This is particularly important as it marks one of the first confirmations of a major character from the novels appearing in the series.

According to a new report, Morfydd Clark is set to star in a lead role in the show. Other confirmed cast members include Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle and Maxim Baldry. Recently, We're the Millers and Maze Runner star Will Poulter, who had also been cast in a leading role, departed the show. It's not yet clear who he was going to play or who will be coming in to fill those shoes. Clark, meanwhile, will be playing a younger version of Galadriel, which is telling, as this will be taking place long before the events depicted in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett played the character in both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Galadriel is a royal Elf who was the grandchild of King Finwe and King Olwe. Most importantly, she appears in The Silmarillion, and Tolkien's Unfinished Tales. So there is some unexplored material centering on the character for the creative team to explore. It also, very importantly, opens the door for more familiar characters to show up, which could help to get slightly more casual fans of this universe on board. And Amazon is going to need every set of eyeballs they can get.

Amazon cut a deal with the Tolkien estate to bring this universe to the small screen in 2017. The deal extends for multiple seasons, as well as possible spin-offs. The company has already handed out a season 2 renewal, long before the show's first episode even debuts. Previous reports have estimated that, all told, the show could cost $1 billion, making it one of the most expensive endeavors in the history of television. With the streaming wars heating up as everyone tries to catch up with Netflix, prestige titles such as this have become increasingly important. But that is a large sum of money.

J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) is on board to direct the first two episodes of the show. While many details remain under wraps, the show will take place during the Second Age, which ends with the fall of Sauron. So it's entirely possible we could see Sauron's rise to power as the series unfolds. There is still no word on when production will begin, nor is it clear when the show will make its debut, though late 2020 doesn't seem out of the question. We'll be sure to keep you posted as further details are made available. This news comes to us via Variety.