Casting has begun on Amazon’s massive Lord of the Rings series based on J.R.R. Tolkien‘s classic books, and one of the lead roles has now been filled.

It’s being reported that Will Poulter has joined the show as one of the main characters, though it has not yet been revealed which character that is. Poulter is known for his work in Son of Rambow, We’re the Millers, The Maze Runner, The Revenant, Detroit, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, and the recent Midsommar among others.

Into the Badlands
Season 1
Blu-ray | DVD | Amazon Instant
Created by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Directed by David Dobkin, Guy Ferland
Written by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Justine Juel Gillmer, Michael Jones-Morales, Justin Doble, Michael R. Perry
Starring Daniel Wu, Orla Brady, Sarah Bolger, Aramis Knight, Emily Beecham, Oliver Stark, Madeleine Mantock, Ally Ioannides, Marton Csokas, Daniel Burford, Nick Frost
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release Date: November 8, 2016

Created by Al Gough and Miles Millar, AMC’s Into the Badlands sliced its way onto TV in the Fall of 2015. The show was the third highest-rated premiere season in cable history, and the special edition Blu-ray is now available A beautiful blend of martial arts action, insane fight choreography, and period-style drama, Into the Badlands was the story of a dystopian future in which society as we know it has collapsed and is replaced by a futuristic style of feudalism. There are forts led by powerful barons, and each baron has an army of well trained soldiers.

Stranger Things
Episode 1.5 “Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat,” 1.6 “Chapter Six: The Monster,” 1.7 “Chapter Seven: The Bathtub”
Written by Alison Tatlock (1.5), Jesse Nickson-Lopez (1.6), Justin Doble (1.7)
Directed by The Duffer Brothers (1.5, 1.6, 1.7)
Created by The Duffer Brothers
Starring Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, Cara Buono, Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, Charlie Heaton, Matthew Modine, Joe Keery, John Reynolds, Joe Chrest
Netflix
Air date: Friday, July 15, 2016

The first half of Netflix’s new miniseries Stranger Things deals with loss – loss of loved ones, loss of sanity, loss of everything you hold true. The series, created by the Duffer Brothers (Matt & Ross), takes everything we loved about the early 80s work of Spielberg, Stephen King, and others, and puts together a wonderful and mysterious world paying homage to their many inspirations as they go along. Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) disappeared when a monstrous thing followed him home and took him. His mother (Winona Ryder) is beside herself, and mysterious electrical disturbances in her home lead her to believe Will is trying to contact her. Will’s friends, Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) are frantic to find their lost friend, but instead find a bizarre young girl, tattooed 011 on her wrist. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is of few words, but possesses a form of telekinesis and has mind control abilities. We see through flashbacks to her in a research facility. This facility, we know is also harboring a Lovecraftian monster with a rift or portal… to where we do not know yet.

Spoilers below.

Stranger Things
Episode 1.2 “Chapter 2: The Weirdo of Maple Street,” 1.3 “Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly,” 1.4 “Chapter 4: The Body”
Written by The Duffer Brothers (1.2), Jessica Mecklenburg (1.3), Justin Doble (1.4)
Directed by The Duffer Brothers (1.2), Shawn Levy (1.3 & 1.4)
Created by The Duffer Brothers
Starring Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, Cara Buono, Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, Charlie Heaton, Matthew Modine, Joe Keery, John Reynolds, Joe Chrest
Netflix
Air date: Friday, July 15, 2016

Stranger Things is the latest binge-worthy effort to hit Netflix, with all 8 episode debuting on July 15th. Check out my review of the first episode here: Chapter 1.

Hitting all the good nostalgia checkmarks, the show lets its audience know who the creators grew up with. Movie posters adorn the kids’ walls showing Jaws, The Thing, Evil Dead, etc. Stranger Things takes place in Hawkins, Indiana in the winter of 1983, where something has escaped from a Department of Energy research facility and a young boy is now missing. At the same time, a strange young girl mysteriously shows up and encounters the boy’s friends who are out desperately searching for him. There are evil government scientists, led by Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) hunting the girl and hiding some giant monster in the facility.

Spoilers below.

Into The Badlands
Episode 1.5 “Snake Creeps Down”
Directed by Guy Ferland
Written by Michael Jones-Morales, Alfred Gough, Justin Doble
Starring Gabe Begneaud, Nazeema Bartek, Daniel Wu, Ruby Lou Smith, Aramis Knight, Ally Ioannides, Stephen Lang, Emily Beecham, Morgan Benoit, Marton Csokas, Sarah Bolger, Madeleine Mantock, Oliver Stark
AMC
Air date: Sunday, December 13, 2015, 10pm

Sunny has a way out of the Badlands… unfortunately it comes at a steep price. The River King wants the head of the boy who killed his crew; the head of M.K. (Aramis Knight). He is in high demand as he is also wanted by The Widow (Emmy Beecham). She wants whatever power possesses M.K. to help her alliance fight against Baron Quinn (Martin Csokas); an alliance that now includes Quinn’s son Ryder (Oliver Stark). Quinn is trying to stave off threats from all sides. There is The Widow and other barons who want him gone for trying to provoke war, and more pressing is the brain tumor eating away at his abilities and sanity. Time is running out for Sunny (Daniel Wu). The war on Into The Badlands between the barons is becoming unavoidable, and he has a pregnant girlfriend in a time and place where pregnancies are not congratulatory events.

Spoilers below.