Lord Of The Rings' Balrog Finally Has A Voice, And You Will Literally Never Guess The Actor

Prime Video

It wouldn't be "The Lord of the Rings" without some serious talent making a cameo appearance. "The Hobbit" famously put J.R.R. Tolkien scholar Stephen Colbert in the middle of the action in "The Desolation of Smaug," and now another celebrity nerd is set to join the fray in Prime Video's "The Rings of Power" series. You'll never see this one coming.

The world of Middle-earth is currently invading the hallowed grounds of San Diego Comic-Con, as "The Rings of Power" is hosting its buzzy panel for lucky attendees of Hall H. During a conversation between co-showrunners J.D. Payne and and Patrick McKay with several of the cast (moderated by no less a talent than the High King Gil-galad, actor Benjamin Walker), Amazon showed off the most unexpected surprise of all: an in-room featurette revealing that Simon Pegg has joined the cast as the voice of the ancient fiery demon known as the Balrog.

Yeah, you read that correctly. Remember that monstrous creature that (spoiler alert) killed the beloved wizard Gandalf in "The Fellowship of the Ring" and similarly popped up to wreak some havoc in "The Rings of Power" Seasons 1 and 2? Well, not to reference an infamous meme from "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," but apparently they talk now. You'll get to hear the melodic voice of the fan-favorite "Mission: Impossible" and "Star Trek" star bring that to life. What a time to be alive, folks. And that's not even the end of it, as "The Rings of Power" announced a trio of other casting announcements as well, which we'll dig into below.

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"The Rings of Power" has already made a habit of putting its own twist on "The Lord of the Rings" lore, whether it be shaking up the timeline of the series compared to the books or inventing whole new characters to play significant roles in the action. But nothing can quite compare to what might be the prequel's newest canon-altering change. Longtime fans of the books have always debated several mysteries surrounding those flame-spitting Balrogs — how big they're supposed to be, whether they have wings, and, yes, whether or not they could actually talk. That last part has now been confirmed, at least, as Simon Pegg will now forever be known as the voice of the Balrog in the show.

How, exactly, remains to be seen, and we're certainly looking forward to hearing whatever effects are used to modulate the actor's distinctive tones — but that's not even the only development for us to chew over. "The Rings of Power" has also added three new cast members that should raise eyebrows among Tolkien acolytes everywhere. In addition to Pegg, Season 3 will also include the great character actor Eddie Marsan as the dwarf Thrain, the elder brother of Durin IV (Owain Arthur). Andrew Richardson will portray Anárion, the youngest son of Elendil (Lloyd Owen) and brother of Isildur (Maxim Baldry). Finally, Adam Young will play an original character named Marnûkh, a mysterious Orc who apparently helps our heroes on their journey.

For now, we'll have to wait and see how this all comes together. Season 3 of "The Rings of Power" debuts November 11, 2026 on Prime Video.