The Season 2 finale of Rings of Power finally gave us an answer to one of the show’s most pressing questions: What is The Stranger’s name? It turns out, most guesses were right and Daniel Weyman’s wizard is named Gandalf. However, the journey to get to that choice both on screen and off wasn’t a straight path. So, I asked the showrunners how they figured out that this magical being was indeed the iconic Lord of the Rings character, and they told me how the actor who plays him impacted their decision.
Following Rings of Power’s Season 2 run on the 2024 TV schedule, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay told the House of R podcast that The Stranger’s name wasn’t set in stone from the beginning. They wanted to go on the journey Weyman’s character went on and evolve his story to the point where he earned his moniker. So, when I asked about that and how Weyman impacted that process, McKay told me:
Gandalf is such an enormous, revered, totemic figure. I think we were approaching him with proper respect – we can’t just have him, [and be like] ‘There’s Gandalf.’ I mean, like woah, you’re dealing with [an] iconic, beloved [character], you know, it really has to feel like the right thing to even try to touch the hem of that character’s garment.
It makes sense that this is a decision they didn’t make immediately. They needed to take their time with it, and lay the groundwork to justify The Stranger being named Gandalf. And they did.
Part of that is thanks to Daniel Weyman’s take on the magical being too. McKay said it was the actor’s connection with the Nori actress Markella Kavenagh that helped them solidify the choice to make him Gandalf. As we know, in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, the istar has a deep love for halflings. So, when the showrunners saw Weyman’s connection with Kavenagh, who plays the Harfoot halfling who helps The Stranger, it helped hammer home the idea that his name could be Gandalf. To that point, the showrunner said:
I think one of the things that really keyed in was that, particularly [in] Season 1, Daniel and Markella, who plays Nori, had this spooky connection, which is like, you know, ET and Elliot. It’s like they were friends. They needed each other. It was a fateful meeting. And the more that became the sort of anchor we built that storyline around, the more it felt like, ‘Boy, this guy’s relationship to halflings feels like a really key part of who he is.’ Which is, like, ‘Man, that idea we had that like, maybe or maybe he’s not Gandalf. Boy, this feels like Gandalf.’
It sure does feel like Gandalf, and that became especially apparent toward the end of Season 2 too. When he was faced with the idea of helping his friends or finding his destiny, he ultimately went to save Nori, Poppy and the Stoors. His connection to the halflings is vital, and he cares for them, and especially Nori, deeply, which is a clear signal that he is the wizard Ian McKellen played in the films.
Continuing to break down their choice to make The Stranger Gandalf, McKay told me they wanted to make sure they laid the groundwork to give him the name in a respectful and honorable way:
I think we were less like, hadn’t made up our minds, or ‘We don’t know.’ And it was more just wanting to actually earn that name, hopefully. And, you know, that certainly was the respect with which we approached it.
Overall, Weyman and Kavenagh’s connection as Gandalf and Nori helped do exactly that, among other things, and I think it’s safe to say that The Stranger 100% deserved the legendary name he now has.
Now, I can’t wait to see how he continues to live up to it when Rings of Power returns for Season 3. However, while we wait for that, I’ll be going back to stream Seasons 1 and 2 with an Amazon Prime subscription to watch this lovely chemistry between these two actors and their characters that helped confirm that The Stranger is Gandalf.