Last month, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced that Warner Bros. Pictures had brokered a deal that would allow the studio to make multiple films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s high fantasy tales of Middle-earth, including The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and others. Studio heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy haven’t yet announced any specific vision for upcoming LOTR-based projects but, giving that the history of Middle-earth spans literal millennia, it would seem like the sky is the limit for the stories they’ll be able to realize.
That said, there are most definitely several characters known to fans of Tolkien’s work that would be well-served by a big (or small) screen adaptation — including some that fans have been clamoring to see for years. Here are ten of the most important Tolkien characters that could materialize on screens near you.
Tom Bombadil
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that fans would love to see Tom Bombadil finally make it to the big screen. Although the enigmatic forest dweller, described by many as an embodiment of the natural world of Middle-earth itself, played a major role in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, he has never been portrayed in any of the animated or live-action adaptations of the author’s work — a fact that was loudly decried by Tolkien fans when the first Peter Jackson film was released.
Bombadil is the protagonist of Tolkien’s book-length poem “The Adventures of Tom Bombadil,” which could conceivably be the basis for a film project. However, some feel that Bombadil, said to be in his own way as powerful as Sauron, perhaps even more so, may be a little too redoubtable to make for a convincing protagonist.
Fëanor
Perhaps the greatest and most tragic elf in the history of Middle-earth, Fëanor is the inciting character of The Silmarillion, the tales that predate the Lord of the Rings and The Rings of Power. Prince of the Noldor elves and perhaps the greatest elven craftsman, gem-smith, and warrior of all of Tolkien’s works, Fëanor forged the Silmarils, the gems that preserved the light of the Great Trees. Yet in his very pride, the Silmarils’ maker became the reason they were stolen by the dark lord, who Fëanor himself renamed Morgoth. Fëanor’s burning pride led to the sundering of the Elven clans, and the return of the Noldor to Middle-earth, forever dooming the lands of Beleriand that were occupied in the first age.
While Prime has explored the second age of Middle-earth, Amazon does not own the rights to produce stories from The Silmarillion. If WBD has acquired them, it’s likely only a matter of time before we see characters like Fëanor and the other heroes of the first age appear in an epic movie series of their own.
Túrin Turambar
Túrin Turambar is one of the greatest heroes of men, a cross between a tragic prince Hamlet, and a wandering warrior like Robert E. Howard’s Conan. His saga of loss, revenge, and sorrow, which was dominated by a curse from the dark lord Morgoth, formed the primary story in Tolkien’s posthumous novel, The Children of Húrin. The tale is easily the greatest human epic in The Silmarillion, and one of the most obvious tales to adapt into a film.
Elros/ Tar-Minyatur
Both Lord of the Rings and Rings of Power have made reference to Elrond‘s brother Elros, son of Eärendil the Mariner. Unlike his brother, the half-elven Elros chose the Gift of Man and became mortal, although incredibly long-lived. Elros and the remaining Edain, the men who stood with the Elves during the War of Wrath that destroyed Morgoth and with him the lands of Beleriand, founded the kingdom of Númenor, where Elros became its first king, Tar-Minyatur.
While Tolkien fans finally got to see the island kingdom of Númenor in The Rings of Power, they have not seen the story of its origin and the journey of its greatest king, who forsook immortality to rule the greatest kingdom of men.
Imrahil
Though it was intended that Imrahil, Prince of the Gondorian land of Dol Amroth, would appear in the original LOTR films, the character ended up on the cutting room floor. In the books, Imrahil was instrumental in the victory of Gondor over the forces of Sauron; his knights of Dol Amroth helped turned the tide at the battle of Cormallen Field, and traveled with Aragorn to the gates of Mordor.
While it’s unlikely that WBD would attempt to remake Return of the King, Imrahil could get his due in a sequel series taking place after the War of the Rings.
The Blue Wizards
The Blue Wizards, or the Ethryn Luin, along with Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast, made up the Istari, five Maiar spirits sent to Middle-Earth to aid the free peoples against Sauron. Tolkien reveals little more than their names, Alatar and Pallando, and that they were sent into the far East and South of Middle-earth — and they still haven’t made an onscreen appearance (although some theorized they might in Rings of Power). As the two have very little literary baggage, WBD could get wildly speculative with their story without upsetting the lore established by the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings movies.
Eorl the Young
Next year, the new anime The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, produced by New Line and Warner Bros., will tell the story of Helm Hammerhand, a legendary King of Rohan, and his war against the Dunlendings. But there’s nothing to prevent WBD from dipping into the same well twice. Eorl the Young was the youngest Lord of the Éothéod, and would go on to become the founder of Rohan, its first King, the ancestor of the House of Eorl, and all the Kings of Rohan.
Durin the Deathless
Rings of Power gave fans their first look at the fully-operational Mines of Moria in all their glory, but with the rights in place, Warner could easily delve deeper into the past than that, to nearly the beginning of Middle-earth itself and the father of the Dwarves, Durin the Deathless. Durin was the founder of the city of Khazad-dûm, and one of the greatest Dwarven kings ever, as well as one of the first dwarves ever created by the great Vala smith, Aulë.
Beren and Lúthien
Aside from the War of the Rings itself, the greatest Tolkien tale of all is that of Beren and Luthien. Beren was a mortal man who fell in love with Luthien, the daughter of Elu Thingol, king of Doriath, and his queen, Melian the Maia, half-elven and half-divine spirit. Though their love was forbidden, Thingol set a terrible bride price for her, one of the precious Silmarils that Morgoth had worn in his iron crown since he stole them from the fortress of Fëanor. Their adventure to regain the jewel — and the terrible fate that befell Beren — make up a legend that became the greatest epic poem of Middle-earth by the time of Bilbo and Frodo. If there’s one story begging to be adapted, it’s this one.
Bandobras ‘Bullroarer’ Took
The most famous hobbit in Middle-earth history before the adventures of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, Bandobras Took, Bilbo’s great-great-grandfather, was known by his nickname “the Bullroarer.” One of the tallest hobbits ever at 4’5″ — surpassed by Merry and Pippin by one inch, after they partook of Ent draft — Bandobras was a legend in The Shire years before Bilbo left Bag End for the Lonely Mountain. Bandobras was tall enough to ride a pony and did so at the Battle of Greenfields, helping to stop a goblin invasion of The Shire in the third age. He personally slew Golfimbul, the goblin king, by taking a club and knocking his head off his body and into a rabbit hole, simultaneously inventing golf.
Published: Mar 7, 2023 06:45 pm