Rings Of Power Season 2 Reveals Fan Favorite Character For The First Time In Live Action 

Rory Kinnear, who will play Tom Bombadil in Rings of Power, admitted that he lacked familiarity with the character and the extensive lore of Middle-earth. “There are people who knew it from the books, people who knew it from the films, and there are those who had managed to get to 46 without knowing that much about it at all,” the actor said, acknowledging the weight of expectations.

Although Tom Bombadil predates The Lord of the Rings, he hasn’t appeared on screen until now. “There’s a reason why he hasn’t been in prior adaptations, because in some ways he’s sort of an anti-dramatic character,” Rings of Power showrunner J.D. Payne told Vanity Fair. “He’s not a character who has a particularly strong agenda.”

“He observes drama but largely doesn’t participate in it,” Payne continued. “In Fellowship of the Ring [novel by J.R.R. Tolkien], the characters kind of just go there and hang out for a while, and Tom drops some knowledge on them.” Patrick McKay, who also serves as showrunner, completed the thought, saying, “Knowledge that’s not particularly relevant to anything that they’re doing or about to do.”

Although Tom Bombadil isn’t essential to any Middle-earth story, Tolkien liked him so much that he included him in most. He first appeared in a 1934 poem titled The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, long before the novels were published in the 1950s. The poem showcases Bombadil as a merry individual who lives in a small valley near the Withywindle River. There, he wanders and explores nature at his leisure.

Throughout the poem, he is never concerned by the attempts to capture him and brushes them off with the power of his words. In a 1954 letter to his proofreader, Tolkien explained that Bombadil isn’t crucial to the narrative but serves as a commentary on important themes such as the struggle between good and evil, beauty and ugliness, and freedom versus tyranny. So, he will be a great addition to Rings of Power.

Tom Bombadil plays a crucial role in The Lord of the Rings story. He helps the Hobbits, particularly Frodo and his companions, on their journey by rescuing them from the Old Man Willow and the Barrow-wights. He also provides them with guidance and protection, teaching them a rhyme to summon him if they run into danger again within his borders.

The Rings of Power television series is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth stories. The story is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events seen in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The series premiered on Prime Video in September 2022 with two episodes, followed by weekly installments on Fridays.

The first season of Rings of Power was produced on a budget of approximately $700 million, including the acquisition of the rights from the J.R.R. Tolkien estate. The first two episodes of Season 1 attracted 25 million viewers within the first 24 hours of release. The showrunners, J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay went on to sign a three-year deal with Amazon, with a third season in the works.

A first-look trailer and key art for the second season of Rings of Power were unveiled at Amazon’s upfront presentation, showcasing the return of Sauron (now portrayed by Charlie Vickers) in his new Elf form. The clip also hinted at Sauron’s cunning, manipulation, and the creation of more Rings of Power, which will enable him to control all the people of Middle-earth.

Source: Vanity Fair