EntertainmentTVFantasy ShowsLord of the Rings TV ShowsThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerAlmost 100 years after Tolkien introduced him, Tom Bombadil actor Rory Kinnear shares why the character’s time has finally come in The Rings of Power season 2When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentTVFantasy ShowsLord of the Rings TV ShowsThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerAlmost 100 years after Tolkien introduced him, Tom Bombadil actor Rory Kinnear shares why the character’s time has finally come in The Rings of Power season 2When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Amazon Prime Video)
Since then, it’s been a point of concern that we might never see the unique character in live-action. Thankfully, The Rings of Power solves this in its second season, castingJames Bond actor Rory Kinnear as Tolkien’s delightfully mysterious character.
However, the actor tells GamesRadar+ that he’s not surprised it’s taken so long to get Bombadil on screen. “Well, I guess with the other adaptations, I think Peter Jackson said it, it doesn’t necessarily drive the story on, particularly in the narrative of it,” he tells us. “But in the pages and in people’s imaginations, he is this incredible character that has so much knowledge and so much sense of fun and so much life about him, as well as the whole of humanity and history and the earth. This is sort of representative of all that Earth is, and Middle-earth.”
The Rings of Power, on the other hand, has the benefit of being more long-form storytelling, Kinnear adds: “Obviously over multi-season episodic TV, you’ve got more time to investigate those stories. In the way that [showrunners] J.D. [Payne] and Patrick [McKay] are telling the story, they’re able to create a role for him that isn’t necessarily the one that he has in the books. So whilst they’re using that character, they are using him in a different way to how Tolkien did.”
From what we know of the character so far, it seems like his main point of contact in season 2 will beThe Stranger. Actor Daniel Weyman teases a bit more of what to expect from these interactions.
“Even though he might not be present in all the scenes in the books, actually, he’s always sort of there because he’s so extraordinary,” Weyman explains. “He’s sort of keeping you company on your journey through the books and I think that’s a great thing about Tom on this journey for The Stranger. His presence is so extraordinary that even when you’re not with him, he’s sort of in your mind because of how he’s interacted with you.”
Kinnear adds: “And how Tolkien writes him – he’s so open-ended and opaque in some ways that people are able to project so much onto him. I think again, that’s his power, both in terms of a reader’s imagination, but also the potential in the interactions with The Stranger, and his role going through The Rings of Power as well.”
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The Rings of Power season 2 begins with a three-episode premiere on August 29. For more, check out our guide to thebest shows on Amazon Prime Video.
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The Rings of Power season 2, episode 7 is the show’s version of The Two Towers – and it’s the best episode of TV released all yearThe Rings of Power season 3 has a “strong” story as showrunners give an update on writing: “We’re hoping to turn it around as fast as possible”
The Rings of Power season 2, episode 7 is the show’s version of The Two Towers – and it’s the best episode of TV released all year
The Rings of Power season 2, episode 7 is the show’s version of The Two Towers – and it’s the best episode of TV released all year
The Rings of Power season 3 has a “strong” story as showrunners give an update on writing: “We’re hoping to turn it around as fast as possible”
The Rings of Power season 3 has a “strong” story as showrunners give an update on writing: “We’re hoping to turn it around as fast as possible”
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26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time”
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