What makes The Lord of the Rings so unique is its unlikely heroes. While there are fierce warriors around, such as Aragorn, and magical wizards who can do almost anything with the flick of their wrists, the real stars of the show are the Hobbits. The cream of the crop, of course, is Frodo Baggins, who selflessly agrees to take the One Ring to Mordor and end Sauron’s reign of terror. Frodo’s good friends, Samwise Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, and Pippin Took, won’t let him take on the mission alone, though, so they become part of the Fellowship of the Ring and fight the good fight alongside Legolas, Gimli, and the rest.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The Lord of the Rings movies make sure to emphasize how strange the rest of the Hobbits who call the Shire home think Frodo and his buddies are. They also aren’t too happy when Sauron’s forces come knocking on their doors looking for the wielder of the One Ring. Well, it turns out that, at least in the books, a fifth Hobbit is working behind the scenes to ensure that everything goes off without a hitch. They have yet to get their moment to shine on the big screen, but an upcoming movie could set things right.
The Fifth Hobbit Never Gives Up on His Friends
Frodo bites off more than he can chew when he agrees to hold onto his uncle Bilbo’s ring in J.R.R. Tolkien’s book. At first, he doesn’t think much of the piece of jewelry, but Gandalf believes his friend has something very dangerous in his possession and warns him against using it. Gandalf then spends the next several years learning all he can. When he returns to the Shire, he tells Frodo to get out of dodge and head for Rivendell. That may seem easy enough, but there are a lot of loose ends in the Shire for Frodo to deal with. Thankfully, he’s got his friends by his side, including Fatty Bolger, who knows about the One Ring and the mission to destroy it.
Fatty isn’t as brave as his good pals, so he decides to stay behind while they venture on. However, he doesn’t just twiddle his thumbs. For a while, he poses as Frodo, so the residents of the Shire don’t get suspicious about his disappearance. Tolkien also considered having Fatty go into the Old Forest with the rest of the Hobbits, but that part of his story ended up on the cutting-room floor. Peter Jackson and Co. followed suit, only giving Fatty a brief appearance during Bilbo’s farewell party. But that doesn’t have to be the end for Fatty because The Lord of the Rings franchise is about to put him back in his element.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum Will Return to the Shire
Despite all the bases seemingly being covered, the powers that be at Warner Bros. believe there’s one more unturned stone in The Lord of the Rings franchise. A new movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, is in development and will focus on Gandalf and Aragorn’s search for the creature who knows a lot about the One Ring. The story will pick up immediately after the events of Bilbo’s 111th Birthday, which means Frodo is going to be present. Elijah Wood is already in talks to return, and while there haven’t been updates on any of the other Hobbit actors, that doesn’t mean they won’t be back.
When The Hunt for Gollum visits the Shire, the focus is sure to be on the One Ring’s connection to the place. However, there’s no reason to ignore a group of characters so integral to the franchise’s success. It would be nice to see what Merry, Pippin, and Samwise are up to while a wizard is far away deciding their fates. Maybe they even run into their good friend Fatty. He doesn’t have to get an extended monologue or tease what he’s up to during the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, but he should get at least one moment in the sun after being done dirty the first time around.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum hits theaters on December 17, 2027.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image via THQ Nordic -
image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
A closeup of a PlayStation 5 with a controller on top.
