3 Characters Missing From The Lord of the Rings Trilogy That the Next Movie Can Finally Include

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is lauded as one of the best fantasy adaptations of all time, but there are characters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s world missing from Peter Jackson’s films — and The Hunt for Gollum can retroactively bring them into the story. The Hunt for Gollum is delayed until 2027, but the upcoming LOTR film has a lot of potential. Not only will it bring viewers back to the timeline of the original trilogy, but it will see the return of Peter Jackson as a producer, along with the reappearance of several familiar faces.

Andy Serkis is already signed on to portray the titular character, and with the film so heavily focused on Aragorn and Gandalf, many are hoping to see Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen reprise their roles. Needless to say, The Hunt for Gollum is the perfect opportunity to stir up nostalgia while expanding on Tolkien’s source material. The film will dig deeper into Aragorn’s search for Gollum at the beginning of the story, which is touched on in Tolkien’s writings. It makes sense to bring recognizable characters into the fray, but there are also few missing from the film trilogy who could show up at long last.

3) Tom Bombadil

Despite Tom Bombadil appearing in The Lord of the Rings books, Jackson’s movie trilogy excludes the character from The Fellowship of the Ring. It’s easy to understand why. Tom Bombadil’s run-in with Frodo and the other Hobbits isn’t the most crucial addition to the story. Jackson’s approach proves that you can remove the character without much of an impact on the narrative. This is precisely the sort of change you want when bringing beloved source material to the screen. There’s also the fact that Tom Bombadil is a mysterious figure, and capturing his essence risks getting it completely wrong.

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The latter is a risk that The Rings of Power Season 2 takes, and while the series remains divisive, Tom Bombadil’s (Rory Kinnear) appearance works out just fine. With the Prime Video series proving that adapting the character is doable, it’s possible The Hunt for Gollum will give it a try. Perhaps Gandalf or Aragorn will interact with him in their efforts to find Gollum. We know that Gandalf is acquainted with the character, so the door is open for Warner Bros. to take a crack at bringing him to life. We could even see his wife, Goldberry, though she’d be more difficult to naturally work in.

2) Elladan And/Or Elrohir

Elrond (Hugo Weaving) and his daughter, Arwen (Liv Tyler), have prominent roles in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, but the movies cut Elrond’s sons from the story. Twins Elladan and Elrohir aid Aragorn in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, but this likely wasn’t critical enough to justify fleshing out two more characters in an already-lengthy series. The Hunt for Gollum could potentially bring Gandalf and Aragorn to Rivendell, though, as it makes sense they’d be in communication with the Elves there — especially Aragorn. With that in mind, there’s a chance one or both of Arwen’s brothers could show up in the film.

This could be difficult to accomplish, as Hugo Weaving told GamesRadar+ that he’s not interested in returning to The Lord of the Rings franchise. However, the introduction of these characters could be used to get around Elrond’s absence. It would be jarring to recast such an iconic star, but The Hunt for Gollum could have Elladan and Elrohir correspond with the main characters on behalf of their father. This would allow a fun nod to the missing book characters and avoid a risky change to an established player.

1) Thranduil

While the inclusion of Rivendell in The Hunt for Gollum feels natural, visiting Mirkwood is a must; it’s where Aragorn brings Gollum after catching up to him. That means Thranduil should appear in the next Lord of the Rings film, as Legolas’ (Orlando Bloom) father reigns over the Elves there. Thranduil isn’t included in Jackson’s first trilogy, as he isn’t shown much in Tolkien’s original story. With Aragorn’s search for Gollum removed from The Fellowship of the Ring, there isn’t a reason to focus on the Elves of Mirkwood (besides Legolas, of course). And even the books don’t show Thranduil’s actions during the War of the Ring in depth.

That said, Lee Pace tackles the character in The Hobbit trilogy, and he does an iconic job of it. It would be a shame to exclude him from The Hunt for Gollum, which presents such an obvious opportunity to expand on the character — and show viewers precisely why fans hold him in such high regard. With Orlando Bloom hoping to appear as Legolas in the upcoming film (via Deadline), we could even see Thranduil and Legolas together. That’s one dynamic that would bring something new to the table, in addition to reuniting fans with celebrated members of the franchise’s cast.

What characters from The Lord of the Rings would you like to see in The Hunt for Gollum? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!