Tom Bombadil will be in season 2 of Rings of Power!

This legendary character from Tolkien's novels finally finds his moment of glory after being ousted from Peter Jackson's trilogy.

The second season Rings of Power promises to be dark as revealed in the first trailer released a few weeks ago. Hallbrand's true identity has been revealed: he is Sauron, the future Dark Lord. From now on, evil reigns in Middle-earth and Morgoth's disciple takes the form of Annatar, a blond elf, to go incognito and secretly forge the Rings of Power. And who says new season, also says new characters. And the first revealed is none other than Tommy Bombadil !

But “Who is Tom Bombadil?” This question, even the characters in Tolkien's novels ask themselves when meeting this colorful mystical character, a tall bearded man with yellow boots and a blue coat, jovial, singing and living in the woods. In The Fellowship of the Ring, he saves Merry and Pippin, trapped by the Old Man-Willow thanks to his songs, and brings the four hobbits to his home where he discovers the Ring without being sensitive to it. But nothing is known about its origin. Even its author remains vague on this subject. In a letter written in 1954, Tolkien wrote:

“He's important as a commentator, I guess. (…) He represents something that I think is important, but I don't feel ready to analyze that thing.”

It is as old as the world. A reason therefore to see him in the Amazon Prime series whose events take place three thousand before those of the Lord of the Rings.

Sauron takes his place in this new video from Rings of Power, season 2

The announcement was made exclusively by Vanity Fair who also shares the first visuals and at first glance the physique is respected! Blue coat? Check. Yellow boots? Check. Beard ? Check. For the rest, the showrunners had to embroider even though Peter Jackson removed it from its film adaptations. For JD PayneTom Bombadil is a “anti-dramatic character. (…) He observes the plot, but does not really participate in it.” Also, it was not necessary to integrate it into previous adaptations. So why do it now?

Patrick Mackayn, the second showrunner, considers that it is the character's fantasy that makes him interesting and tempting to bring back for the fans' pleasure:

“He has no precise dramatic function that would justify his introduction in a very good film adaptation. He is a fanciful, magical and almost idiotic character. But he also has the wisdom of time and the music of the atmosphere (…) Paradoxically, he is the most Tolkien-like character in The Lord of the Rings, but also the first thing you would remove if you were making an adaptation. But we have the advantage of doing a series, so we'll find a way to include it.”

And in this way, the showrunners make some revelations. First change of scenery. The nature lover leaves Oserondule for a remote place on the edge of Rhûn where he finds himself to observe the evil that is eating away at this once lush and now almost desert region. It is there that he meets the Stranger (Daniel Weyman), Poppy Fiercompère and Nori Brandepied.

“When he crosses paths with the Stranger, it can be said that he desires to prevent destruction from spreading to his beloved lands in the West. He pushes the Stranger along on his journey, a person he knows that he will end up protecting the great nature that he cares so much about. So I would say that our Tom Bombadil is a little more interventionist than in the books, but only by 5 or 10%.

To interpret this cult character, we find Rory Kinnear (Men, Skyfall, 007 Specter, No Time to Die). HAS Vanity Fairthe actor admitted that he didn't know much about it before signing.

“I went downstairs, I went to see my partner who has read the books and seen the films, and I told her 'I was just offered this role, apparently it's in the books, a guy called Tom Bombadil.' And she said 'But no, you're going to play Tom Bombadil!' That's when I knew he meant something to the fans and I had to be sensitive to that.”

Therefore working to attach importance to details, the actor was careful in the choice of accent and opted for an accent from Cornwall, a region in the south of England where the Arthurian legends originate.

“Tom is a curiosity within his own composition, because while everything is dark, Tom Bombadil sings and says lines that could have been taken from children's poems. He somehow sets the tone for the rest of the season, it “is a well of light in an ocean of darkness.”

To find out more about his character, those curious can read The Adventures of Tom Bombadil while waiting to discover season 2 of Rings of Power which will be released on Prime Video on August 29.