As beloved as the Lord of the Rings movies are, it was always inevitable that certain chunks of J.R.R. Tolkien’s weighty source material would be left out. And so it proved, with “The Scouring of the Shire” excised from The Return of the King‘s ending, and the surprisingly important figure of Fatty Bolger booted from Frodo’s flock of hobbits. Arguably the biggest casualty during The Lord of the Rings‘ journey from page to screen, however, was a certain folksy forest-dweller by the name of Tom.

Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring sees the four hobbits encounter danger in the Old Forest before reaching Bree. They’re spared by the arrival of Tom Bombadil, a mysterious figure they spend a jolly old time with singing songs and swapping stories before continuing their quest.

Tom made a slightly out-of-place appearance in Prime Video’s Second Age series, The Rings of Power, but has otherwise been absent from live-action. That could be about to change.

It’s Very Likely Tom Bombadil Will Feature In The New Lord Of The Rings Movie

Stephen Colbert’s new The Lord of the Rings movie is set within the canon of Peter Jackson’s trilogy and tentatively titled Shadow of the Past. It’s billed as a sequel that features Samwise Gamgee’s daughter as a protagonist, but Colbert claims the story is really based around a chapter from The Fellowship of the Ring that Jackson’s 2001 movie didn’t adapt: “Fog on the Barrow-downs.”

Taking place shortly after the hobbits leave the home comforts of Tom Bombadil’s house behind, the chapter finds our heroes assailed by ghostly Barrow-wights. Despite only just getting rid of his visitors and probably hoping for some peace and quiet, Tom lends a hand, fending off the Barrow-wights and rescuing his hairy-footed new friends. The chapter then includes some further interaction between Tom and the hobbits before the enigmatic stranger travels with them a short time, perhaps only to make sure they actually reach Bree in one piece.

Without Tom Bombadil, “Fog on the Barrow-downs” would be a dreadfully short and uneventful chapter, so it’s inconceivable that The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past could omit the character. It would be like adapting The Hobbit sans Bilbo Baggins.

After 25 long years, it appears that fans of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies can finally look forward to getting the Tom Bombadil they deserve – a late insertion into the mythology of the cinematic trilogy. Given that Tom’s omission was arguably the most controversial change made by Jackson, that should come as a pleasant surprise. The big question now is precisely how The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past will incorporate a character who didn’t show up when he was supposed to back in 2001.

How Tom Bombadil Can Become Canon In The Lord Of The Rings’ Movie Mythology

It’s not yet clear how The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past will balance being a sequel with being based on a chapter from The Fellowship of the Ring. One option is that the sequel scenes serve as bookends to a lengthy flashback about the four hobbits meeting Tom Bombadil in a scene that happened at some point, completely offscreen, during 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring.

Alternatively, Colbert’s movie could have the older versions of Sam, Merry, and Pippin retracing their steps for nostalgia’s sake, encouraging the Barrow-wights, then meeting Tom Bombadil for the first time – in other words, “Fog on the Barrow-downs” happens, but years later and without Frodo.

Neither option is risk-free. For better or worse, Peter Jackson’s movies made the conscious decision to remove Tom Bombadil from the equation, so whether the new installment tries inserting a chapter into existing movie chronology or plays out the unused book material post-LOTR, the Colbert film could easily feel like an awkward retcon.

Andy Serkis’ upcoming The Hunt for Gollum will act as a good barometer for how successful Shadow of the Past will be at integrating itself into the franchise. Both movies are expanding small sections of Tolkien’s story that take place around the start of The Fellowship of the Ring, so if Sméagol’s solo spinoff seamlessly serves as a companion piece to Peter Jackson’s original trilogy, that’ll be an encouraging sign that The Lord of the Rings‘ next effort can do the same.

Created by

J.R.R. Tolkien

Cast

Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt

Character(s)

Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Sauron, Gollum, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, Celeborn, Aragorn, Galadriel, Bilbo Baggins, Saruman, Aldor, Wormtongue, Thorin Oakenshield, Balin Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Tauriel, King Thranduil, Smaug, Radagast, Arondir, Nori Brandyfoot, Poppy Proudfellow, Marigold Brandyfoot, Queen Regent Míriel, Sadoc Burrows