The world of The Lord of the Rings is quite vast, and some characters will continue to appear in Middle-earth’s most notable stories, but some have already been recast. Back in 1937, J. R. R. Tolkien took readers to Middle-earth for the first time in the children’s book The Hobbit, and expanded this rich world in his The Lord of the Rings book trilogy.
Although the books had been adapted to other media before, they found great success on the big screen with Peter Jackson’s live-action Lord of the Rings trilogy and later his The Hobbit trilogy. The world of The Lord of the Rings has continued to expand in recent years, with the Prime Video TV show The Rings of Power, the anime prequel movie The War of the Rohirrim, and the upcoming movies The Hunt for Gollum and Shadow of the Past.
These projects have brought back characters from Jackson’s movies but at different points in their stories, so, of course, some of them have had to be recast, and there will be more in the upcoming movies.
Círdan
Fellowship of the Ring, Return of the King, Rings of Power
Círdan the Shipwright is one of the highest and noblest of the Sindar, as well as one of the wisest and most clairvoyant of the Elves. Círdan was gifted one of the Three Rings, Narya, which he later gave to Gandalf.
Círdan appears very briefly in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, first in the prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring, where he’s shown holding one of the rings, and later at the end of Return of the King, during the departure of the elves. In both appearances, Círdan was played by Michael Elsworth.
Círdan returns in The Rings of Power in a larger role than in the movies. In the show, he’s still in possession of Narya, and he’s played by Ben Daniels.
Elendil
Fellowship of the Ring, Rings of Power
Elendil, also known as Elendil the Tall, the Fair, and Voronda, is the father of Isildur and Anárion. Elendil leads the survivors of the downfall of Númenor to the shores of Middle-earth, where they found Arnor and Gondor. Thanks to this, Elendil becomes the first king of both realms. Elendil can be seen in the prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring, during the Battle of the Last Alliance.
Elendil was played by Peter McKenzie, and he’s killed in battle by a blow from Sauron’s mace. Like Círdan, Elendil has a bigger role in Rings of Power, as a Númenórean sailor and the eventual leader of the alliance between Elves and Men. In Rings of Power, Elendil is played by Lloyd Owen.
Elrond
Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey & The Battle of the Five Armies, Rings of Power
Elrond is a Half-elf and Lord of Rivendell, as well as the father of Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen, and the bearer of the elven-ring Vilya, the Ring of Air. Elrond was famously played by Hugo Weaving in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, appearing in all three movies. As the wise and immortal Lord of Rivendell, Elrond is a healer, strategist, member of the White Council, and a mentor to Aragorn.
Weaving reprised his role as Elrond in the first and third instalments of The Hobbit trilogy, where he deciphered Thrór’s map, identified swords, and took part in the Battle of the Five Armies. A younger Elrond is part of The Rings of Power, where he’s played by Robert Aramayo. In the show, Elrond’s younger years are explored, and it’s revealed that he chose to be immortal.
Isildur
Fellowship of the Ring, Rings of Power
Isildur is the oldest son of Elendil, and, with his brother Anárion, he founded and ruled Gondor in the south. In the War of the Last Alliance, Isildur cut the One Ring from Sauron’s hand and refused to destroy it. As a result, he was corrupted by the ring, which later betrayed him during the Disaster of the Gladden Fields, resulting in the Ring being lost for centuries.
Isildur appears in the prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring as well as in flashbacks showing his history with the Ring. In the movies, he was played by Harry Sinclair. Like his father and other characters on this list, Isildur was given a bigger role in The Rings of Power. Now played by Maxim Baldry, Rings of Power delves deeper into Isildur’s past.
Gil-galad
Fellowship of the Ring, Rings of Power
Another character who appears in the prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring is Gil-galad, a Ñoldorin Elf and the last Ñoldóran in Middle-earth. Along with Elendil, Gil-galad forms the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, leading the Elves to war against Sauron. Gil-galad, played by Mark Ferguson, is briefly seen fighting Orcs in the prologue of the first Lord of the Rings movie.
Like other characters on this list, Gil-galad has a bigger role in Rings of Power, where he’s now played by Benjamin Walker. In the show, Gil-galad is the High King of the Elves and rules the realm of Lindon.
Galadriel
Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy, Rings of Power
Galadriel is an elf and the Ñoldorin Lady of the woods of Lothlórien. Galadriel is a key character in the world of The Lord of the Rings, described as the mightiest and fairest of the Elves in Middle-earth and the greatest of Elven women. Galadriel was the bearer of Nenya, the Ring of Water, which she revealed to Frodo.
Galadriel was famously played by Cate Blanchett in all movies in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and returned in the Hobbit trilogy, though in a lesser capacity than in the first trilogy. Galadriel is a main character in Rings of Power, where she’s played by Morfydd Clark, and it explores her past as she’s haunted by the death of her brother and is determined to destroy Sauron.
Bilbo Baggins
Fellowship of the Ring, Return of the King, The Hobbit Trilogy
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit of the Shire, who lives a peaceful, comfortable life until he meets Gandalf, who arrives to recruit him to help Thorin and the dwarves in the Quest of Erebor. During that journey, Bilbo becomes the bearer of the One Ring after finding it in what he later learned was Gollum’s lair. Many years later, Bilbo chooses his nephew, Frodo, as his heir, giving him the Ring.
Bilbo was played by Ian Holm in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Return of the King, and was the central character of the Hobbit trilogy, where he was played by Martin Freeman. The Hobbit chronicles Bilbo’s journey from the moment he’s recruited by Gandalf to his return home with the Ring.
Gandalf
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy, Rings of Power
Gandalf is a powerful wizard dispatched to Middle-earth to combat Sauron. As such, Gandalf led Thorin and the dwarves, along with Bilbo, to reclaim Lonely Mountain from Smaug, was key in forming the Fellowship of the Ring, and led the Free Peoples of the World in the War of the Ring.
As a key piece in the history of Middle-earth and the Ring, Gandalf was present in the trilogies of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, where he was played by Ian McKellen. Unsurprisingly, Gandalf returned in Rings of Power, now played by Daniel Weyman. Initially known as “The Stranger”, as he falls from the sky in a flaming meteor, the character is revealed to be Gandalf in season 2.
Aragorn
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hunt for Gollum
Aragorn, also known as Strider and Elessar, is a great ranger and warrior, as well as Isildur’s heir. Aragorn is one of the main characters of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, where he was played by Viggo Mortensen. In the movies, Aragorn goes through a personal journey as he must overcome his self-doubt to claim the kingship. Aragorn marries Arwen, daughter of Elrond.
Aragorn will return in the upcoming movie The Hunt for Gollum, directed by Andy Serkis. Serkis himself told Screen Rant that they’re actively looking for a new actor to play Aragorn in The Hunt for Gollum, as the movie will feature a younger version of the character.
- Created by
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J.R.R. Tolkien
- Cast
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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)
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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
