Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has announced that Jamie Campbell Bower will be joining its cast, opening up the possibility of his making history with a singular role. Bower is a seasoned fantasy actor, having made his name across large franchises like Stranger Things and Harry Potter. Although Bower’s role was disappointingly small and yet oddly crucial in Harry Potter, he could be about to carry out a unique task that not even The Lord of the Rings movies managed, despite their high budget and reasonably faithful portrayal of the book.
Rings of Power season 3 will incur a time skip of several years, according to The Hollywood Reporter, jumping ahead from the events of Rings of Power season 2’s ending to the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron. As such, Bower will be coming into the show at an interesting time and may step into the role of any number of classic Tolkien characters that populated the Second Age. Bower could break a LOTR streak by portraying a famous fantasy character that most Western audiences haven’t seen on screens yet.
Jamie Campbell Bower’s Mystery Role In The Rings of Power Season 3 Could Be Glorfindel
Speculation Has Surrounded Bower’s Role In The Rings Of Power
Naturally, speculation has surrounded what part Jamie Campbell Bower will be playing in The Lord of the Rings’ Second Age show, but many fans seem to have missed the possibility of him playing Glorfindel. Rumors are flying that Bower may end up playing Galadriel’s husband, Celeborn, which also seems likely. But Celeborn is far from the only option open to Bower. Deadline reported that Bower will play a “handsome high-born knight,” which could pertain to a new, original character for the show. However, both Celeborn and Glorfindel fight this description.
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Anárion is another option for Bower, who could perfectly embody the third child of Elendil (Lloyd Owen) in Rings of Power. In the legendarium, Elendil had two sons: Isildur (Maxim Baldry) and Anárion. But Rings of Power added a daughter called Eärien (Ema Horvath) to the mix. With Eärien pulling Elendil toward the tyrannical Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), Anárion draws Elendil to Lord of the Rings’ 15 Valar, which could be a key part of his arc in season 3. But Bower has a decidedly Elvish appearance, and would be making LOTR history as Glorfindel, so this role makes more sense for him.
The Rings Of Power Would Make History Including Glorfindel After The LOTR Movies Cut Him
Glorfindel Isn’t Commonly Seen In Lord Of The Rings Adaptations
A few well-known and beloved characters could have appeared in Peter Jackson’s movies, and sadly, Glorfindel wasn’t one of them. But Bower could compensate for that in Rings of Power season 3. Fans missed their chance to see Tom Bombadil and Glorfindel in the movies as Jackson cut them from the story to a keep tight focus on his main characters. Glorfindel’s removal from the Warner Bros. Lord of the Rings movies is notorious, with his part in the narrative taken up by Liv Tyler as Arwen, who saves Frodo (Elijah Wood) in Glorfindel’s place at the Ford of Bruinen.
Glorfindel is key to LOTR lore, and Bower could be the perfect way to bring that to life in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Glorfindel was later retconned into the movies via an officially licensed trading card game, with Daniel Falconer picking one of the Elves in the movie to be the character. Falconer, of Wētā Workshop, worked with Jackson on the movies and was therefore quite well-positioned to understand the narrative, character, and cast. However, Sweden actually made the first live-action Lord of the Rings. This unofficial two-part picture from 1971 fleetingly includes Glorfindel. However, if Bower played Glorfindel, he would be most fans’ first on-screen experience of the character.
Why Jamie Campbell Bower Would Be Perfect To Play Glorfindel
The Lord Of The Rings Elf Deserves An Actor Like Bower
In playing Glorfindel, Jamie Campbell Bower would play one of Lord of the Rings’ most powerful Elves, and he is unquestionably ready for a role like this. Bower’s legions of fans bemoan the short-lived nature of his appearance as the complex and powerful Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter, but Glorfindel would be Bower’s chance to shine. He has the angular face and sharp, pointed features perfect for one of the Eldar in The Lord of the Rings, an ancient and beautiful type of Elf that defies average human ability and lifespan.
|
Tolkienian Age |
Event Marking The Start |
Years |
Total Length In Solar Years |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Before time |
Indeterminate |
Indeterminate |
Indeterminate |
|
Days before Days |
Ainur entered Eä |
1 – 3,500 Valian Years |
33,537 |
|
Pre-First Age Years of the Trees (Y.T.) |
Yavanna created the Two Trees |
Y.T. 1 – 1050 |
10,061 |
|
First Age (F.A.) |
Elves awoke in Cuiviénen |
Y.T. 1050 – Y.T. 1500, F.A. 1 – 590 |
4,902 |
|
Second Age (S.A.) |
War of Wrath ended |
S.A. 1 – 3441 |
3,441 |
|
Third Age (T.A.) |
Last Alliance defeated Sauron |
T.A. 1 – 3021 |
3,021 |
|
Fourth Age (Fo.A) |
Elven-rings left Middle-earth |
Fo.A 1 – unknown |
Unknown |
Glorfindel is a key character in Tolkien’s legendarium for many reasons, not least that he was one of the few who could defeat the giant Balrogs. However, he is also shrouded in mystery and associated with great power, a persona Bower has embodied well in everything from Harry Potter to Twilight. The character has fleeting appearances in the source material, and only in obscure notes published posthumously by Tolkien’s son was his early reincarnation revealed. Glorfindel is key to LOTR lore, and Bower could be the perfect way to bring that to life in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
7/10
- Release Date
-
September 1, 2022
- Network
-
Amazon Prime Video
- Showrunner
-
John D. Payne, Patrick McKay, Louise Hooper, Charlotte Brändström, Wayne Yip
