Early wednesday morning, it was announced that Rory Kinnear has been cast as Tom Bombadil for season two of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair, showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay discussed their experience with writing the iconic character into their Second Age series.

The appearance of Tom Bombadil in season two has been long-rumored, but not officially confirmed until today. Bombadil did not appear in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings or Hobbit film adaptations, so his character may come as a surprise to fans who have not read The Lord of the Rings books.

First Look at Tom Bombadil

“Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow, Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow. None has ever caught him yet, for Tom, he is the Master: His songs are stronger songs, and his feet are faster.” - The Fellowship of the Ring

In a first look from Vanity Fair, Kinnear has been transformed into the enigmatic Tom Bombadil featuring the iconic blue jacket and yellow boots. With a full, brown beard and a characteristic warmth in his eyes, I have high hopes that Kinnear will be well-suited to this role.

One of my primary concerns when hearing rumors that Tom Bombadil would be appearing in season two was that the series would be unable to strike the right tone with the character: he would either be too jovial and come across as cringe-worthy in an otherwise dramatic world, or that they would turn him into a “gritty” version of Bombadil which would make him unrecognizable as a character. While these photos look promising, I still remain skeptical yet open-minded.

Main Takeaways from the First Look Article:

Bombadil’s look includes the iconic yellow boots, blue jacket, and feather in his hat.
- ““His boots are yellow, the jacket is blue, and he’s got a feather in his hat, so all the main beats were hit,” Kinnear says.”
The Stranger, Nori, and Poppy will all be in Rhûn in season two, where the Stranger’s path will collide with Tom Bombadil’s.
- “For the series, Payne and McKay took the liberty of giving Bombadil a second home, on the outskirts of a region called Rhûn. “In our story, he has gone out to the lands of Rhûn, which we learn used to be sort of Edenic and green and beautiful, but now is sort of a dead wasteland,” Payne says. “Tom has gone out there to see what’s happened as he goes on his various wanderings.””
Bombadil will be “slightly more interventionist” than in the books.
- “He nudges the Stranger along his journey, which he knows will eventually protect the larger natural world that he cares about. So I’d say our Tom Bombadil is slightly more interventionist than you see in the books, but only by 5% or 10%.”
The Showrunners on their perception of Bombadil:
- “He has no clear dramatic function that would justify his inclusion in a really great movie adaptation. He’s whimsical and magical, and almost verging on silly. But also has the wisdom of the ages and the music of the spheres and deep emotional wells of ancient history and myth, and his conception and function are tied to Norse myths and have deep roots in European fairy tale,” McKay says.”
Tom Bombadil will serve as a relief from the otherwise dark nature of the season.
- “As season two of The Rings of Power gets underway, Tom Bombadil offers aid and comfort not just to the Stranger, but also to the audience.”
Tom Bombadil will be singing and speaking in rhymes.
- “Tom Bombadil is singing and saying lines that could be nursery rhymes from children’s poems.”
Questions about Tom will be intentionally left unanswered.
- “Payne and McKay have decided not to answer any questions about the character that Tolkien himself left deliberately unresolved.”
Dialect coach for season one, Leith McPherson, has returned for season two.
- So I worked with Leith [McPherson], the dialect coach, on getting a Cornish accent together. Those were the big building blocks of the character.”