We were discussing Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings adaptations, and arguing the relative merits of the Extended Editions versus the Theatrical Releases. (Leah prefers Extended, Emily prefers Theatrical. We’re both correct.) Emily pointed out that there should have been a DVD extra of Bombadil material, and then, naturally, that led to a dreamcasting of Bombadil. We gave ourselves a few restrictions—these had to be people who would have fit the role in 1999/2000, when they would have been hired for The Fellowship of the Ring, and all of the actors have been cast on the assumption that supermodel Claudia Schiffer is playing Goldberry…
So, hey! Come derry dol! Hop along, my hearties! Hobbits! Ponies all! Tor.com readers! We are fond of parties. Now let the fun begin! Let us sing together… or at least take a look at our picks, and tell us yours in the comments.
John Hurt
Leah: But only if he wore this exact mustache.
Emily: The fact that John Hurt wasn’t in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy is just plain weird in the first place. So this would be a pretty great place to make up for that mishap.
Anthony Stewart Head
Leah: He didn’t get to do pure whimsy often enough on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Plus the man looks great in a pointy hat.
Emily: He was “good dad figure” on Buffy and “bad dad figure” on Merlin. Let’s watch him play “super high uncle”!
Sting
Leah: Just imagine this fucker with a lute singing all of the Tom Bombadil’s songs.
Emily: I wonder if they would all end up sounding like “Desert Rose.” (Leah and I discovered that we both un-ironically love that song while writing this. We’re going to weave some amazing friendship bracelets over that.)
Bob Hoskins
Leah: OK, we know, this one is sad. But Hoskins could have added some real weight to the role, an undercurrent that lets you know just how ancient Old Tom actually is.
Emily: He’s also got that instant-lovability factor.
Robin Williams
Leah: OK, we know, this is also sad. But imagine what Williams could have done with the role if Jackson had reigned him in just a little.
Emily: Yeah, if you prevent him from riffing too much, it wouldn’t be quite so obvious that you were watching Robin Williams first and foremost, and he has the right kind of impishness.
Jim Broadbent
Leah: He’s so twinkly!
Emily: And he could play Tom with—say it with us—A GREAT BIG BUSHY BEARD!
Any Python Excluding John Cleese
Emily: Cleese is out on this.
Leah: Sorry John Cleese, but you’re too tall and shouty to play Tom Bombadil. Everybody else would be perfect though, especially…
Terry Gilliam
Emily: So. Perfect.
Leah: Here is a recording of Terry Gilliam’s laugh. He may actually be Tom Bombadil. But after much contemplation, we came to maybe our absolute top pick:
Billy Connolly
Leah: Tom Bombadil would have allowed Billy Connolly to use all of his manic good humor/sudden whimsical rage muscles.
Emily: I feel like if anyone must have a Scottish accent in Middle-earth, it’s Tom Bombadil. Also, Billy Connolly should be in everything.
So these are our picks! Who do you think would have made a bomb-ass Bombadil? Post your picks in the comments below, and in the meantime, sing along with Tom:
There’s also this song by Alan Horvath, if you need even more Bombadilling. (And who doesn’t?)
BRIAN BLESSED!
Hugh Jackman!
Yup, came here to post Brian Blessed as well.
Bill Nighy
Nathan Lane.
So torn… on the one, no doubt about it, Jackson would have ruined Bombadil, there’s no way I think he could have managed without it being cringeworthy. But excluding TB meant leaving out the Barrow-downs, my favorite childhood nightmare.
PeterO’Toole was still around, but if he couldnt, then yeah Billy Connolly
You know, I always thought the Bombadil chapters were a slog in that book and personally know a fantasy fan who stopped reading Fellowship and never went back because of him. But if he was going to be included, Connolly would have been pretty great.
Edited to add: You are wrong Emily. The Extended Editions are the only way to go ;)
Patrick Stewart. It works on so many levels.
In fact, Jackson should make a short film that details just the Tom Bombadil stuff in Fellowship. You know, to make up for the Hobbit.
Like the first post says:
BRIAN BLESSED!!!!!!!!
discussion over.
#9, I really wanted Stewart to play Radagast in the Hobbit movies. Him working with Ian McKellen’s Gandalf would have been gold after they had done the X-Men movies.
Robin would have been right. Sigh :-(
And forget the version in Fellowship. Do the original Bombadil poem.
Actually, now I have it.
Chris Rock as Bombadil. And Amy Schumer as Goldberry.
In this list, only John Hurt feels worthy enough to me. But I’m also one of those people who’d prefer an unknown to play characters like these—which ruins the fun, I guess. Goldberry especially! Claudia Schiffer? Ugh! To have such real-world associations…
This is one of my favorite inspired-by songs: “Sweet Goldberry,” by Glass Hammer, off their Middle-earth album.
Not to belabor my previous points, but I do think that including Tom Bombadil in Jackson’s trilogy would have been an unfortunate mistake merely for the sake of their financial success. Would I have loved to see Tom, Goldberry, and the barrow-wights? Hell yeah.
Also, the Extended Editions for all three films in The Lord of the Rings are essential. And still very much abridged.
There can only be one answer to this question: BRIAN BLESSED.
Kristofer Hivju
Considering the buffoonish way Radagast was treated I shudder to think what would have been done to Bombadil. I am wracking my brain but just not coming up with a good name. Not many actors do whimsy that well other than Williams who alas is no longer with us. Nathan Lane would be a good choice I think especially since makeup would provide the proper physical appearance, Another no longer with us, and I mean long since gone, Zero Mostel would have been great.
I spent a long time dreamcasting the movies back when we were all waiting for the fellowship (now that’s a band name).
Of course I had Robin Williams for Bombadil. I immediately thought of him when I saw this article, and now I’m sad for the rest of the day. Thanks.
That said, now I would definitely go for Billy Connely, that would be amazing!
PS: Others I remember dreamcasting:
Aragorn – Daniel Day Lewis (Still think that would be fantastic)
Gandalf – Sean Connery (This was the ’90s, after all)
I also remember dream directing the departure of Boromir in my head. It was deeply sad.
PPS(hah!): I love Desert Rose, I never knew there was anything ironic about it (other than, you know, Sting).
No Bombadil is the best Bombadil.
Ahhh yes…those halcyon days of ’99-00′ of speculating on the casting of The Lord of the Rings films. I remember that there was quite a bit of “Robin Williams as Tom” suggestions, usually followed by “Sean Connery as Gandalf!”
Personally, I’m glad they did not try and adapt the that particular role, as the results were likely to be disastrous and I shudder to think how PJ and company would have adapted it. That is not entirely fair, as the novel, and in particular Tom B., are very difficult to adapt at all, with all the richness and meaning that can be derived from a careful reading.
My personal favorite that I advocated at the time was Christopher Plummer as Saruman. Not that I had anything against Christopher Lee when I found out, but Plummer always came across as the ideal urbane, sophisticated, and reasoned persona that the ‘Voice’ Saruman of the book represented. I would have liked to see Lee play the role of Denethor, lending some dignity and gravitas to the part, but this is before I knew they had reduced the character to Crazy McCrazyPants.
P. S. By the way, the Extended editions totally rock over the Theatrical editions, except for The Return of the King, most of those additions should have stayed on the cutting room floor.
Yes, I like the idea of Sting. If for no other reason than to wash the taste of Dune out of my mouth forever.
@18, As portrayed in the books, Aragorn embraced his role as the future king of Gondor and was a very noble character, Daniel Day-Lewis would have rocked this version.
As done in the movie, Aragorn was almost a reluctant hero, not embracing his destiny until Elrond gave him a pep talk in Return of the King. Viggo was great as the movie version.
I’m not sure I can see BLESSED as Bombadil. Too rough, menacing something like that. OTOH, he totally should have been Beorn.
Of the other names tossed out here, I can see Hurt and Williams, but they both feel slightly off. I’m not sure why. I like the idea of Billy Connelly, though. He can also sing, which is important to the part.
And Claudia Schiffer is completely wrong for Goldberry. Casting her today, I’d pick Katheryn Winnick. Back then, maybe Rebecca de Mornay.
Not Robbie Coltrane? If you don’t want him to reprise his fake West Country accent from playing Hagrid (too much typecasting) then he could use his native Scottish accent, since you don’t object. Or if not, then his English accent as Doctor Johnson.
Patrick Rothfuss!
@19 You and me both. When I first read the trilogy, I was completely baffled by the Bombadil sequence and was ultimately disappointed and annoyed that it never appeared to have any real implications or impact, and could have been edited out without affecting the rest of the story . Since then, despite all the discussions I’ve heard over the years at conventions of the supposed deeper meaning and symbolism of the character and sequence in relation to the entire work, I have never been able to understand the fascination and adoration surrounding them.
How can you say no to cleese, but yes to Billy Connolly? I’m still holding the impression that Billy Connolly is just a John Cleese character that he has been trolling everyone with for decades!
Peter Capaldi, anyone? Doesn’t Bombadil have a little bit of Time Lord about him, anyway?
The timing’s off, but I vote for Tom Baker.
@26 I mostly agree. Bombadil as part of the world building is pretty awesome. Bombadil the random singing wtf-is-going-on buffoon is at best perplexing and at worst annoying. I was happy he was cut from the movie, as I don’t think anyone could pull that character off on screen. Or even if they did, the same problems with a cohesive tone in the book would exist in the movie. And Jackson nailed the tone as is, IMHO.
But who will be Farmer Giles of Ham?
mordicai@31
But who will be Farmer Giles of Ham?
Obviously Anthony Stewart Head. No one else should play GIles.
:-)
I love your pics but I am mostly here to fist-bump on the unironic love of “Desert Rose.” PLEASE MAY I HAVE A BRACELET TOO.
Dang it, Vin beat me to it!
First thing I thought, too, when I saw that illustration- “Hey, that looks a lot like Patrick Rothfuss.”
I know in the past he’s expressed great affection for the character, and now that I google it there’s even video of him reading the Bombadil poem in costume.
https://youtu.be/7woFa2afqFE
Nailed it in one. John Hurt, no question. Goldberry was always out of Tom Bombadil’s league.
Though Robin Williams probably could have pulled off the muttering, ever digressing role as well.
Ah, memories of fancasting. We did this back in 1997 on the rec.arts.books.tolkein newsgroup.
https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/rec.arts.books.tolkien/tgSTT9wvMd0
The lesson? Trust the professionals.
I think that David Bowie would’ve played the nature spirit that Tom Bombadil represents, with elan. Consider the Labyrinth, or as Major Jack Celliers in Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence. And the moments when Tom Bombadil’s geniality during the meal turns to menace when the Ring tries to master Frodo.
I think you’d agree with me. Alternatively, Michael Moorcock could be relied upon to make him one of the overlords of the Grey Fees, the Middle Marches.
I’ve long thought that Tolkien should have stopped at “But it was singing nonsense” and left out most of the nonsense–that is, the twee parts. I favor Robin Williams for Bombadil. Jackson could have handed him a list of Elvish words and let him riff on them, producing glorious puns for the nerds in the audience and leaving everybody else with an impression of a hairy nutbar manically muttering in the woods, right up until he showed his power.
I also want the Beorn scenes reshot to give him the family he canonically had TYVM. A whole clan of bear-men and bear-women wading happily into combat!
I’m all for Billy Connelly, but I’m kind of wondering why not even one suggestion for Tim Curry?
Because, really, TIM CURRY FOR ALL THE THINGS!
First of all, Extended Editions, no question. (Except for the third Hobbit movie, because that one added distressingly little and just made the movie drag even more and STILL managed to leave out a bunch of crucial stuff. Such a disappointing ending for an amazing legacy…)
Second of all, Tolkien fanatic though I am, I admit the Tom Bombadil stuff was not my hill to die on. I appreciate the world building and mystery his character adds, but I am not sure how well he would have translated on screen. Robin Williams was one of my thoughts too, but I am not sure I could see him as anything but Robin Willians in a costume (even if they gave him a big beard and all that I might just see him as the Jumanji guy…) – but he possibly would have pulled it off quite well. He did a fantastic adult Peter Pan :)
Extended editions! Cause, you know, the Huorns.
And it’s a bit funny to read about dreamcasting Sean Connery as Gandalf considering PJ did offer him the role before McKellen was finally cast and Connery turned it down (claimedly having said that he “did not understand it”).