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-ish, 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?)
This post was originally published August 2016.
Sting would be the closest, but not even Sting with a fucking lute would be enough to make the diversion through Bombadil’s land worth watching.
Way way back when the rumors of the movies were being made, I compiled a list of the fancasting done on the rec.arts.books.tolkien usenet group back in 1997. We had Robin Williams, Danny Devito, Dom Deluise, and Shaq for Bombadil. What were we thinking?
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.arts.books.tolkien/tgSTT9wvMd0%5B1-25%5D
Daniel Day Lewis – he has the range.
I think the reason that John Hurt wasn’t in the Peter Jackson LOTR is that he was in the Ralph Bakshi version as Aragorn. Except for one total homage/theft shot of the Black Rider, the Jackson films avoid acknowledging that the Bakshi film was ever made. (Which, except for Peter Woodthorpe’s Gollum, is probably for the best. . .)
You forgot Idris Elba. Idris Elba for all the things. Plus I seriously doubt the Eldest has white skin.
Counterpoint: Emily is wrong. Extended Versions are life. ;)
Also, I agree with Devin. While several of these thespians would do the role justice, there is very little point to the whole Bombadil sequence in the book and I don’t know that Peter Jackson would have been able to successfully insert it into the trilogy.
@5 — I would agree with you if they were casting now, in 2017. In 1999, though, Idris Elba was only 26-27, so I don’t know if that would have been believable.
I love the idea of Robin Williams as Bombadil but that picture of John Hurt is honestly too perfect.
Jason_UmmaMacabre @6
The point (well, one of them, there’s a lot to Bombadil…) of the Bombadil adventure in the book is as a transition from the Shire to the larger world Outside, with a reasonably safe adventure to start off with.
This is still my favorite version of Tom’s song:
https://youtu.be/XjsQ0CPejwI?t=341
Are we ignoring how much the Brothers Hildebrant art above already looks like Patrick Rothfuss? And how much Bombadil feels like a Rothfuss character anyway?
The late, great, John Candy. He’s have done great at Tom Bombadil. He could do comedy of all sorts, whimsical and broad, and the man could act too for the the more serious bits. Or, of course, Middle Earth’s existing musical chronicler:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGF5ROpjRAU
For living actors? I know this is a bit typecast-y, but Robbie Coltrane? Tom Bombadil is basically Hagrid with a more colourful wardrobe is he not?
Two words.
Tom Baker.
(I think he’s been Tom Bombadil in my head for nearly forty years now.)
I was reading this list and thinking “You know who would be perfect? Billy Connelly, because he’s perfect and should be in everything.” And then I got to the end of the list, and there he was. Let the friendship-bracelet-creations commence!
@6/Jason_UmmaMacabre & @9/wiredog: Bombadil was also an illustration that there were entities within Arda for whom the struggles of Elves & Men vs. Sauron & Orcs were but a trifle, which provides an important bit of perspective on the story.
That gives Tom Bombadil a bit of gravitas that I think Bob Hoskins would have pulled off much better than Billy Connolly, so I would swap those two…but the suggestion of Tom Baker by @13/eric I think is actually even more inspired. That big ol’ scarf wouldn’t even be out of place…
What about Brian Blessed? Man’s got the face, the build, the singing voice, the sheer instant lovability…
Ooh! Blessed would be a good choice, too!
Danny de Vito, of course! :D
How ’bout Michael Gambon?
Oh, I keep seeing Claire Danes as Goldberry :D
Also, the Bombadil segment serves a critical purpose: through it, Merry gets the sword that later is the undoing of the Witch-king. So there’s that.
I don’t know that Bombadil could be successfully worked into a film adaptation of tLotR, but that being said, I think there is much more to the character and interlude with TB than most here give credit for. Tom, though sometimes silly and full of whimsey, represented an import part of Middle-earth, even the land itself, so to speak. The whole question about: who is Tom is actually somewhat deep. He is the Master. Master of what? The Hobbits ask if he ‘owns’ or is Lord of these strange lands; they are met with laughter, followed by an explanation that it would indeed be a burden to own the Land. The rhythms, alliterations, and cadence of his dialog and speech are quite interesting to the ear once you notice them, especially if read aloud.
@13 Damn right!
The Bombadil seen in that first bit of artwork reminds me of Terrence Malick for some reason.
Totally Jim Broadbent! No one else close.
@1 – Agree 100%. Perhaps, and only perhaps, as a stand alone minifilm? The only reason I have for considering including it is the Barrows Down sequence that we missed. That would almost make putting up with Tom worthwhile.
I came to cast my vote for Pat Rothfuss, glad I’m not the first.
Suggesting anyone other than Nick Frost is the incorrect answer. Watch him in season 2 of AMC’s Into the Badlands – he is both whimsical and dangerous.
16. Ross Fisher- I immediately thought of Brian Blessed. He had that wonderful booming voice.and he was so much larger than life (even when he wasn’t acting. And as for his laugh …..
I think we’re underestimating how scary Tom Bombadil was. While he seemed to be nothing but a jolly big fellow, his personal power seemed to be sufficient to stop the whole conflict by prancing over to Mt Doom, tossing the ring in the lava, and then ending the whole conflict by giving Sauron a dope slap.
The actor does not live who’d make me willing to watch Tom Bombadil. I’ve been skipping that chapter for decades.
You guys are on to something. There should totally be a full-length Tom Bombadil flick starring Patrick Rothfuss.
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@zdrakec While the Barrow Downs blade is important, it hardly makes the whole diversion through the Old forest worthwhile. It could have been done more simply.
That said, if you’re skipping Bombadil when reading LOTR, you’ve rather missed the whole point… Bombadil is the only character in Middle Earth who is totally unaffected by the Ring. Yes, he could have skipped over to Mount Doom and destroyed it, but … why would he? He can’t even conceive of why it’s existence should matter to him.
As I understand, though, New Line actually had the rights to make a Bombadil movie. Jackson had to fight just to get to make three films. They tried to cut it to two. There’s still Bombadil and the Appendices available for more movies, if their options are still valid.
I get the point. It’s not worth suffering through To more than once IMO.
Kenneth branagh. List begins and starts there. He can play the gravitas and whimsy needed.
A second vote for 1999 Tom Baker. No understanding why you’d “skip” Bombadil, one of the best (and yes, scariest) characters in the story. Christopher Walken might work too, or a momentarily serious Nathan Lane. Someone with edges, who knows what it is to move and stand still.
Bombadil, it cannot be emphasized too much, is an extremely important character. As Ian/@15 points out, Bombadil illustrates that the are parts of Eru’s song beyond the Valar, Maiar, and peoples of Middle-Earth. swampyankee/@30 has an excellent reminder that Bombadil has an edge that some here may be overlooking: he’s not just whimsical, he’s a vastly powerful nature spirit who may well be the oldest entity in the entire world (Eru himself not counting, as being within and beyond creation as only a divine creator can be, and the Valar being something to puzzle over in this context; anyway, we’re speaking in terms of the divine).
And auspex/@34 hits one of the most important things, I think: by showing us a character unaffected by the Ring, Tolkien tells us something vital about it. The Ring operates on desire: it makes the quiet person invisible, promises to make a gardener the greatest gardener of all time, would turn a warrior into a king, and make a daughter of the most powerful family in history into a fearsome queen. So what does it do to Old Tom? Not a thing–because Tom already has all his heart could desire. He is free from temptation.
I think this is something a lot of people seem to miss.
A last thing I’d add, to my earlier nomination of Tom Baker: his Doctor, who could be whimsical and frightening within the same breath is obviously a part of that choice. But if you haven’t seen his Rasputin in Nicholas and Alexandra, that’s the other big part. Baker didn’t often get chances to do “serious” parts, but his Mad Monk is easily the most memorable part of that film. Look it up if you’ve never seen it.
Okay, if Tom Baker is playing Tom Bombadil I’d watch!?
The Bombadil/Barrow Downs episode would have to be part of a TV miniseries (and please not under the management of people who would try to make it edgy oh please oh please) so that it could have its proper place in the original opening act, so to speak. I think that while Tom Baker could go in a fingersnap from “jolly old eccentric” to “spooky ancient Power,” so could Robin Williams and you could hand him a list of key Tolkien-ish vocabulary and let him riff as he stumped along the banks of the Withywindle.
Seconding, thirding, whatevering Tom Baker!
He was a bit young for it at the time, but think about this one for a moment, even if it sounds crazy: Nick Offerman.
Robin Williams was my dream cast for him, years back before anyone had heard of Peter Jackson and a friend of mine spent three hours on a walk dream casting a LOTR film. (Not all our ideas were great but I still wonder about a Sean Connery Gandalf- it would either be genius or absolutely terrible!) I just imagined Robin Williams’ face as the most capable of joy out of every actor.
Tom Baker is a great idea though. I think he could manage the balance between whimsical foolishness, calm authority and sudden power. Tom Bombadil and the Doctor are in some ways very similar characters- Bombadil is a contented version of the Doctor without wanderlust or fear.
Here’s another idea though: you need someone large, bearded, capable of a wild affectionate laughter and displaying great passion and pleasure. He’s also a ridiculous character, so the actor would have to be ok with leaning into how preposterous his songs, personality are. Finally, there’s all these descriptions of his song being heard drifting over the hills, so he needs a great big powerful voice. The sort of voice you could hear laughing a mile away.
For laughter you could hear a mile away, I know the ideal candidate:
I would also watch Brian Blessed. ?
I completely respect everyone’s opinion here, but I still must disagree. It is very cool that there is this vastly powerful character who is completely unaffected by one of the most dangerous artifacts in the history of Middle-Earth, but two things keep me from loving it.
1. I realize I may be in the minority here, but he is annoying. I find his manner of speaking and his over-the-top whimsicalness to take me out of the story. If he had showed up in The Hobbit, I don’t think I would have batted an eyelash. He might have still been annoying, but he would have fit with the story being told. I’m too stubborn to skip his chapters, but I skim them when I’m rereading the series.
2. This awesomely powerful character is introduced. One more ancient than the Eldar, the Valar, the whole of Middle-Earth, and Eru’s big toe, and he gets two annoying chapters and then nothing ever happens with him. The concept of Bombadil is interesting, but the way he is written and the fact that he contributes almost nothing to the story makes his inclusion superfluous.
One last thing, he possibly had the ability to carry the ring the length of Middle-Earth, poke Sauron in the all-seeing eye Three Stooges style, flip the ring into Mount Doom, and skip back to his land without breaking a sweat, but didn’t feel see the point? Someone hand this guy a Spiderman comic…
Tom Bombadil is an interesting anomaly and I continue to maintain whole-hardheartedly that including him in Fellowship would have doomed the whole franchise because only die-hard Tolkien readers would appreciate him and then only if he was well adapted from the text. Casual moviegoers would have been turned off by him—and thus, the whole shebang—and so we wouldn’t have so many of the great things we now have as a result of The Lords of the Rings’ cinematic success. His whole episode is too great a speedbump in the narrative for a film, but works a bit better in a book. And even then, obviously, many see him as a bit too shoehorned in.
So I personally don’t even bother imagine him being cast, nor Goldberry. But incidentally, visual models were “cast” in the The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game (Harry Wellerchew portraying Tom, not sure who the model is for Goldberry, though):
These were never intended for the film, though. They were put together for the card game after the fact.
I have long thought that Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull), at least when he was a little younger, would have been the ideal Tom Bombadil. He has the right look and combination of whimsy and hidden madness that make Bombadil who he is.
Awnold… who else?