All 9 Lord of the Rings Characters Who Have Been Recast

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a cinematic masterpiece and a staple of the cinema of the 2000s. The movies are based on the seminal novels by J. R. R. Tolkien, who penned them as just a small part of his enormous fantasy legendarium, all centring around the world of Middle-earth. The films were a critical and box office success, breaking records, winning multiple Oscars, and bringing in a bunch of new fans to the IP.

Recently, a new film has been announced, The Hunt for Gollum, which is coming out soon and will be directed by Andy Serkis, who also reprises the title role. The movie will see some familiar faces return, and some new characters emerge, but unfortunately, not everyone can come back. This means a role had to be recast, though this isn’t the first time in The Lord of the Rings‘ history that it has happened. These are all the actors from The Lord of the Rings who have been recast.

Círdan the Shipwright

Image via Prime Video

Círdan the Shipwright is an elf who resides in the port of Lindon on the westernmost coast of Middle-earth. He is often known as the Lord of the Grey Havens and is responsible for seeing ships off as they make for the shores of Aman, the Undying Lands. He lives a mostly peaceful lifestyle and isn’t talked about a lot in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He does, however, make brief background appearances in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Return of the King, though he has no speaking lines. ‘

This version of Círdan is played by Michael Elsworth, but his appearance is so small that if you blink, you’ll miss him. He has a much more significant role in the Amazon Prime TV series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. This version of him is much more fleshed out and is played by Ben Daniels. Obviously, judging solely on performance, Daniels is the better of the two, mainly for the reason that he isn’t a background character and actually has dialogue in it.

Gil-galad

Image via Prime Video

Gil-galad is the last elf king of the Ñoldor, and was one of the leaders of the Last Alliance during the War of the Last Alliance. He led the massive assault on Mordor at the end of the Second Age, but was actually slain by Sauron himself during the final battle. It was quite an impactful moment in the history of Middle-earth, as it sent ripples throughout the elf kingdoms and shocked many to the core.

In The Fellowship of the Ring, Gil-galad can be glimpsed very, very briefly during the opening sequence, although he has no dialogue and isn’t referred to by name. In the movie, he is played by Mark Ferguson, but he feels like more of an extra rather than a named role. His role in Amazon’s The Rings of Power is much more prominent. This time, he is played by Benjamin Walker, who is able to develop the character much more, rather than having him strictly as a background cameo.

Isildur

Image via New Line Cinema

Isildur was the young prince responsible for cutting the One Ring off of Sauron’s finger during the War of the Last Alliance, taking the Ring into his possession, thus beginning the Third Age of Middle-earth. However, as many already know, Isildur was corrupted by the power of the One Ring and was ambushed and killed by a band of orcs. The Ring fell into the swamps of the Gladden Fields, where it remained for 2,500 years, until it was found by Sméagol, and the rest is history.

Isildur makes his debut during the opening sequence of The Fellowship of the Ring, which depicts Sauron’s defeat. This version of the character is played by Harry Sinclair. His role is expanded upon more in The Rings of Power, in which Isildur is one of the primary characters. Here, he is played by Maxim Baldry as a younger version of the prince before he defeated Sauron. Sinclair did do a good job of playing the character, no matter how minor the role was. Baldry’s role is more fleshed out, though, since it has more screentime.

Elendil

Image via New Line Cinema

Elendil is Isildur’s father and the King of both Arnor and Gondor. He and his kin were Númenórean exiles who ruled over the two realms and eventually joined the War of the Last Alliance in an effort to combat the growing influence of Sauron. Elendil was killed by Sauron himself, just minutes before his own son cut the Ring off of Sauron’s fingers. In fact, Isildur did it using the remnants of his father’s broken sword.

In the opening sequence of The Fellowship of the Ring, Elendil is portrayed by Peter McKenzie, but he has no dialogue and doesn’t get much screentime before snuffing it. In The Rings of Power, Elendil has a much more prominent role and is portrayed by Lloyd Owen. Here, audiences get to know more about what kind of man Elendil was and what he stood for. Once again, the version present in The Rings of Power is younger, so the recasting makes sense.

Galadriel

Galadriel is an elf who watches over the forests of Lothlórien, making her first appearance in The Fellowship of the Ring. When the fellowship passes through her realm, she gives the companions several useful gifts to aid them on their journey, including elven cloaks, ropes, new weapons, and other magical tools. She is known for her ethereal beauty and voice, and actually narrates the opening sequence of the first film.

Though not mentioned in the book, Galadriel also makes an appearance in the first Hobbit film. In every live-action movie, she is played by Cate Blanchett, who really reflects Galadriel’s ethereal aura. However, Galadriel also appears in The Rings of Power, where she is more of a fighter and less of a wise and guiding figure. In the TV show, Morfydd Clark plays Galadriel in a more central role. Both bring their own spin to this iconic figure, but movie fans definitely tend to appreciate Blanchett’s take on the character more.

Elrond Úndomiel

Image via New Line Cinema

Elrond, also known as Elrond Half-Elven, was a prominent and ancient figure in Middle-earth, known for residing in the house of Rivendell, in the valley of Imladris, said to be the last homely house before the edge of the wild. He, too, is present in the opening sequence of The Fellowship of the Ring, but he does not die in the War of the Last Alliance. He also assists in forming the fellowship itself, and later reappears in The Return of the King, after the quest is complete and the companions go back to Rivendell to unwind.

Elrond also appears in The Hobbit movies. In both Peter Jackson trilogies, Elrond is played by Hugo Weaving, who was an absolutely perfect fit for the role. However, he also appears in The Rings of Power, but this time he is played by Robert Aramayo, and it isn’t just a case of a character being younger. The Rings of Power is not connected to Peter Jackson’s films and tries to establish its own universe, hence the recasting.

Bilbo Baggins

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Bilbo Baggins is the main star of The Hobbit trilogy, and is, as the name suggests, a hobbit. In this prequel trilogy, he is played by Martin Freeman, who brings an unforgettable performance to the character. Freeman brought so much life and personality to Bilbo that he’s easily one of the best parts of the trilogy, whether one likes the actual films or not. However, Freeman isn’t the first one to take on the role.

In the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy, an older Bilbo is played by Sir Ian Holm. Of course, it makes sense that the actors would be different, considering the two stories take place 60 years apart. However, in the opening sequence of The Fellowship of the Ring, a younger Bilbo is seen, too, also played by Holm. This quick moment actually depicts the moment Bilbo finds the One Ring in The Hobbit. Moreover, in the extended cut of An Unexpected Journey, a child version of Bilbo is briefly played by Oscar Strik. At the end of the day, though, both Freeman and Holm were perfectly cast and delivered memorable versions of the character.

Gandalf the Grey

Image via New Line Cinema

The original Gandalf the Grey was, and still is, played by the one and only Sir Ian McKellen. The grey wizard is known for his jolly but serious demeanour, his love of hobbit culture, and his surprising abilities in combat. Gandalf is present in both The Hobbit films and The Fellowship of the Ring, but becomes Gandalf the White (still played by McKellen) for the latter two films in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Sir Ian is indeed reprising his role in The Hunt for Gollum, but he does not take on the role for Amazon’s The Rings of Power. Gandalf makes a brief appearance at the end of Season 2, crashing down from the sky on a meteor, symbolizing Gandalf taking on physical form in Middle-earth (since he is a spirit called a Maia). This character, known as “the Stranger,” is played by Daniel Weyman and has been confirmed to be Gandalf, albeit a much younger version; several thousand years younger, in fact. Thus, it makes sense to have a younger actor play the role.

Aragorn II Elessar

Image via New Line Cinema

Aragorn made his debut in The Fellowship of the Ring, acting as a ranger from the North who aids Frodo Baggins on his quest to destroy the One Ring. Aragorn is of the Dúnedain, a race of humans gifted with exceptionally long life. He is actually 87 years old, but appears much younger. As many already know, he is also one of Isildur’s descendants and is destined to take the throne of Gondor once the War of the Ring is over.

In the films, he was played by Viggo Mortensen, who brought an unforgettable performance as the fantasy hero. But when The Hunt for Gollum‘s cast was announced, filmmakers hit the audience with some bad news: Mortensen would not be reprising his role, which makes sense, considering that Aragorn is going to be quite a bit younger in the new movie, and Mortensen is approaching 70. Granted, the movie made a great choice, casting Jamie Dornan as the new Aragorn. It’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the table, and while Mortensen left some very big shoes to fill, Dornan has proven himself as far more than just Christian Grey.