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Which Lord of the Rings characters could potentially appear in the upcoming TV series on Amazon Prime? For many years, The Lord of the Rings was protected by the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien, and while the rights to the main trilogy and The Hobbit had already been sold during the author's lifetime, adaptations of other Middle-earth material remained strictly prohibited. When Christopher Tolkien retired, however, it wasn't long until the next major live-action project set in Tolkien's world was announced. As part of their drive for original content, Amazon Prime Video revealed a big-budget Lord of the Rings prequel TV series.

While much is still unknown about this new project, some key details have emerged. Although Peter Jackson has apparently offered his advice, Middle-earth's movie mastermind won't be directly involved in the series, but Game of Thrones' Bryan Cogman will be. Amazon's Lord of the Rings series will be set in Tolkien's Second Age (Frodo's story happens in the Third), and the first season is expected to run for a sizable 20 episodes, with New Zealand once again providing the backdrop. In terms of casting, a varied ensemble has been announced, and among them is Morfydd Clark, who will portray Galadriel, Cate Blanchett's character from the movies.

Given the Second Age setting of the new Lord of the Rings TV series, Galadriel is far from the only familiar face who could appear, and Amazon has promised the new project will feature characters "fans love." Here are some of the biggest names that could be included:

Elrond

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Fairly straightforward to fit into the Second Age narrative is Elrond, played on film by Hugo Weaving. Born as early as the First Age, Elrond is an established figure during the Second, and it's here that he seriously comes to prominence as a leader among the Elves. The Second Age sees Elrond establish Rivendell, a key setting in The Lord of the Rings, and repeatedly clash against the forces of Sauron. As glimpsed in the prelude to Peter Jackson's movies, Elrond is instrumental in Sauron's eventual defeat by forging an alliance with men, and would've destroyed the One Ring on the spot if it weren't for a certain character who appears below.

It remains to be seen whether Amazon's The Lord of the Rings will be an expansive story covering key events in Tolkien's timeline, or whether it'll keep a tighter focus and follow a single family of character through a small-scale story. But if the series does touch upon the larger events at play in Middle-earth, it'll be harder to exclude Elrond than include him. Fortunately, there's certainly plenty of story to dip into: the beginnings of Elrond's fight against Sauron, his awareness of the Ring's power, the desperation that leads to an alliance with men - all potential points of intrigue for this Elven legend.

Sauron

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On the other side of Elrond's coin is Sauron, another likely inclusion in Amazon's The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien's First Age ends with the defeat of Melkor, to whom Sauron began his career in evil-doing as a servant. With his master gone, the Second Age is, essentially, Sauron's time to shine, and he does so with aplomb, creating the famous Rings of Power and working hard to corrupt men, Elves and Dwarves alike. Although these events are central to The Lord of the Rings, they were only briefly mentioned in the trilogy, and seeing a detailed exploration of how Sauron seized control of Middle-earth could prove fascinating. Including the villain would also offer a chance to explore the creation of the Nazgûl and feature the Nine in a more prominent capacity.

Even more tantalizing is the prospect of seeing Sauron as a living, breathing character. In The Lord of the Rings, Sauron is a non-corporeal spirit; a giant eye of fire that casts an evil and foreboding shadow over the entire story. Indeed, Frodo's destruction of the One Ring is intended to prevent Sauron's return to prominence. In the Second Age, however, Sauron was a physical being. The lumbering, black-armored knight, a spy among the elves calling himself Annatar, and a prisoner of the Númenóreans who would ultimately bring doom upon the civilization. Even more so than Elrond, Sauron will prove increasingly difficult to ignore the longer Amazon's The Lord of the Rings runs.

Gandalf

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By rights, Gandalf's presence in Amazon's The Lord of the Rings should be a non-starter. The series looks to be set in the Second Age, but Gandalf and the other Maiar weren't sent to Middle-earth as wizards until a thousand years into the Third Age. Despite this considerable obstacle, speculation regarding Gandalf's possible appearance persists, with Ian McKellen himself expressing an interest in reprising the role. Elsewhere, a female Gandalf has been mooted by Robyn Malcolm (Morwen in The Two Towers), and the character remains the marketable face of The Lord of the Rings as a franchise, indicating Amazon will want to include him if at all possible.

As a Maia, Gandalf does exist during the Second Age, but as Olórin rather than the grey wizard seen in The Fellowship of the Ring. Olórin and his kind were said to wander unseen among the people of Middle-earth prior to their arrival in the Third Age, and this could provide a potential route for his inclusion in the upcoming TV series. It has been confirmed that rules set by Tolkien's estate prevent any meddling with the author's established story so an appearance from Gandalf will certainly be tricky, but given the constant speculation, it's surely something producers will be looking at closely.

Legolas

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Like Gandalf, Legolas would be tricky to include in a Second Age The Lord of the Rings TV series, but if Peter Jackson can include him in The Hobbit, anything goes for this golden-haired archer? Also like Gandalf, Legolas is an extremely old character who casual Lord of the Rings fans will be very familiar with, but his age is somewhat of a sticking point. As an elf, Legolas is undoubtedly ancient, but whether his years extend back as far as the Second Age is a matter of debate. On one hand, Tolkien never explicitly stated when Legolas was born, and although a movie tie-in guide puts his birth early in the Third Age, this doesn't constitute official canon. Most fans agree that Legolas way probably born around this time, otherwise he surely would've been mentioning his role in Sauron's Second Age defeat constantly during the Fellowship's travels.

Nevertheless, there's no solid confirmation either way, and since Legolas' father is a First Age elf, the timelines could be made to match up without overhauling any established Tolkien lore. Legolas' appearance in Amazon's The Lord of the Rings perhaps depends on two factors: how badly the show wants familiar faces, and how deep into the Second Age the series is set. The real balancing act would be ensuring Legolas doesn't become so entrenched in past events that his character feels inconsistent with The Lord of the Rings.

Tom Bombadil

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If there's one book character The Lord of the Rings fans want to see in live-action, it's Tom Bombadil. Before reaching Rivendell in The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo and his Hobbit pals come across Tom and his wife in the Old Forest and spend some time enjoying the couple's hospitality before they again set off on their quest to save Middle-earth. The Bombadil chapters are a stark departure from the rest of the story and form an interesting but trippy interlude to the central plot. As such, it's easy to see why Jackson would cut Bombadil from his movie trilogy, even if some fans have never forgiven him for it.

Tom is said to have lived throughout history and also appears to possess near complete mastery of his realm within the Old Forest. Although able to resist the temptation of the Ring, it's suggested Tom's powers would weaken if he strays too far from his home, and so he aids the Hobbits and offers his counsel, but otherwise stays out of their affairs. Tom remains a fascinating part of The Lord of the Rings, as his nature and origins are still entirely unknown. This gives the Amazon TV series plenty of scope to explore the character, and while Tom's aura of mystery shouldn't be destroyed, his story is wide open ready to explore.

Isildur & Elendil

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Due to their fragile, mortal constitutions, the likes of Aragorn and Boromir can't possibly feature in a story set so far into Middle-earth's past. However, Isildur and Elendil are only ever seen or referenced in flashback form and could certainly add a Númenórean flavor to Amazon's cast. Both characters are historically significant to Middle-earth; Isildur famously cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand, while Elendil led his people to war in a landmark alliance with the Elves. But what of these characters before their famous deeds on the battlefield? With both Elendil and Isildur, there's opportunity to expand upon what fans already know and bring this father and son duo to the forefront of their own story rather than simply viewing the pair through a cold, historical lens. For example, did Isildur always exhibit signs of weakness and greed? Or was his downfall purely the tragic result of Sauron's interference? How personal was Elendil's vendetta against Sauron after the villain caused the destruction of Númenór and forced the family to flee to Middle-earth?

An obstacle to Isildur and Elendil's appearances in the Lord of the Rings TV show is their precise placement in Tolkien's timeline. Although the time period of the series has yet to be confirmed, both men appear very late into the Second Age, and it's Isildur's defeat of Sauron that heralds the beginning of the Third. Naturally, this means if Isildur and Elendil are present from the beginning Amazon's story, there's not much of the Second Age left to work with. If anything, these significant characters could be late additions to the Lord of the Rings prequel.