Peter Jackson had an almost impossible task on his hands when he was bestowed with the responsibility of turning Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings into a trilogy of movies. How do you take this sprawling, vast tale and turn it into a coherent 9-hour cinematic experience (or 11-hour, if you do the right thing and watch the extended editions) without sacrificing its essence, and soul?
In the end, Lord of the Rings fans needn’t have worried. With the aid of the pitch-perfect Lord of the Rings cast, Jackson created the best movies possible, and translated Tolkien’s writing to the screen by condensing timelines, removing slower sections of the plot (RIP Tom Bombadil), and cutting some Lord of the Rings characters from the narrative entirely. While entirely necessary, the loss of some character does admittedly still sting and, on Reddit, Middle-earth devotees aren’t over the loss of Prince Imrahil, among others.
In response to a post titled ‘What characters were left out of the LOTR trilogy that you wished they didn’t?’ Imrahil was the most upvoted answer. If you need a refresher, in Tolkien’s writing Prince Imrahil led the Knights of Dol Amroth as they came to the aid of Gondor in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields as Minas Tirith was under siege.
In Jackson’s The Return of the King, Prime Imrahil and his swan-knights of Dol Amroth are cut from the already busy battle. To be fair, with Gondor, The Witch-King’s army, Theoden’s Rohirrim, the Army of the Dead, the Easterlings, and the Corsairs of Umbar, the battle was already stuffed with various factions.
Perhaps, for a cinematic adaption, Prince Imrahil’s legions would have been one too many; though it doesn’t stop us from mourning his absence (he’s a seriously cool customer).
Other names chosen by fans on Reddit include Glorfindel, Elrond’s sons Elladan and Elrohir, Beregond, Fatty Bolger, Bill Ferny, Tom Bombadill, Goldberry, and — our personal choice — Gildor Inglorion.
Gildor plays a minor role in the first stage of the story of Lord of the Rings, warning Frodo of the threat posed by the pursuing Ringwraiths as he’s leaving The Shire. He offers insight and wisdom and is the first Elf we encounter in the story and an incredibly memorable one as he takes the Hobbits under his wing and protection.
Of course, Gildor was cut to maintain the pace of Frodo’s escape from The Shire, which makes sense. But, nevertheless, we can’t help but wish we’d gotten to see Gildor come to life in live-action. Maybe, as new Lord of the Rings movies are planned, the character might crop up eventually.
For more on The Lord of the Rings, read why we think the extended editions aren’t actually long enough. Or, see our guide on the best (and only) way to watch the Lord of the Rings movies in order, before catching up with the upcoming War of the Rohirrim release date, and Rings of Power season 2.