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Radagast to be in the movie after all?

September 02, 2001 at 01:01:41

A gaming company representative speaking at Dragoncon may have let slip a minor secret: Radagast is possibly a licensed merchandisable character from the movies.

Many Tolkien fans have been upset over omissions of favorite or interesting characters from the upcoming Peter Jackson "Lord of the Rings" movies. Radagast has only a brief role in the book, but some fans feel he should or could have been included in the storyline.

A gaming company representative, speaking at Dragoncon, fielded a question about wizards. He mentioned briefly that a Radagast character was not yet available. Members of the audience quickly picked up on the implications of the comment but no further comment was offered. The audience did not insist on pursuing the small item.

Nonetheless, in a fan world rocked by rumors of substantially altered characters and missing characters, even small revelations which offer potential hope of increased faithfulness to the storyline are generally accepted with gladness.

So, we cannot confirm that Radagast will indeed be in the movies, but perhaps a well-connected fan site or two will be able to provide proof or denial in the next few weeks.

Radagast is mentioned as a "cousin" by Gandalf in The Hobbit and he is sent to look for Gandalf by Saruman the White in The Lord of the Rings. Later on, Gandalf is rescued from Orthanc by an eagle sent by Radagast to bear news to the two wizards.