Harry Potter actors enter the world of Middle-earth and play The Lord of the Rings characters in a new batch of fun crossover art. No two fantasy franchises have arguably been bigger, more successful, or more beloved than both Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. While the former follows Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) as he enters a world of magic at Howarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, the latter follows Frodo (Elijah Wood), a Hobbit entrusted with destroying the powerful One Ring.
A new batch of AI-generated images shared by Alternate Reality Movies imagines how The Lord of the Rings would be different if the main characters were played by members of the Harry Potter cast. Check out the art (via @lordoftherings_notofficial) below:
The art sees Radcliffe taking on the role of Frodo and the late Dumbledore actor Michael Gambon as Gandalf. See the chart below for the full alternate reality castings:
The Lord of the Rings cast is essentially perfect and there’s arguably no recasting that would improve the franchise, but it’s still interesting to imagine which Harry Potter actors could successfully make the jump to Middle-earth. Radcliffe, in many ways, would make a good Frodo because the J.R.R. Tolkien character does have some things in common with Harry. Both, for example, are somewhat reluctant heroes who have grand quests thrust upon them.
Grint, too, could successfully play Sam due to the similarities between Sam and Ron. Both, for example, are kind and loyal, and both also get some of the most heroic moments of their respective franchises. There aren’t many obvious similarities between Hermione and Arwen, but Watson does seem like she would be able to capture the combination of ethereality and fierceness that the Elven warrior exhibits.
Perhaps the most compelling alternate reality casting of the ones featured above, however, is Rickman as Saruman. Rickman makes Snape dark, mysterious, and intimidating, and he has experience playing villains before with Hans Gruber in Die Hard and the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. While both Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings nailed their respective castings, the latest batch of art certainly serves as an interesting “what if?” scenario.
Source: Alternate Reality Movies (via @lordoftherings_notofficial)