Let's dreamcast a live-action adaptation of The Silmarillion
11) Eärendil the Mariner - Austin Butler
We're almost at the end of this dream-cast, so let's check in with a character instrumental to ending the First Age of Middle-earth: Eärendil the Mariner, the first mortal to set foot in the Undying Lands beyond the sea, where dwell the Valar, the shapers of the world.
Eärendil is one of the most foundational characters in Tolkien's mythos. The child of an human man and an elven woman, he and his wife Elwing take a Silmaril and leave Middle-earth in Eärendil's ship Vingilot so they can cross the sea and beseech the gods to help the people of Middle-earth in their brutal battle against Morgoth. Because Eärendil came on behalf of the humans and elves suffering under Morgoth, rather than for himself, the king of the Valar -- Manwë -- decides that Eärendil will not be executed, the usual punishment for a mortal stepping foot in the land of the gods. Manwë marshals a host of elves who cross the sea and cast Morgoth down in the War of Wrath, which is so destructive that it reshapes the landscape of Middle-earth. Riding through the sky in Vingilot, Eärendil slays Ancalagon The Black, the most powerful of Morgothe's winged dragons, whose body crashes into and breaks the peaks of Thangorodrim above Morgoth's palace.
So Eärendil is pure-hearted, brave, heroic and very important to the story. He needs an actor of stature and presence to play him. Austin Butler, who's been on the rise thanks to high-profile roles in movies like Elvis and the upcoming Dune: Part 2, would fit the bill. Butler is young and fresh-faced enough to play a noble hero like Eärendil, but has a rugged intensity that would convince you he's capable of making a desperate, death-defying journey into dangerous waters. And because Butler is rapidly becoming a household name, casting him as Eärendil would signal to the audience something they need to know: this role matters. - Dan S
Finally, let's check in on a familiar characters from The Lord of the Rings who was also around during this period of Middle-earth's history:
