Henry Cavill Is A Bigger Lord Of The Rings Nerd Than You Think

It's no secret that Henry Cavill is a big fantasy buff. For instance, the Geralt actor is more of an enthusiast than most Witcher fans, and he's currently working on Amazon Prime's Warhammer 40,000 adaptation. Once again, Cavill is a full-fledged fan of the franchise and even expressed concern about the upcoming project, stating, "It needs to be handled to a 'Lord of the Rings' level. And if it's not, I'll be massively disappointed."

It turns out that Cavill's reference to the one fantasy world to rule them all isn't a lightly made comparison, either. The man loves Middle-earth so much that he's named his dog after one of one of Tolkien's most beloved families. The ex-Superman actor appeared on Josh Horowitz's Inside of You podcast alongside director Matthew Vaughn as part of the press push for "Argylle." During the interview, the host asked how the pair felt about cats or dogs. Both replied that they were in the canine camp, prompting Horowitz to follow up on a new addition to Cavill's four-legged family.

"By the way," the host inquired, "so it's Kal and Baggins now, too, right?" "Yes. Baggins in the new addition," Cavill replied, adding, "because where we live is particularly Shire-esque, we felt it suitable that our little creature would be called Baggins."

When Vaughn asked if that meant Cavill would get a Bilbo now, too, the actor's response was in the negative. He reserves the Hobbitish name for smaller pups, and he plans on getting a bigger dog next. Still, the fact that the fantasy actor and fan would prioritize Middle-earth's First Hobbit Family as the name for one of his two dogs shows just how much love he has for Tolkien's classic fantasy world.

Henry Cavill's willingness to connect his pets to his fantasy acting doesn't stop with their names. In the past, he's gone on record as to how they play a key role in the way he handles his relationship with animals on screen, too. In an interview in 2021, Cavill shared that his close bond with his dog Kal was a key factor in helping him make a connection with Geralt's horse Roach — or, more specifically, the two horses named Zeus and Hector who played the on-screen equine.

"Kal and I have a very close bond," he explained, adding that when you spend that much time with an animal, "You develop a very, very close relationship with them, and you start to understand their body languages, and their energies and things which other people don't see, you notice in your own dog."

Cavill has always shared a close bond with animals. So close that his family thought his original calling was to be a veterinarian. At one point, Kal even came with Cavill to the set of "The Witcher." There's no news of Baggins filling that same role ... at least, not yet. However, there are plenty of Middle-earth media projects in the works at the moment. If Cavill were to land a role in one of these new "Lord of the Rings" storylines, Baggins could be the perfect way to help him connect with both the talking and non-verbal animals in Tolkien's world.

Henry Cavill may not have shown up in Middle-earth yet. But the stars may be aligning for him to arrive there at some point. One development that's particularly worth watching is the fact that he has an interesting connection to one of the biggest Tolkienian projects.

In late 2022, Amazon Prime revealed the full slate of directors for Season 2 of its "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" series. Prominent amongst the names was the return of Charlotte Brändström, who also helmed multiple Season 1 episodes for the show. Brändström isn't new to the fantasy genre, either. She directed two episodes of Season 1 of "The Witcher" back in 2019. This gives Cavill a connection to a leading figure on Amazon Studios' Middle-earth set — and fans are well aware of the possibilities. 

In fact, Cavill's followers have been busy fan-casting the fantasy icon as a variety of Tolkienian characters. Some are fun call-backs to Jackson's original trilogy, like having him fill in for Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn, Karl Urban's Éomer, or Orlando Bloom's Legolas. Other suggestions apply directly to Brändström's Second Age series, such as having Cavill play the hitherto unadapted Elvish hero Glorfindel or the Dark Lord Sauron himself.

Of course, as of this writing, all of this is just wishful thinking. In early 2024, the actor undoubtedly has his hands full, not just with promoting films like "Argylle" but preparing for multiple upcoming fantasy adaptations, too, including "Warhammer 40K" and "Highlander." Perhaps once the dust settles from those fantastical forays, Cavill can find his way into Middle-earth — and if he does, he'll have his very own Baggins to support him every step of the way.