Lord of the Rings: Apparently one of the hobbits should have died

Lord of the Rings

If it had been up to the producers of Lord of the Rings, one of the hobbits would apparently not have survived the trilogy. Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan, who both played hobbits, revealed that in an interview. Accordingly, Peter Jackson is said to have been put under pressure by the producers to kill a character in the film - although in the original book by J.R.R. Tolkien all hobbits survive in the end.

"It's a good thing that didn't happen because it would have hit me." - joked Dominic Monaghan in conversation with IGN. "That would definitely have happened that way. They would never have let Frodo or Sam die. The only ones that would have been left are Merry and Pippin. And they would not have killed Pippin either because he has a strong connection with Gandalf. So it would be definitely been me. "

Director Peter Jackson did not give in to the pressure of the producers and ended his work according to his plans. According to the interview, Jackson described Tolkien's work as a monument that should be kept as close as possible to the text. The changes requested by the Hollywood producers were therefore out of the question for Lord of the Rings.

Currently, several productions for the fantasy series have been commissioned again. Amazon is currently developing a series on Lord of the Rings, which, with a budget of just under 465 million US dollars, is also the most expensive series of series production of all time. Warner Bros., on the other hand, is busy with an anime film, the story of which is set around 250 years before the events of the cinema trilogy.

Source: IGN

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‘Lord of the Rings’ Stars Say Peter Jackson Resisted Pressure to Kill a Hobbit

The Lord of the Rings could have been down one hobbit by the trilogy’s end.

Franchise stars Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd are using their new podcast The Friendship Onion to divulge a number of behind the scenes details about the blockbuster films, which first hit theaters in 2001 with the release of The Fellowship of the Ring. Among the many things Monaghan and Boyd, the actors behind Merry and Pippin, respectively, have revealed is a potential character death that director Peter Jackson successfully evaded.

In an interview with IGN, the two actors share that at one point, Jackson was facing pressure “from above” to kill off one of the film’s four leading Hobbits — Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry. This would have marked a significant pivot from what Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in his own series, in which all four Hobbits survive. Ultimately, Jackson rejected the producers’ ask, ensuring each of the beloved characters made it to the end of the trilogy.

While discussing the possibility of which Hobbit might have been axed had Jackson actually agreed to the request, Monaghan said it would have “definitely” been him, before breaking down exactly why.

“It’s a good job that didn’t happen because it would have been me,” he said. “There’s no way they are killing Frodo and Sam, and the only ones that would be left would be Merry and Pippin. They wouldn’t kill Pippin because Pippin has a really strong story with Gandalf.”

Video: Dominic Monaghan & Billy Boyd's 15-Second 'Lord of the Rings' Plot Summaries (CBS Entertainment)

Dominic Monaghan & Billy Boyd's 15-Second 'Lord of the Rings' Plot Summaries

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While the actor said he was “thankful that didn’t happen,” he also offered up some reasoning for Jackson’s refusal to kill one of the four characters, saying the director “stuck by his guns.”

“I think Pete quite rightly was like, ‘This is a luminary piece of written work, and we need to stick close to the text,'” Monaghan said.

During a recent appearance on The Late Show, the duo also revealed that Lord of the Rings writer and expert Philippa Boyens had written in a “gag” after the actors had been “winding people up and having a bit of fun” themselves on set. The scene would have involved the two characters tumbling down Treebeard after the Ent shakes his branches.

As it was explained to them, “It makes you guys fall and as you hit all the branches on the way down, by the time you hit the ground, you’re naked,” Boyd told host Stephen Colbert.

The duo shared the anecdote after a fan petition was started to “keep nudity out” of the upcoming Amazon series, following reports that it might feature nudity.