The Lord of the Rings trilogy became one of the defining trilogies for a generation. It was the book many claimed could never be filmed, yet Peter Jackson did the impossible and produced one of the seminal fantasy stories of all time and a trilogy for the ages. For the kids who grew up with Lord of the Rings, this was their Star Wars.
If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings, there are so many wonderful layers to the story and the characters, and this is something to explore. Fans of a particular franchise often want to find out more and ensure they know as much as possible about a particular movie. So, without further ado, here are some of the great facts about the Lord of the Rings that you probably never knew.
Viggo Mortensen wasn’t originally cast as Aragorn
The role of Aragorn proved the most problematic to cast, and this is not surprising due to how much of a pivotal role the character plays in the movies. Originally Nicolas Cage was offered the part, but he turned it down due to family obligations. Daniel Day-Lewis was also offered the part, but he passed. Irish actor Stuart Townsend was cast, but he left not long into filming due to creative differences. It was then that Mortensen was offered what would become his most iconic role.
Sean Connery was offered the role of Gandalf
Incredibly, Ian McKellen, so iconic as Gandalf was close to not even being in the film. Scottish legend Sean Connery was originally offered the role, but having never read the books, and not understanding the script, he turned it down. This was despite the offer of 15% of the movies profits. Think how different those movies could have been with Double-Oh-Seven pulling on the cloak and long, pointy hat!
Ian Holm once played Frodo
Ian Holm plays the role of Bilbo Baggins in the trilogy, Frodo’s uncle. But, in a nice nod to the character, Holm himself actually played Frodo some 20 years prior. Back in 1981, the BBC commissioned a radio dramatization of the Lord of the Rings story. The series was broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and Holm’s appearance in it is what led to Peter Jackson offering him the role of Bilbo in the Lord of the Rings movie series.
Watching the extended versions back to back would need half a day
Now, watching the extended versions of the movies is definitely the preferable choice, and this is something the hardcore fans would likely be doing anyway. Now, if you are interested in doing this all in one go, you are going to need to set some time aside to do it. After all, you would need approximately half a day to pull this off! Indeed, the three extended editions total 681 minutes, and it would take 11 hours and 21 minutes to complete the trilogy.
These are some of the ace facts to keep in mind about the Lord of the Rings franchise, and you’ve got to look at the different aspects involved in the making of the movies. There was so much time, work, and money that went into making these films as perfect as they could possibly be. And this has led to some of the most fascinating facts that you probably never knew about these seminal films.
