The studio behind Lord of the Rings pressured director Peter Jackson to kill off three Hobbits during the course of his iconic film series. The fantasy epic trilogy, adapted from JRR Tolkien’s seminal novel, became one of the most influential series in modern history, and has been compared to Star Wars in the scale of its achievement. The Lord of the Rings trilogy’s first film, The Fellowship of the Ring, recently hit its 20 year anniversary with the cast releasing a funny rap video in celebration.
Twenty years after the series began, a lot has been learned about the development and production of the films. Among the interesting facts that have been learned since the series ended is that Jackson was pressured to condense the three films into one. The pressure came with a threat that Jackson would be replaced by Quentin Tarantino if he was unable to carry out the demands. Eventually, the studio and producers allowed Jackson to make the films as he wanted, filming the three back-to-back. It was also recently revealed that Adrien Brody turned down a role for one of the four main Hobbits, which sits alongside plenty of other interesting bits of casting trivia.
Now, in a retrospective look at the series from The Independent, it's revealed that producer Bob Weinstein asked for three Hobbits to be killed over the course of the series. The change would have been a huge departure from the source material and would have significantly altered key elements of the story. In the novel, and eventually in the films, while all four of the main Hobbits change a lot over the course of their journey, none of them die. Check out the full quote from Ken Kamins (Jackson’s manager) below:
“Bob Weinstein suggested at one point that we kill three of the Hobbits.”
Fans of the Lord of the Rings series will be shocked to hear that producers were pushing for such a massive change from the classic novels. The news also provides a fun chance to imagine what alternate versions of the films would have been like if the changes had been made, and how it might have impacted the story. Ultimately, fans will be glad that the change was avoided and that Jackson managed to follow his vision and stay true to Tolkien’s writing.
Middle-Earth, the fantasy world in which Lord of the Rings takes place, will be revisited next year when Amazon Prime Video releases its highly anticipated fantasy series based on Tolkien’s work. Fans will expect to see familiar locations (and perhaps familiar faces) in the series, but there will also be changes. For example, the series will cast black British actor Lenny Henry as a Hobbit among other bold and notable casting decisions. Whether or not the series will be able to capture what made Middle-Earth so immersive and appealing in Jackson’s films, fans will have to wait and see.
Source: The Independent