What Could Have Been... #5 - Lord Of The Rings

Written By John. Follow him on twitter: @UKFilmNerd

As a UK Film Nerd, I love exploring behind the scenes. Reading about the production process, the special effects and the stories of what could have been.

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings (2001)

Viggo Mortensen wasn’t always going to play Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In fact he was bought in at the very last minute. So why was this then? Well an actor called Stuart Townsend was originally cast but unfortunately was replaced just a day before principle photography began back in 1999.

The following quote was taken from an interview back in 2002 which was not long after the film had been released. According to Townsend,

“I was there rehearsing and training for two months, then was fired the day before filming began. After that I was told they wouldn't pay me because I was in breach of contract due to not having worked long enough. I had been having a rough time with them, so I was almost relieved to be leaving until they told me I wouldn't be paid. I have no good feelings for those people in charge, I really don't. The director wanted me and then apparently thought better of it because he really wanted someone 20 years older than me and completely different.”

[Stuart Townsend]

Stuart doesn’t seem to get much luck. He was going to play one of Thor’s friends but left the project due to “creative differences”. This is the only known picture (allegedly) of Stuart as Aragorn.

It could have been even weirder. Russell Crowe turned down the role of Aragorn because it was too similar to Gladiator.

Or how about Nicolas Cage! He refused the offer because he didn’t want to be away from his family living in New Zealand for the long production process (principal photography lasted 274 days!).

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