# What If...an earlier LOTR movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 28, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414 "2003-12-28T14:48:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414/1 "2003-12-28T14:48:57Z")
Apologies if this has come up before, but I couldn’t find it via a Search, so… A couple friends and I discuss this perennially. What if, back in the mid to late 80s, Spielberg and Lucas had gotten the rights to Lord of the Rings and filmed it? They were very marketable after Star Wars and the Indiana Jones movies, so let’s say they could get the okay for a three movie series—anyone else doing it would probably be forced to keep it to two, or even one movie. Five questions: 1)How would they manage the Hobbits using 80s technology? Use real Little People as in Willow? Or perhaps cast young teenagers heavily made up and dub in adult voices? 2)Given the time period, I doubt they could get financing for all three movies to be made at once, as Jackson did, so let’s assume it would have been a minimum of 2-3 years between films. Could such a project carry the public through all three films? Star Wars and Indiana Jones did it, but others have failed miserably at such a task. and 3)Who do you think they would have cast in the major roles? My preferences for casting some of the major roles: Gandalf-Richard Harris Aragorn-Daniel Day Lewis Legolas-Cary Elwes Gimli-Danny DeVito (or, alternatively, a short, stocky unknown heavily made up with his voice also dubbed in) Galadriel-Glenn Close Elrond-Patrick Stewart Arwen-Jennifer Connelly Boromir-Kenneth Brannaugh Faramir-Michael Biehn Eowyn-Joanne Whaley Eomer-Val Kilmer Theoden-Charlton Heston Saruman–Christopher Lee (hey, he was still old in the 80s and still had “the voice”) Grima Wormtongue-Rowan Atkinson 4)Given the fact that such a production would probably have cost about $60 million a film in 1980s dollars, and also given that SFX pre-CGI would make it less impressive visually than th modern versions of the LOTR, do you think it would have been a history-making flop or would it be seen with the same appreciation as the Jackson films? 5)How much liberty do you think Spielberg and Lucas would have taken with the source material? ---
**Author:** ![Weird\_AL\_Einstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c67d28/32.png) [@Weird\_AL\_Einstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weird_AL_Einstein)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414/2 "2003-12-31T13:29:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RikWriter \* > \*\*1)How would they manage the Hobbits using 80s technology? Use real Little People as in Willow? Or perhaps cast young teenagers heavily made up and dub in adult voices? \*\* Actually, I don’t think they used any fancy modern CGI to make the hobbits look small, just old fashioned camera tricks. So…how about John Rhys Davies as Gimli? Spielberg and Lucas had already worked with him in _Raiders_… ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414/3 "2003-12-31T14:24:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Weird\_AL\_Einstein \* > \*\*Actually, I don’t think they used any fancy modern CGI to make the hobbits look small, just old fashioned camera tricks. So…how about John Rhys Davies as Gimli? Spielberg and Lucas had already worked with him in _Raiders_… \*\* I believe they DID use computer effects many times to make the Hobbits look small. They also used CGI to simulate the entire fellowship running together in certain parts of the Mines of Moria. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414/4 "2003-12-31T14:48:03Z")
Back in '77, while still in high school, my friend Brian and I devoted way too much time to this very subject. Her’s what we came up with , IIRC: Gandalf: Sean Connery Aragorn: Christopher Lee Galadriel: LIv Ullman Boromir: Beau Bridges Faramir: Jeff Bridges Denethor: Richard Burton (or Peter O’Toole) Elrond: Robert Shaw Celeborn: Richard Harris Bilbo: Billy Barty Legolas: Shaun Cassidy Eomer: Michael York Theoden: Maurice Evans Eowyn: Cybil Shepard Saruman: Charlton Heston (or Alec Guiness) We figure Gimli and the Hobbits would have to be unknowns, probably real little people. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414/5 "2003-12-31T18:25:13Z")
I’m inventing a time machine just so these versions of LOTR can get made! Love both casting ideas. Btw, I also have decided to live another 100 years as by then, 22nd Century filmmakers will have decided it’s time for LOTR remakes. ---
**Author:** ![Sweetums](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Sweetums](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweetums)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414/6 "2003-12-31T19:40:43Z")
Ugghhh! ``` Tolkien fans bitch about elves at helms Deep, and the omission of the scouring. Can you imagine the volume of the whining if Lucas got his suckfull hands on LOTR. I mean look at eps I and II, the man can suck up his own universe. I for one would not want him to get his hands, and ego, on Tolkien's. ``` Sweetums (long time Tolkien fan who loved Jackson’s versions) ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414/7 "2003-12-31T19:46:23Z")
I am so glad these movies did not get made in the 80’s (and am right with Sweetums on Lucas)! Maybe “our” cast will look silly in 20 years time - but Cary Elwes? Shaun Cassidy? Jeff Bridges? Yuckeroo. Liv Ullman, possibly. ---
**Author:** ![MrMyth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e19b73/32.png) [@MrMyth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrMyth)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414/8 "2003-12-31T21:44:02Z")
Connery was offered Gandalf for this version of LoTR. Know that and despair. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414/9 "2003-12-31T22:16:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrMyth \* > \*\*Connery was offered Gandalf for this version of LoTR. > Know that and despair. \*\* And Daniel Day Lewis was offered Aragorn. Both turned the roles down because of the 18 month committment. ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414/10 "2003-12-31T22:17:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrMyth \* > \*\*Know that and despair. \*\* I’d rather just be thankful he said no, myself… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tarrsk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@Tarrsk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarrsk)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414/11 "2003-12-31T23:59:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrMyth \* > \*\*Connery was offered Gandalf for this version of LoTR. > Know that and despair. \*\* I can’t imagine Connery being half the Gandalf McKellan was, personally. “Fly, you foolsh!” ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-an-earlier-lotr-movie/221414/12 "2004-01-01T01:25:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dr. Rieux \* > **Saruman: Charlton Heston** _Damn you all to hell!_