It turns out that Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy might have had a much darker and controversial ending than we know. In a recent interview with IGN, Dominic Monaghan, who portrayed the hobbit Merry, revealed that Jackson faced pressure from producers to kill off one of the beloved hobbits, even though all four of them make it through J.R.R. Tolkien’s original novel unscathed.
Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings has significantly shaped the fantasy genre, and Jackson’s adaptations are still regarded as some of the best fantasy films ever made. The story follows Frodo Baggins (played by Elijah Wood) on his epic journey to Mordor, aided by his loyal friend Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), as they strive to destroy the One Ring before evil forces engulf their world, Middle-earth.
Dominic Monaghan, who played Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck in the trilogy, recently launched a podcast called The Friendship Onion with his fellow hobbit Billy Boyd, who played Peregrin “Pippin” Took. While promoting their podcast, the duo shared some behind-the-scenes insights about the film series. Monaghan recounted that producers suggested killing off one of the hobbits, and he was convinced it would be his character.
“It’s a good job that didn’t happen because it would have been me. It definitely would have,” Monaghan said. “There’s no way they are killing Frodo and Sam, and the only ones left would be Merry and Pippin. They wouldn’t kill Pippin because he has a strong story arc with Gandalf. So it would have definitely been me.”
Monaghan expressed relief that Jackson rejected the idea, emphasizing that making drastic changes to beloved characters often frustrates fans of the original material. He pondered how differently the franchise might have been received if the producers got their way and Merry was actually killed off, straying from Tolkien’s original vision.
“I think Pete quite rightly said, ‘This is a luminary piece of written work, and we need to stick close to the text.’ So, he stuck to his principles,” Monaghan explained. “Yeah, I’m thankful that didn’t happen.”
Given the overwhelming success of the trilogy’s final installment, The Return of the King, it’s clear that Jackson made the right choice. The film went on to win 11 Oscars at the 76th Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Since then, Jackson has also created The Hobbit films, which serve as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings.
