15 Things That Almost Completely Changed The Hobbit Trilogy

9. Sylvester McCoy Was Almost Old Bilbo

It was actually Guillermo Del Toro who initially wanted Doctor Who veteran McCoy to play Radagast The Brown, and who suggested him to Peter Jackson, but it might have been an impossible casting had Jackson's initial plans for The Lord Of The Rings gone off as intended. Jackson - who is a famous Doctor Who fan - had whittled down his long-list of potential Bilbo candidates to Ian Holm and McCoy, and some reports suggested that the latter had actually won the role. That proved not to be the case, as McCoy was pronounced second place, but had he won it would have necessitated an alternative option for Radagast. When asked whether he thought Jackson had kept him in mind since the Lord Of The Rings castings, McCoy responded with typical charm:

"I wouldn't be so surprised - he hadn't said it to me, but I presume that would've been in his mind. He was also a fan of Doctor Who and he's got my costume - he's now got my Radagast costume too, so I'm hanging onto my own clothes like mad!"