Peter Jackson pulled off what no man has achieved before: he was the first - and so far, the only - to score an Academy award for a fantasy movie (the final installment of The Lord of the Rings, i.e. The Return of the King). But did you ever wonder what would have come of Tolkien's trilogy if it weren't for Peter Jackson to adapt it to the big screen?

Surprisingly enough, Jackson was not the first to attempt an adaptation of The Lord of the Rings saga. Watch the video below put together by the Yahoo Movies Team and see what celebs of the 1960s approached J.R.R. Tolkien. Apparently, they weren't as "fab" as they thought. Not to Tolkien.

What Peter Jackson cut, what he brought in

How would you have liked the idea of an Aragorn-Sauron fight in the final scene of the battle at the Black Gates? Well, the scene was shot! It was! But because it deviated from the book, Peter Jackson decided to cut it out from the movie. See what trick he pulled in order to not throw the whole scene away while keeping true to Tolkien's development!

What about that Golum? Initially, Golum was supposed to be a completely animated character. See what made Peter Jackson keep Andy Serkis on the set. Kudos to Jackson! He made the right decision, don't you agree?

Watch the video and see what big shots turned down the roles of Aragorn and Gandalf. Also, see who was fired right the next day due to "creative differences".

Enjoy the video and let us know what you would have made differently. Also, do you think The Hobbit overall worked out just as fine as the Lord of the Rings trilogy? Or do you think Peter Jackson lost some inspiration on the way?