Billy and Dom Eat The World Reuites Lord of the Rings Hobbits with Gandalf Star Ian McKellen

Summary

Billy and Dom Eat the World
isn’t a
LOTR
project, but draws inspiration from the epic fantasy trilogy for a new food travelogue series.
The show features the hosts visiting different restaurants, with origins from the duo’s
LOTR
podcast that led to their new venture.
In one episode, the pair visit a pub in east London owned by their
LOTR
costar, Ian McKellen.

While it may be over 20 years since Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan played the Hobbits Pippin and Merry in The Lord of the Rings, they have recently had a surprise reunion with the wizard Gandalf…or more precisely, actor Ian McKellen. However, this team up is not linked to the upcoming The Hunt for Gollum, but rather a new food travelog, Billy and Dom Eat the World.

The new six-part series may not be a Lord of the Rings project, but it does have ties to the Peter Jackson trilogy beyond its hosts. While speaking to Deadline about the food series, the pair revealed that the show was heavily inspired by the dinners that Boyd and Monaghan used to eat while filming the epic fantasy, during which they, and the other cast members, would discuss the food they were eating. It seems, then, only appropriate that their first stop should be an east London pub owned by their former co-star, McKellen.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Release Date December 18, 2001

Runtime 178 Minutes

Tagline ONE RING TO RULE THEM ALL, ONE RING TO FIND THEM. ONE RING TO BRING THEM ALL AND IN THE DARKNESS BIND THEM.

Website HTTP://WWW.LORDOFTHERINGS.NET

Franchise THE LORD OF THE RINGS

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While it may all seem like a great plan made over second-breakfast, the fact that McKellen became one of their first stops on their mini food tour was purely down to chance. As Boyd explained:

“It happened we were looking at London pub culture and it just so happens Ian McKellen has a pub. He told us why he ended up in that part of London, and what pubs mean to Britain.”

Boyd and Monaghan’s Lord of the Rings Podcast Demise Led to Their New Food Show

While the original inspiration for the series lies way back in the production of 2001’s Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, it is a much more recent project that actually spawned the idea to “eat the world.” As the pair explained, their Lord of the Rings podcast, ‘The Friendship Onion’, included a segment that would become their new show following the end of the podcast. Monaghan explained:

“The podcast folded, but Billy and I had said right from the start that is we could find something in the podcast that we could build out into a show, we would. One of our favourite ways to get to know a city is to check out a local restaurant. Myself, Billy, Elijah Wood and Sean Astin go to conventions very often, and one of the things we do over these weekends is pick a restaurant, and go and eat.”

These impactful quotes have resonated with fans and helped define Gandalf the Grey as one of the most iconic characters in the fantasy genre.

From that friendship, it seems that the idea sprouted wings and flew. As Boyd noted:

“If you ask someone to bring you something from their childhood or their country, it opens a door to conversation. We felt food is a great in to finding out about people and communities. Dan loved the idea and very quickly we started making it.”

Billy and Dom Eat the World was originally announced back in 2021, and while the series is set to head to MIPCOM in October, it does not have a broadcaster backing it yet. Distribution rights are currently held by Abacus Media Rights. With the series currently in post-production, it will likely air late in 2024, or early 2025. If all goes to plan, the pair are looking forward to having multiple seasons of the show, and that could mean some more Lord of the Rings reunions in the future.

You can view the original article HERE.