<P> The Fellowship discovers that the dwarves within Moria have been slain, and they are attacked by Orcs and a cave troll . They defeat them, but are confronted by an ancient demon called a Balrog . Gandalf casts the Balrog into a vast chasm, but it drags Gandalf down into the darkness with it . The rest of the Fellowship, now commanded by Aragorn, reaches Lothlórien, home to elves Galadriel and Celeborn . Galadriel privately informs Frodo that only he can complete the quest, and that one of his friends will try to take the Ring . Meanwhile, Saruman creates an army of Uruk - hai to track down and kill the Fellowship . </P> <P> The Fellowship leaves Lothlórien by river to Parth Galen . Frodo wanders off and is confronted by Boromir, who tries to take the Ring in desperation . Afraid of the Ring corrupting his friends, Frodo decides to travel to Mordor alone . The Fellowship is then ambushed by the Uruk - hai . Merry and Pippin are taken captive, and Boromir is mortally wounded by the Uruk chieftain . After slaying the chieftain, Aragorn watches Boromir die peacefully . Sam follows Frodo, accompanying him to keep his promise to Gandalf to protect Frodo, while Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli go to rescue Merry and Pippin . </P> <P> Before filming began on 11 October 1999, the principal actors trained for six weeks in sword fighting (with Bob Anderson), riding and boating . Jackson hoped such activities would allow the cast to bond so chemistry would be evident on screen as well as getting them used to life in Wellington . They were also trained to pronounce Tolkien's verses properly . After the shoot, the nine cast members playing the Fellowship got a tattoo of the English word "nine" written in Tengwar, with the exception of John Rhys - Davies, whose stunt double got the tattoo instead . The film is noted for having an ensemble cast, and some of the cast and their respective characters include: </P> <Ul> <Li> Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins: a young hobbit who inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo . Wood was the first actor to be cast on 7 July 1999 . Wood was a fan of the book, and he sent in an audition dressed as Frodo, reading lines from the novel . Wood was selected from 150 actors who auditioned, including Jake Gyllenhaal . </Li> <Li> Ian McKellen as Gandalf: an Istari wizard and mentor to Frodo . Sean Connery was approached for the role, but did not understand the plot, while Patrick Stewart turned it down as he disliked the script . Before being cast, McKellen had to sort his schedule with 20th Century Fox as there was a two - month overlap with X-Men . He enjoyed playing Gandalf the Grey more than his transformed state in the next two films, and based his accent on Tolkien . Unlike his on - screen character, McKellen did not spend much time with the actors playing the Hobbits; instead he worked with their scale doubles . </Li> <Li> Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee: a hobbit gardener and Frodo's best friend . Astin, who had recently become a father, bonded with the 18 - year - old Wood in a protective manner, which mirrored Sam's relationship with Frodo . </Li> <Li> Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn: a Dúnedain ranger, the descendant of Isildur, and heir to Gondor's throne . Daniel Day - Lewis was offered the part at the beginning of pre-production, but turned it down . Nicolas Cage also received an offer, declining because of "family obligations", while Vin Diesel, a fan of the book, auditioned for Aragorn . Stuart Townsend was cast in the role, before being replaced during filming when Jackson realised he was too young . Russell Crowe was considered as a replacement, but he turned it down after taking what he thought to be a similar role in Gladiator . Day - Lewis was offered the role for a second time, but declined again . Executive Producer Mark Ordesky saw Mortensen in a play . Mortensen's son, a fan of the book, convinced him to take the role . Mortensen read the book on the plane, received a crash course lesson in fencing from Bob Anderson and began filming the scenes on Weathertop . Mortensen became a hit with the crew by patching up his costume and carrying his "hero" sword around with him off - camera . </Li> <Li> Billy Boyd as Peregrin Took: a hobbit who travels with the Fellowship on their journey to Mordor . </Li> <Li> Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc Brandybuck: a distant cousin of Frodo . Monaghan was cast as Merry after auditioning for Frodo . </Li> <Li> John Rhys - Davies as Gimli: a dwarf warrior who accompanies the Fellowship to Mordor after they set out from Rivendell and a descendant of Durin's Folk . Billy Connolly, who was considered for the part of Gimli, later portrayed Dáin II Ironfoot in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film trilogy . Rhys - Davies wore heavy prosthetics to play Gimli, which limited his vision, and eventually developed eczema around his eyes . </Li> <Li> Orlando Bloom as Legolas Greenleaf: a prince of the elves' Woodland Realm and a skilled archer . Bloom initially auditioned for Faramir, who appears in the second film, a role which went to David Wenham . </Li> <Li> Sean Bean as Boromir: a prince of the Stewards of Gondor who journeys with the Fellowship towards Mordor . Bruce Willis, a fan of the book, expressed interest in the role, while Liam Neeson was sent the script, but passed . </Li> <Li> Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins: Frodo's uncle who gives him the Ring after he decides to retire to Rivendell . Holm previously played Frodo in a 1981 radio adaption of The Lord of the Rings, and was cast as Bilbo after Jackson remembered his performance . Sylvester McCoy, who would later play Radagast the Brown in The Hobbit, was contacted about playing the role, and was kept in place as a potential Bilbo for six months before Jackson went with Holm . </Li> <Li> Liv Tyler as Arwen Undómiel: a beautiful half - elf princess of Rivendell and Aragorn's lover . The filmmakers approached Tyler after seeing her performance in Plunkett & Macleane, and New Line Cinema leaped at the opportunity of having one Hollywood star in the film . Actress Helena Bonham Carter had expressed interest in the role . Peter Jackson wanted to cast Uma Thurman as Arwen, but Thurman pulled out due to pregnancy, Tyler came to shoot on short occasions, unlike the rest of the actors . She was one of the last actors to be cast, on 25 August 1999 . </Li> <Li> Cate Blanchett as Galadriel: the elven co-ruler of Lothlórien alongside her husband Celeborn . Peter Jackson wanted to cast Lucy Lawless as Galadriel, but she declined due to pregnancy . </Li> <Li> Christopher Lee as Saruman: the fallen head of the Istari Order who succumbs to Sauron's will through his use of the palantír. Lee was a major fan of the book, and read it once a year . He had also met J.R.R. Tolkien . He originally auditioned for Gandalf, but was judged too old . </Li> <Li> Hugo Weaving as Elrond: the elven Lord of Rivendell who leads the Council of Elrond, which ultimately decides to destroy the Ring . David Bowie expressed interest in the role, but Jackson stated, "To have a famous, beloved character and a famous star colliding is slightly uncomfortable ." </Li> <Li> Sala Baker as Sauron: the Dark Lord of Mordor and the Ring's true master who manifests as an Eye after the destruction of his physical form . Originally hired as one of the several stunt performers for the film trilogy, Baker ended up landing the role . In addition, he went on to play several Orcs as well . </Li> <Li> Andy Serkis as Gollum: a wretched hobbit - like creature whose mind was poisoned over centuries by the Ring; voice and motion capture . </Li> <Li> David Weatherley as Barliman Butterbur, proprietor in Bree </Li> <Li> Lawrence Makoare as Lurtz: the commander of Saruman's Orc forces; </Li> <Li> Marton Csokas as Celeborn: the elven co-ruler of Lothlórien alongside his wife Galadriel; </Li> <Li> Craig Parker as Haldir: the leader of the Galadhrim warriors guarding the border of Lothlórien; </Li> <Li> Mark Ferguson as Ereinion Gil - galad, the last Elven - King of Noldor; </Li> <Li> Peter McKenzie as Elendil: the last High King of Arnor and Gondor; </Li> <Li> Harry Sinclair as Isildur: Elendil's son and Aragorn's ancestor who originally defeated Sauron . </Li> <Li> Peter Jackson as Albert Dreary: a man of Bree . </Li> </Ul>

When was the fellowship of the ring filmed