Forty years ago, the classic animated version of Lord of the Rings was released in theatres, and the journey to get the film made ended up being more enthralling than one would imagine...

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ralph Bakshi discusses the trials and tribulations of directing the beloved cartoon. Not only was he under “extreme pressure” throughout the process, but he also encountered some bizarre and interesting propositions. The most surprising being from Mick Jagger, who heard about the project and wanted to voice a significant role.

Apparently, the Rolling Stones frontman heard about the production and was “keen on getting involved.” Bakshi recalls Jagger’s visit to the production studio, which was full of “2,200-3,000 people working on four floors”. Considering the film was released in 1978, the hoards of young people working in the Hollywood studio must have been incredibly eager to catch of glimpse of the musical maven.

Once the news had spread of the rock star’s presence in the building, there was “thunder like horsemen coming down, shaking the staircase”. While most people were dead-set on getting a glimpse of the musician, the commotion was too much for Bakshi's son who "hid in the bathroom." "So that was just hysterical," says Bakshi of his son's reaction.

During his visit, Jagger revealed that he wanted to voice the lead hobbit, Frodo, who we now know best from Elijah Wood's portrayal in Peter Jackson's live action adaptation. Unfortunately for Mick Jagger, the role of the cartoon hobbit was already taken when he inquired about the role.

Luckily for Christopher Guard, who voiced the role of Frodo in the film, he had already recorded the part by the time Jagger expressed interest. Maybe if Jagger had gotten to Bakshi quicker, Guard would have been out of the job.

“I told him I would have used him easily,” Bakshi explains, “but I was already recorded and everything. He’d be a pretty good Frodo, I guess. I don’t know.”

Whether or not Jagger would have been the better choice for the adventurous little hobbit, we’ll never know. However, with the new Lord of the Rings series coming to Amazon, maybe Jagger can finally get his wish and become a part of the franchise. Considering he is 75-years-old, he may have missed his shot at playing Frodo, but there are plenty of other roles he could swagger into.

There is no official word on when the new Lord of the Rings series will debut on Amazon, but we can expect to see it on our small screens within the next couple of years.