A scene from the first draft of the Fellowship of the Ring script.

Yes, I know. The Hugo Weaving joke's been done before, but somehow my brain wouldn't rest until I'd done this.

	THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING: Draft Scene

FADE IN:

INT. FRODO'S BEDROOM IN RIVENDELL

FRODO wakes up. The sickness from his battle with the NAZGUL 
has left him, but he is still tired and disoriented. Sitting
at the bottom of the bed is ELROND, flanked by TWO VAGUELY
OMINOUS ELVES. Elrond opens a THICK LEATHER-BOUND BOOK. Frodo
can make out the words THERE AND BACK AGAIN on the cover.

		ELROND
	As you can see, we've had our eye
	on you for some time now, Mr Baggins.

ELROND opens the book near the end, and looks through a few
pages. Being IMMORTAL, he feels no need to hurry.

		ELROND
	It seems that you have been living two
	lives. In one life, you are Frodo Baggins,
	heir to the Baggins fortune. You have a
	hobbit-hole, you smoke pipe-weed. You help
	your uncle with the gardening.

A few more pages are turned.

		ELROND
	The other life is lived outside Hobbiton
	where you go by the name of Underhill, and
	are chased by Nazgul. One of these lives has
	a future. One of them does not.

FRODO looks very worried.

		ELROND
	I'm going to be as forthcoming as I can be,
	Mr Baggins. You are here because we need your
	help. We know you have a ring of power belonging 
	to a certain individual. A being who calls himself
	Sauron. Whatever you think you know about this
	man is irrelevant to the fact that he has caused
	more evil than any other being in the history of 
	Middle-Earth.

		ELROND (Cont.)
	My colleagues believe that I am wasting my time
	with you, but I believe you want to do the right
	thing. It is obvious that you are an intelligent
	Hobbit, Mr Baggins, and that you are interested
	in the future. That is why I believe you are
	ready to go to Mordor and destroy the ring.

FRODO gulps.

		FRODO
	Yeah. Wow. That sounds like a really good deal.
	But I think I have a better one. How about I give
	you the finger --

He does.

		FRODO
	Put the ring on it, and use its power to defeat
	Sauron?

ELROND is unfazed.

		ELROND
	And tell me, Mr Baggins. What good is a ring of
	power, if you are a wraith?

CUT TO: RIVENDELL COUNCIL.