A Lord Of The Rings Star Wants To Join Sword Art Online

In the world of anime, Sword Art Online is a top contender amongst fans. The beloved series made its on-screen debut in 2012 and has become one of the most popular anime franchise of the past decade. There are more than 19 million light novels of Sword Art Online worldwide, and fans eagerly await the franchise’s next project. And, apparently, a star from Lord of the Rings and Lost also wants in on whatever is coming next.

In a recent Reddit AMA, Dominic Monaghan surprised fans when he said he’d like to join the Sword Art Online world. When asked which on-air TV series he’d like to have a role in, the actor said, “I’d love to play a character in the anime series on Netflix ‘Sword Art Online.’

Plenty of anime fans were taken back by the admission, but Monaghan’s inclusion isn’t totally unwanted. The English actor is no stranger to geek-friendly franchises given his tenure with Lord of the Rings. The actor has also starred in hits like Lost and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He even has previous experience with voice acting as the the actor played William Joyce in Quantum Break.

If Monaghan were to get involved with Sword Art Online, he would likely do so through voice acting. The anime series has already had its two installments dubbed into English, but Dominic may find room to do some recording action.

However, there are some fans who would like to see Monaghan join the franchise in a live-action role. Earlier this year, it was announced that Skydance Television was partnering with Kadowawa Corp. to make a live-action Sword Art Online. The studio is set to fast-track the series with Laeta Kalogridis set to pen the series. David Ellison, Dana Goldbert, and Marcy Ross will be executive producers.

If Skydance is looking to hire an older actor who gets stuck in the digital world of Sword Art Online like Kirito and Asune, then Monaghan would be interested. The actor could be a non-Japanese player of the VRMMORPG who gets stuck in the game alongside hundreds of other players.

So far, there’s been no word on casting for the live-action iteration of Sword Art Online, but Skydance has released a short description of the series. The studio had this to say about the upcoming show: “[It] follows[] a brilliant young beta tester Kirito and his group of friends when they are trapped — alongside 10,000 other people — in a next-generation virtual reality online role-playing game. The game is a world unto itself: filled with sword fighting, monsters, magic and mystery, where the stakes are life and death,” the studio said in a statement. “Kirito and an ensemble of diverse characters must fight their way through this hostile environment while making lives for themselves in the fantastical world that is Sword Art Online.”

So, what do you think? Would you want to see Monaghan join the Sword Art Online universe? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T] Reddit