Lord of the Rings: Merry and Pippin actors launch their own podcast

Move over, Star Wars Day, because The Lord of the Rings is looking to steal a bit of today’s spotlight. Can two titans of nerd culture coexist in the same space? We’re about to find out.

Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, who played hobbits Merry and Pippin in The Lord of the Rings, are launching a podcast based on the beloved film franchise. The new show, titled The Friendship Onion, is produced by Kast Media and will premiere on May 18. According to Deadline, the duo “will bring banter, stories, and comedy to the podcasting space, each week digging into the latest in pop culture, put fans’ Lord of the Rings knowledge to the test, reveal exclusive stories from filming and maybe even welcome surprise drop-ins from famous faces. The Friendship Onion will be available weekly on Spotify and across all podcast platforms, including video simulcast episodes on YouTube.

Monaghan played Meriadoc ‘Merry’ Brandybuck in the films, while Boyd starred as Peregrin ‘Pippin’ Took. Both were close friends to Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). Their characters provided lots of laughs throughout the Fellowship’s journey to rid themselves of Sauron’s ring, and if you needed someone to cause a bit of trouble, these two were always ready to cause mischief.

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“I am contractually obliged to make a glowing comment here in regards to the podcast Billy and I are making together. This is proving difficult as Billy has abducted me and is holding me for ransom to the price of 44 bananas. Please, send bananas,” said Monaghan.

“Dom took a little persuading, it’s true, but this podcast is going to rock. He is such a joker, you have to love Dom. Ha….but you also have to love bananas, so….yes, send bananas,” said Boyd.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring the comedic genius of this duo to podcasting. Fans were introduced to the quick wit and fun banter of this pairing through The Lord of the Rings films, but this podcast will demonstrate how far beyond that origins story their boundless energy and interest stretches. We can’t wait to start peeling back the layers of this friendship onion,” added Colin Thomson, CEO of Kast Media.

To give fans a taste of what’s to come, Monaghan and Boyd released a teaser trailer for The Friendship Onion that proves just how up close and personal their show is bound to get:

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