JediDefender.com Forums
Community => Watto's Junk Yard => Topic started by: Ben on September 26, 2003, 01:17 PM
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www.thegd.com (http://www.thegd.com)
They've finally secured the rights to The Hobbit.
Great news! Hopefully whomever decides to direct it keeps the same design elements as those established in LOTR, for continuity's sake.
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And hopefully the same principal actors for Gandalf, Elrond and Gollum, which shouldn't be too hard. Young Bilbo might be a problem.
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That is great news...I love the Hobbit and it will make a great movie...Smaug, The Dwarves, Gandalf etc
I also hope someday to see the Silmarillion adapted to the Big Screen, if you thought LOTR was epic...wait 'til you get aload of that!
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Ian Holm's not too old to dismiss as a younger Bilbo. He looked okay in the Prologue of Fellowship. Who's to say he couldn't do The Hobbit as well.
As for a director, I wouldn't want anyone except Peter Jackson to do it. It seems that he wants to make King Kong first, thought.
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This is good news. I'm okay with waiting until he finishes King Kong for PJ to do it, though. I think. ;)
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I'll copy the text here, with apologies to Geb (hey man, the site takes a life-age to load today.)
"In the News: HUGE Small Little Tidbit of Hobbit News
Today we learned something that should not come to a surprise to anyone who has ever visited this site or any other Lord of the Rings collector /movie site. As most of you know (or don't) Peter Jackson intended to make The Hobbit FIRST, but both he and New Line ran into difficulty with licensing issues. PJ plainly stated this in the most recent Fan Club interview. To avoid dragging it out, they decided to pursue the trilogy instead...and I bet we are all glad they did! Now for the new news...according to sources that I WILL NOT name under penalty of death, New Line has worked out the licensing issues for The Hobbit and now OWNS THE RIGHTS. In other words, they will more than likely be making The Hobbit sometime in the near future. As far as Peter Jackson's being director...unknown at this point, but he definitely wants to be involved (director or producer?). Stay tuned for more details as we learn more.
SPECIAL NOTE: Neither Toybiz, nor any other licenses collectible producer for the New Line Movies has rights to The Hobbit...so it will be ANOTHER bidding war for toys, and collectibles alike if The Hobbit comes to pass. Hope and pray that Toybiz, Sideshow, Play Along, etc. retain the licenses and we get the appropriate scale figures/toys from The Hobbit to go along with their trilogy line. Lets just hope we get a Deluxe SMAUG!"
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According to TheGD.com (http://www.thegd.com/news.asp?ID=866) (via ComingSoon.net), MGM (in partnership with New Line) has plans to go forward with "the Hobbit" in the next few years...possibly as a two parter. A little more info at the linky, but its not very detailed at this point. It does sound like it could potentially happen though.
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I had heard that PJ and New Line were pissing on each other over royalties from the LOTR trilogy.
I wonder if their relationship has soured, or if it's just a professional issue with a bunch of blood sucking parasite leech attorneys doing all of the wrangling.
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Huh. I'm not going to go dancing in the streets yet, since it's still an awful lot like the rumors we've been reading for years. But this is a very small step in the right direction, certainly. :)
Color me cautiously optimistic.
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I don't think I'd want to see the Hobbit done if Jackson doesn't direct it. He gets the story, understands it. Even though some people disagreed with his adaptation of LOTR it's absolutely incredible and I don't know if another director could have done it.
Maybe Spielberg or Cameron or Ridley Scott...someone on that level maybe. But, if Spielberg directed I'd be too afraid that Tom Hanks would end up in the film. ;D
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Or that other Tom that Spielberg seems to like so much....
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http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117953908.html?categoryid=19&cs=1
As for "The Hobbit," Sloan confirmed MGM was in talks with Peter Jackson to make two movies based on J.R.R. Tolkein's "prequel" to "The Lord of the Rings."
However, making the film is contingent on negotiations with New Line, which owns the right to produce "The Hobbit" (MGM owns only the right to distribute the films). And people close to Jackson say that until his ongoing lawsuit with New Line -- over monies he says are owed him from the "Lord of the Rings" franchise -- is settled, a serious conversation over "The Hobbit" cannot proceed.
Even so, Sloan remains optimistic. He said the first "Hobbit" pic would be a direct adaptation of "The Hobbit," and the second would be drawn from footnotes and source material connecting "The Hobbit" with "The Lord of the Rings."
The usual grain of salt, blah blah. Still, this is vaguely promising news.
And I'm liking the "two-picture" concept, bridging the two books with the voluminous background material Tolkien provided.
To be honest though, I wouldn't bet money on a PJ Hobbit film ever actually coming to fruition. But I'd be very happy to be wrong....
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PJ is off the Hobbit project?? (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30755)
WTF? A Hobbit film by PJ is about the closest to a sure thing that you can get in Hollywood, and booting him would be throwing away a license to print money. Some have speculated that this is just posturing on New Line's part and PJ is trying to turn the wrath of Internet geekdom and public onion against New Line to strengthen his negotiating position ... but that email seemed pretty darn final.
I'll still give the benefit of the doubt to a different director and a (likely) different cast (McKellen, Serkis, et al might not return without PJ?) ... but it just won't be the same, you know?
As usual, make of it what you will.
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I can't seem to find the article right now, but thought I read that MGM owned the rights to produce the film but New Line had the distribution rights?
If so, wouldn't that make it MGM's decision when picking a director and not NL?
Unless part of an agreement between NL and MGM, in order to get the movie made, put more control over that sort of thing in the hands of NL. Sort of like a licensing contract...NL would license the production rights from MGM to make the film and then distribute under their own distro rights.
I don't know about all the behind-the-scenes legality of getting a Hobbit film made but I do know one thing; I'm NOT happy about the possibility of seeing a Hobbit film that's not directed by PJ.
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PJ might be saying that he's off The Hobbit, but I think that this press release is his way of trying to shame New Line into resolving the matter. Especially since he released this statements to THE LOTR fan site. After he made such a masterpiece of the trilogy, it's unthinkable to a lot of fans to have anyone else at the helm of The Hobbit or what might be The Silmarillion.
Then there's the matter of the actors. Has Ian Holm signed on to reprise his role as Bilbo? Has Sir Ian McKellen signed on to play Gandalf again? And in the case of The Silmarillion, have they signed any of the actors who played the Elves? If they remain loyal to Peter Jackson you could see potentially see New Line change their tune. Especially with how rabid the LOTR fanbase is.
Besides, I really only see a handful of directors being able to pull these movies off. My first choices would be Terry Gilliam or Tim Burton. But I also think that Cameron, Christopher Nolan or Ridley Scott might be able to pull this off.
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They would also need to have ....i'm too lazy to remember or look up the dude who played Elrond...back for the Hobbit.
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http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/archive.asp?nextform=viewcomic&id=1200
(http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/images/comics/dorktower536.gif)
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* Some discussion on The Hot Blog (http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/archives/2006/11/there_is_no_joy.html)
* Much less articulate ::) discussion on AICN Talkback ... but there's some good analysis and debate mixed in there, I promise. (http://www.aintitcool.com/talkback_display/30755)
* MGM weighs in (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117954301.html?categoryid=13&cs=1)
All of this has riled MGM, which in recent weeks has been openly touting the fact that the newly revamped studio is serious about making "The Hobbit" -- with Jackson.
An MGM spokesman said that "the matter of Peter Jackson directing 'The Hobbit' films is far from closed."
Though New Line no-commented inquiries about Jackson's statement, the mini-major's move is a loud statement to both MGM and Jackson that the studio is in the driver's seat when it comes to "The Hobbit."
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* Random rumor: Sam Raimi offered The Hobbit? (http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/1/1164235638)
* McKellen speaks. (http://www.mckellen.com/epost/lotr/061122.htm)
The LOTR fans are already expressing a sense of betrayal. On my own account, I am very sad as I should have relished re-visiting Middle Earth with Peter again as team-leader. It's hard to imagine any other director matching his achievement in Tolkien country. We will have to await developments but being an optimist I am hoping that New Line, MGM and Wingnut can settle outstanding problems so that the long expected "Hobbit" is filmed sooner rather than later.
* Saul Zaentz speaks. (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30806) (AICN from IMDB from TheHobbit-Movie.com from an interview on Elbenwald.de)
It will definitely be shot by Peter Jackson. ... Next year The Hobbit rights will fall back to my company. I suppose that Peter will wait because he knows that he will make the best deal with us. And he is fed up with the studios: to get his profit share on the Rings trilogy he had to sue New Line. With us, in contrast, he knows that he will be paid fairly and artistically supported without reservation.
(Note that this was apparently some 3 weeks ago, before the recent controversy.)
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Just goes to show you that money is the most important commodity in movies, not talent, story or craft. Very frustrating.
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Quotes from the Sun that Jackson will be directing.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2004580002-2006550342,00.html
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JRR's great-grandson speaks (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30937) (not terribly useful, I know)
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Doesn't sound very good for a Peter Jackson Hobbit film, at least under the current studio heads at New Line:
New Line Blacklists Jackson (http://thegd.com/news.asp?ID=1096)
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Shaye, who was also an executive producer on the Rings films, added: "He got a quarter of a billion dollars paid to him so far, justifiably, according to contract, completely right, and this guy, who already has received a quarter of a billion dollars, turns around without wanting to have a discussion with us and sues us and refuses to discuss it unless we just give in to his plan. I don't want to work with that guy anymore. Why would I? So the answer is he will never make any movie with New Line Cinema again while I'm still working for the company."
Shaye said that many of the Rings trilogy actors "suddenly, because, I'm guessing, of Peter's complaint," have declined to participate in celebrating New Line's 40th anniversary. "I'm incredibly offended," he said. "I don't care about Peter Jackson anymore. He wants to have another $100 million or $50 million, whatever he's suing us for. He doesn't want to sit down and talk about it. He thinks that we owe him something after we've paid him over a quarter of a billion dollars. ... Cheers, Peter."
All of this sounds very familiar to me, somehow... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Five_Armies)
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Jackson and Wingnut's response via Ain't It Cool (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31211)
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(http://nyx.at/bikeboard/Board/images/smilies/popcorn.gif)
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While I can't say that Jackson is justified not to sit down and talk, all the amounts that Shaye is talking about are probably only a portion of monies owed. Yeah, a quarter of a billion dollars might be a lot to get paid, ut how would you feel if you were owed another quarter billion?
Besides, Shaye is probably crying because the money New Line owes Jackson comes out of his bonus for profits made by New Line from the film.
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One thing I agree with that the AICN reporter commented on, I don't like having to read about that part of the business.
But, it's no secret that the accountants took over making films from the directors a long time ago. It's only recently with films by Lucas and Rodriguez where we're starting to see directors take back some of that power. This whole deal between New Line and Jackson sucks and the only people that could get shafted are the fans if the Hobbit sucks because NL changes the entire production, writing and directing team (not to mention the FX crew).
Personally, I don't want to see the Hobbit if Jackson doesn't make it. I don't doubt that there are other directors that could make the film, but one thing that I would love to see is a consistency in the production that would make a cohesive 4 film epic along with LOTR and I think Jackson can do that. Someone else would have to put their own spin on things and that would ruin it for me.
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What amazes me about all of this is that Shaye is totally willing to disregard the success that Peter Jackson and his made of LOTR, and that the fans of the movie hold PJ responsible for that success, not New Line. Add in the fact that even if New Line tries to push The Hobbit and whatever other Tolkien project forward, many of the fans and actors that Peter Jackson drew in are probably going to be loyal to PJ and Wingnut/Weta. What fans of movies are loyal to a studio? People are fans of actors and directors, and the sooner Shaye realizes this, then the sooner he might actually save his career.
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Sam Raimi to direct? (maybe) (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32312)
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No.
I couldn't get the AICN.com page to load so I read the article on EW (don't know if they are the same) but the comments by Kirsten Dunst about how a Spider-Man 4 movie would fail without her? I don't think so. Her part was one of my least favorite in SP 2 and it's yet to be seen how she'll do in the 3rd film. Without Tobey? Ahhhh...I don't know. Maybe, maybe not.
I will admit, though, that I think a SP movie without Raimi would be unwatchable...in the same way a Middle Earth movie would be unwatchable without Peter Jackson.
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I will admit, though, that I think a SP movie without Raimi would be unwatchable...in the same way a Middle Earth movie would be unwatchable without Peter Jackson.
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I donno. Now that I think about it, I'll bet you can swap the two for the respective projects. Both have the same kinetic energy sense.
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Peter Weir perhaps? (http://www.aintitcool.com/?q=node/32588)
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I absolutely loved Master & Commander, but I still can't believe they haven't yet ironed out things with Peter Jackson and just made the goddamn movie.
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Looks like we can still keep our fingers crossed.
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=23203
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Tons of news with Raimi to direct and Peter Jackson to produce The Hobbit. Here is a link:
http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3042&Itemid=99
From the OneRing.Net comes the following (along with the link above)
Don't believe everything you read but this story makes a lot of sense. It also seems that Bob Shaye may have been hinting at this yesterday when he said, "I really respect and admire Peter and would love for him to be creatively involved in some way in 'The Hobbit.' " Notice he didn't say he would "direct" the film but did say "involved in some way".
and from the LA Times:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4160162a1860.html
Thoughts? Do you want PJ to direct or are you ok with Raimi directing and Jackson producing?
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After spidey 3, I'm not so sure I'd like that idea....although as long as Jackson is creatively involved, Weta has the visuals, Walsh is on the script, and the two Ian's are in the cast then I'm ok.
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Aaah. No.
At first thought, if Jackson and Walsh wrote and produced and Weta did the visuals then someone else directing might work. But on second thought, no. Those novels are too important to me and after what Jackson was able to do with LOTR it's unacceptable to me that someone else would get to do the Hobbit.
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Sounds good as long as Jackson is involved in some way...
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Viggo Mortensen speculates on Aragorn in The Hobbit (http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/09/13/will-aragorn-return-in-the-hobbit-mortensen-leaves-open-the-possibility/)
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Wait a minute. Aragorn wasn't even in the Hobbit. If they start messing with the plot it will end up as bad a Indy 4 will be.
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I'm assuming it would be a cameo of some sort--such as, they randomly run into him in the woods along the journey.
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Do you know how old that would make Strider?? Way to F-ing Old.
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Do you know how ******* old Strider is in The LOTR? 87.
Actually, now that I look into it, he would be only 10 when The Hobbit takes place. So even if Aragorn did show up, Mortensen definitely wouldn't be back. And he couldn't even play his own father, as he had died when Aragorn was 2.
So it looks like Mortensen is definitely out ... unless they wanted to really screw with the timeline.
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The new issue of Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the conditions between Jackson and New Line may be getting better.
Article is online here: "The Hobbit": Peace in Middle-Earth? (http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20036782_20037403_20142132,00.html)
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The new issue of Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the conditions between Jackson and New Line may be getting better.
Article is online here: "The Hobbit": Peace in Middle-Earth? (http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20036782_20037403_20142132,00.html)
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I was flipping through that briefly in the checkout line at Best Buy yesterday, I didin't have time to really read much else than the headlines and a few quick blurbs though. I really want to see this movie get made, but I feel Jackson absolutely needs to be directly involved. I wasn't ever really a fan of the Spiderman movies, but I found 3 to be especially bad. I'm not really a fan of Sam Raimi having anything to do with this project. Jackson and co. did such an outstanding job on the LOTR trilogy I think handing the reigns over to a guy like Raimi would taint the good name of the franchise. I guess I'm not wholy opposed to a different director, he/she would certainly have to be a proven director, and I think that I'd have the same conditions as Richard in that Jackson would HAVE to be creatively involved, Weta would have the visuals, Walsh would be in on the script, and the two Ian's get cast.
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I had heard the rumblings of a concession between Jackson and Shaye. My industry never ceases to amaze me.
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;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071218/ap_en_ot/film_the_hobbit
Peter Jackson to produce `The Hobbit'
NEW YORK - Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have reached agreement to make J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," a planned prequel to the blockbuster trilogy "The Lord of the Rings."
Jackson, who directed the "Rings" trilogy, will serve as executive producer for "The Hobbit." A director for the prequel films has yet to be named.
Relations between Jackson and New Line had soured after "Rings," despite a collective worldwide box office gross of nearly $3 billion — an enormous success. The two sides nevertheless were able to reconcile, with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) splitting "The Hobbit" 50/50, spokemen for both studios said Tuesday.
"I'm very pleased that we've been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line," Jackson said in a statement. "We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth."
Two "Hobbit" films are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, similar to how the three "Lord of the Rings" films were made. Production is set to begin in 2009 with a released planned for 2010, with the sequel scheduled for a 2011 release.
New Line Cinema is owned by Time Warner. Sony and Comcast are among the owners of MGM.
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Great news, thanks for posting that Scott. ;D
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SWEET! Thanks for posting this.
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Very awesome news indeed.
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With 2008 right around the corner, 2010 doesn't seem that far away! Can't wait to start seeing some of the production photos on this one... Especially Smog and the Goblins...
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Nice that they ar also splitting it up into two movies. That shoud keep them fairly close to the book.
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That's awesome news, but I still want to see Jackson direct this as well. He's going to be so involved in the film anyway (think Lucas with ROTJ) that he might as well just direct it himself.
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(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/ValinKenobi/Forums/woohoo.gif)
Between this and the Zeppelin reunion, it must be getting pretty chilly in Hell this week. ;)
Two "Hobbit" films are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, similar to how the three "Lord of the Rings" films were made. Production is set to begin in 2009 with a released planned for 2010, with the sequel scheduled for a 2011 release.
So I wonder if they are splitting The Hobbit into a Part One and Two, or is the second going to be the rumored "bridge" film based on the LOTR appendices and other expanded material?
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I don't know how that news slipped past me but that's awesome.
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Some new news on the Hobbit:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i331d7d05b8008476b2fae087024a2b8e
They may have found a director.
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Del Toro would kick so much ass. I hear he's trying to get in line for HP7 too.
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The Hobbit may have hit another road block (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=146390). I hope that this gets settled quickly, and this movie(s) can move forward.
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Jesus. Didn't New Line pay anyone?!
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It is official, 2 movies and del Toro is the director
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080425/ap_en_mo/film_hobbit_del_toro
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I'm curious to see what del Toro can do with it. Pan's Labyrinth was a great movie.
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I'm cautiously optimistic.
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Report: McKellen to reprise Gandalf role (http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20080430/120959376000.html)
:)
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Booyah! I don't think there was ever much doubt, but it's great to see (semi)confirmation.
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Variety (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/hobbitnews.php?id=45328) is reporting that Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Andy Serkis (Gollum) and Viggo Mortenson (Aragorn) have all been contacted about reprising their roles in the upcoming Hobbit movie(s). Pre-production is going to be getting underway, the way it sounds.
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Aragorn was in the Hobbit? I thought that stuff happened before Aragorn was born.
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Aragorn was in the Hobbit? I thought that stuff happened before Aragorn was born.
Aragorn would have been around 10 at the time of the Hobbit (as best as I can recall).
However, the chatter on the LOTR forums I belong to is that the two movies will have different focus. The first movie will tell the story of the Hobbit while the second movie will be more of a "prequel" to the Lord of Rings and tell the story(ies) in between the time of the Hobbit and Fellowship. Specifically, the story of the White Council (Gandalf, Sauramon, Radagast, and the Elves) and their assault on Dol Guldur, the sanctuary of Sauron prior to LOTR. They may also delve into Aragorn's journies and his hunt for Gollum and the One Ring. At least that's what I've heard...
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Back in September of last year, there were lots of rumors (http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/09/13/will-aragorn-return-in-the-hobbit-mortensen-leaves-open-the-possibility/) going around of Strider/Aragorn being inserted into the Hobbit movie(s) by taking some of his backstory out of the Tolkien appendices and sticking them in the Hobbit if it made sense...
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Aragorn had that slow aging thing going on, coreect? It wouldn't be too hard to make him 80 or so at the time of Fellowship.
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Yeah but he could only go in the rumored "bridge" film, not The Hobbit itself. He would be only 10 when The Hobbit takes place.
So Mortensen definitely wouldn't be back until the second film. And they couldn't even create a cameo as Aragorn's father, as he had died when Aragorn was 2 and therefore was already dead before The Hobbit.
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Aragorn had that slow aging thing going on, coreect? It wouldn't be too hard to make him 80 or so at the time of Fellowship.
I believe it was determined that he was 87
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I believe it was determined that he was 87
Yeah, his age came up in The Two Towers when he was talking to Eowyn on the way to Helm's Deep. I don't remember if he was exactly 87 but he was definitely around that age.
I thought I read that The Hobbit was strictly just The Hobbit and wasn't going to touch on the time period between The Hobbit and Fellowship. Is that the case or am I just "mis-remembering"?
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Nerds. ::)
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Nerds. ::)
Guilty as charged ;D .... for what its worth, my other hobby is collecting little tiny LOTR miniatures, painting them and playing games.
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I recall the 87 number from the extended edition of The Two Towers.
The casting rumors are pretty cool. I wonder if talks are also underway with Hugo Weaving, as Elrond was a significant player in The Hobbit, too. But I'm still wondering if Guillermo del Toro is entertaining the thought of bringing back Ian Holm to play Bilbo. The guy is OLD!
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It would only make sense to bring Ian Holm back as Bilbo. He did play a younger version of Bilbo in the two towers flashback scene. Anyone else would take away from the continuation.
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It would be idiotic to bring back Ian Holm. They'd have to CG every single scene he was in. It makes much more sense to bring in a younger actor.
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Almost every scene in LOTRs was CG. Remember these are animated movies with real people thrown in. Besides, why can't they use the same makeup job they did on him in the Hobbit flashback scene in TT or was it ROTK?
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I've been out of the Hobbit news, but Del Toro directing is an excellent choice. It'll certainly keep the same visual tone and perhaps take it up a notch.
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Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro hosted an online chat about the Hobbit and "Film 2" over the weekend. If anyone is interested, there is 17 page pdf transcript available CLICK HERE (http://www.wetanz.com/holics/media/Hobbit/An%20Unexpected%20Party%20-%20Chat%20Transcript.pdf)
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Almost every scene in LOTRs was CG. Remember these are animated movies with real people thrown in. Besides, why can't they use the same makeup job they did on him in the Hobbit flashback scene in TT or was it ROTK?
But for six more hours of movie? The guy is already 76 and will be even older by the time filming starts. I acknowledge that casting a younger actor will mess with the continuity of the prologue, and the idea that he hasn't aged until FOTR, but getting Holm to do a couple of action movies at his age is just not practical. Anyway, the trilogy was filmed almost nine years ago, so he's already older than he was even in FOTR.
That being said, I'm sure they'll bring in Holm somehow, as the narrator or as bookending cameos at the beginning and end.
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Another thing to consider is that CG for faces is far more difficult and expensive than CG for changing the size of actors or rendering full models. Most people recognize facial CG immediately because we look at faces all the time and are very attuned to their subtleties. So to do it convincingly is very time consuming. Using CG to alter Holm's face for every scene in 6 to 8 hours worth of movies would simply not be feasible. They'd do better to make him from scratch like Gollum.
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I think Martin Freeman is a name I've heard a lot for Bilbo Baggins. Here's a link to a good article on casting rumors and speculation for the Hobbit:
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/01/07/28227-speculation-on-hobbit-casting/
The article also speculates that Indiana Jone's own Mutt Williams could be considered.
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The article also speculates that Indiana Jone's own Mutt Williams could be considered.
I certainly hope that's not the case. I'd rather a lesser known, but qualified actor fill the role. I just don't think I can live in a world where Shia Lebouf (sp?) is thought to be a billion-dollar movie franchise hero. I'm sorry but he's riding the coattails of huge concept movies and is not the reason for the success of said films.
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Wow Bam... where'd that avatar come from?? :o :o
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I hate early casting rumors on films, especially when they seemingly throw out names of people just because they're the hot thing in Hollywood at the time.
Out of the three names they tossed in for Bilbo I'd go with Martin Freeman. He could play the befuddled Hobbit on his journey. I know I've seen Colin Firth before but I can't place his work right now.
I think Labouef is to young. They should be looking at somone in their mid 30's to about 45-ish, but still a little youthful looking. Bilbo isn't as young as Frodo and the boys were when he went on his journey after all.
I'm just excited this is getting made and Jackson is involved.
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I know I've seen Colin Firth before but I can't place his work right now.
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Firth played the befuddled English bachelor in the Bridget Jones movies, the befuddled English single father in Nanny McPhee, the befuddled English writer in love with his Italian maid in Love Actually, and ....well...you get it.
I think he'd be a GREAT Bilbo...
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I know I've seen Colin Firth before but I can't place his work right now.
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Firth played the befuddled English bachelor in the Bridget Jones movies, the befuddled English single father in Nanny McPhee, the befuddled English writer in love with his Italian maid in Love Actually, and ....well...you get it.
I think he'd be a GREAT Bilbo...
Since I don't have a vagina I have not seen any of those films. But thank you for confirming his befuddlement ability.
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Wow Bam... where'd that avatar come from?? :o :o
I lifted it from the website of the local sportsradio station, 1310 The Ticket. It was posted under the heading "Hello Frisco!" -- Frisco being one of the suburbs of north Dallas. I don't know who she is, or what it has to do with Frisco, but frankly that doesn't bother me. Ignorance is bliss, and she puts me in a blissful mood. :)
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Sweet! Peter Jackson and Del Toro are going to write the new Hobbit film (http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0553888/) rather than hire someone to do it.
That will, hopefully, mean that the tone of the film will be similar to LOTR making it fit in even better with the trilogy.
E...
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Saw some news on a LOTR fan site this evening. Peter Jackson has confirmed that the Hobbit will be a two part movie (not two independent movies) and will add in the details of when Gandalf disappears to join the White Council in their fight against Sauron the Necromancer. Sounds good to me.
Hobbit: One tale in two parts (http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/2400755/Hobbit-One-tale-in-two-parts)
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Del Toro Confirms Weaving in "The Hobbit" (http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/06/hugo-weaving-elrond-the-hobbit.html)
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Del Toro Confirms Weaving in "The Hobbit" (http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/06/hugo-weaving-elrond-the-hobbit.html)
Great news! I'm glad the actors have been willing to reprise these roles!!
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Del Toro Confirms Weaving in "The Hobbit" (http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/06/hugo-weaving-elrond-the-hobbit.html)
Great news! I'm glad the actors have been willing to reprise these roles!!
Great News indeed. :)
With as good as the last three were and with as much money as they made, the actors would be crazy to not comeback.
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I don't think they were really ever in question frankly. It seemed more like the "I'm just waiting for PJ to call" type of thing.
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Besides Weaving and Ian Holm, who else would need to be casted from LotR? I haven't read the Hobbit in a while, so probably should to refresh my memory.
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Besides Weaving and Ian Holm, who else would need to be casted from LotR? I haven't read the Hobbit in a while, so probably should to refresh my memory.
Ian McKellen as Gandalf, who's already been confirmed.
Is Ian Holm in this Hobbit movie? I figure they'd need to recast Bilbo.
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They could use Ian Holm and use a lot of make-up to make him look younger. Similar to the flashback scene where he finds the ring in FOTR.
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We've already gone over this... the cost of making Holm young for 6 hours across two movies would be ridiculous, not to mention it'd be unconvincing throughout. It's not a smart solution no matter how much you liked Holm in the role. The guy will be 80 before the movies come out.
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We've already gone over this... the cost of making Holm young for 6 hours across two movies would be ridiculous, not to mention it'd be unconvincing throughout. It's not a smart solution no matter how much you liked Holm in the role.
And you're qualified to make these assumptions how?
With respect, I've worked with the Westmores. I've worked with other top talented make-up artists and FX artists like Dennis Muren and Kenny Meyers. I know what they are capable of and how much it costs, it's my job (at least it used to be.) It can be done, convincingly, for no more money than it costs to do a Gollum or Lt. Worf (relatively speaking, of course.) Terminator Salvation and the last X-men movie were considered test runs for that type of digital make-up to be used on a main character scale and you can be sure that Weta improved upon the technology used to create Gollum. Tel Toro is also very much in tune with the whole digital make-up process as he used it very effectively in Pan's Labyrinth.
But the question remains, should they? I loved Holm in the roll as well, but I agree, he might be too old.
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Besides Weaving and Ian Holm, who else would need to be casted from LotR? I haven't read the Hobbit in a while, so probably should to refresh my memory.
Ian McKellen as Gandalf, who's already been confirmed.
Ah, how could I forget Gandalf...
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We've already gone over this... the cost of making Holm young for 6 hours across two movies would be ridiculous, not to mention it'd be unconvincing throughout. It's not a smart solution no matter how much you liked Holm in the role. The guy will be 80 before the movies come out.
Great expert opinion Bill. ::) Especially since Marvel Studios is looking seriously at "de-aging" Ian McKellan (and possibly Patrick Stewart) for X-Men Origins - Magneto. Studios do recognize that the audience appreciates a sense of continuity when possible.
That being said, James MacAvoy's name was thrown around as a possible Bilbo. But that was just a rumor and MacAvoy has actually denied it.
I think it's more notable that in all of this discussion there's been little to no discussion of Andy Serkis. He's also signed on to reprise his role as Gollum.
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I think it's more notable that in all of this discussion there's been little to no discussion of Andy Serkis. He's also signed on to reprise his role as Gollum.
****, I really need to sit and reread this... forgot about the riddles!!
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I thought I had posted about Ian Holm in this thread but maybe I didn't. Visual effects aside, I think he's a little too old to play Bilbo in the new film. I did mention before that I thought someone from about 35 - 45 would be best.
I know they did a huge amount of work for Benjamin Button to make Pitt age through the movie, so it can be done. Going back to X3, I remember reading articles that talked about how expensive it was to de-age McKellen and Stewart and, at the time, it being said that for a scene it worked but they'd never be able to do a whole film like that. However, they did McKellen and Stewart 100% in the computer. There were no prosthetics or anything, they just shot them normally and digitally aged them.
Since there would be makeup and prosthetics for the Hobbit already, adding some digital touches to that to make Holm look younger wouldn't be as big of a deal as it would be if they were doing it all in the computer.
Still, while continuity is great, Bilbo was about 51 when he left the Shire in the Hobbit and he was 111 when we see him at his birthday in Fellowship. I personally think that a younger actor is needed for the film. I think it would just work better.
I look at it this way. In 1999, had the current technology been available, would you have preferred Alec Guinness to play Obi-Wan in the new trilogy? I wouldn't. I can't picture anyone else doing it now that Ewan McGregor took on the roll. Bilbo in The Hobbit is someone elses chance to do what McGregor did with Obi-Wan in the prequel trilogy.
E...
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Sure, it worked in X3. But remember the Xavier cameo at the end of Wolverine? It looked like garbage, and that was only for a few seconds. So it's not failproof. And last I heard (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117963871.html?categoryid=13&cs=1), they're planning to go with younger actors for the Magneto movie, although that wouldn't rule out using the technique for some scenes.
The issue, I think, is efficiency. The time and effort expended on doing this would be better spent on sets, wardrobe, or whatever, and simply casting a younger actor to play the role. Efranks' analogy is apt.
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Still, while continuity is great, Bilbo was about 51 when he left the Shire in the Hobbit and he was 111 when we see him at his birthday in Fellowship.
True, but Gandalf himself notes that Bilbo "hasn't aged a day." The ring has kept him in his "youthful" age of 51ish since it first came into his posession. Once the ring is gone, Bilbo ages rapidly at Rivendell while he awaits his trip to the Grey Havens.
I'm not sure how they should do it, but Bilbo in the Hobbit needs to look like Bilbo in The Fellowship as much as possible.
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The real problem is that 51 for a hobbit is much, much younger than it is for a human. Frodo is actually 50 for most of LOTR. He's 33 at Bilbo's party--which is the age of majority for hobbits so it fits that Elijah Wood was about 18--and according to the books 17 years pass before Gandalf returns and Frodo leaves the Shire.
So 67-year-old Ian Holm is playing 111-year-old Bilbo who should theoretically look the same as when he was 51, which actually means he should look about 30 in human terms.
Twisted, isn't it? :P
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David Tennant as Bilbo? (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2541716/David-Tennant-tipped-for-Hobbit-role.html)
I've never seen an episode of Doctor Who, but he looks the part at least.
"Newspaper reports suggest the 38-year-old is up against Shameless actor James McAvoy and Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe."
I call bull**** on that part ... Radcliffe is too young and instantly recognizable, and didn't McAvoy already shoot down the rumor somewhere?
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I like Daniel Radcliffe but he's Harry Potter. It's going to take a few years and some radically different films out of him before I'll see him as any other character. And, yes, WAY too young.
Besides, he's going to be tied up with Deathly Hallows till next year some time so depending on when Hobbit started filming, he might be available.
Tennant would be good! I like him, thought he made a great Doctor. McAvoy is a good actor also and I could see him in the role, I think.
E...
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I've heard the Tennant rumor as well. It's really strong and supposedly they're close to a deal.
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Well, never mind:
http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/07/26/comic-con-david-tennant-denies-the-hobbit-casting-rumor/
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http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a168371/jackson-the-hobbit-is-not-greenlit.html
"We have to deliver that [the script] to the studio. They have to read it. They have to like it. They have to agree to a budget. They have to green-light the movie, because we haven't really got a green light."
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If Tennant got the part, he would be the world's tallest Hobbit. He's too tall and skinny.
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http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a168371/jackson-the-hobbit-is-not-greenlit.html
"We have to deliver that [the script] to the studio. They have to read it. They have to like it. They have to agree to a budget. They have to green-light the movie, because we haven't really got a green light."
And in other breaking news, it's Thursday in Hollywood. :P
With the **** that gets the green light now, I can't see how a Hobbit movie wouldn't get made eventually unless the budget caused some exec an aneurysm. That or the lack of mechanical spiders and polar bears fighting robots caused all the producers to pass.
E...
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Saw this on Yahoo:
Legal settlement clears way for "Hobbit" movie (http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.reuters.com/legal-settlement-clears-way-quothobbitquot-movie-reuters)
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Ian McKellen has read the script for The Hobbit and it is good. (http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00028553.html)
E...
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Peter Jackson reveals which characters are returning from the LOTR Trilogy (http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1627796/story.jhtml)
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Peter Jackson reveals which characters are returning from the LOTR Trilogy (http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1627796/story.jhtml)
and yet one is missing from the list.
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I'm assuming you are referring to Bilbo. From what I've read, that roll will be recast and perhaps that's why it wasn't mentioned.
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Actually, I can see the younger recast of Bilbo, but I was referring to Gollum.
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Actually, I can see the younger recast of Bilbo, but I was referring to Gollum.
It would really be a shame not to have him back for The Hobbit...
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Yeah, that's surprising. I thought he was already confirmed as Gollum.
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Yeah, that's surprising. I thought he was already confirmed as Gollum.
I really hope that's the case, Bill, as they were praising Andy for his performance through the whole LOTR trilogy.
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I'm fairly certain that I read somewhere that Andy Serkis (sp?) has already agreed to resume the "role" of gollum.
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There's no mention of Christopher Lee, either on the confirmed or denied lists. There's definitely room for Saruman if they start to pull in material from the appendices to fill out two films, but a lot is riding on Lee's health I guess.
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As much as I liked Ian Holm as Bilbo I'm happy that they're recasting that role. And I'm happy that Jackson isn't going to plug in LOTR characters just to do it. If they weren't in he Hobbit novel I don't need them in the film.
E...
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The Hobbit to start filming in July (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8573948.stm)
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Guillermo del Toro Drops Out of Hobbit (http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/05/30/guillermo-del-toro-drops-hobbit/)
Peter Jackson Won't Replace del Toro (http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/05/31/guillermo-del-toro-leaves-the-hobbit/)
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I'm beginning to think that this film is not going to come out.
E...
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Damn. It.
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Not good. They are still spinning that there is no delay but I can't believe that.
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I guess the production wasn't big enough for both of those beards.
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Peter Jackson has decided to direct two installments of The Hobbit (http://www.deadline.com/2010/06/urgent-peter-jackson-negotiating-to-direct-the-hobbit-films/)
The final deal is apparently in negotiations.
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Peter Jackson has decided to direct two installments of The Hobbit (http://www.deadline.com/2010/06/urgent-peter-jackson-negotiating-to-direct-the-hobbit-films/)
The final deal is apparently in negotiations.
If this happens, I couldn't be happier. Jackson did such an incredible job with LOTR that I don't think I could stand seeing someone elses visual style and directorial hand on The Hobbit. It just wouldn't fit.
E...
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Peter Jackson has decided to direct two installments of The Hobbit (http://www.deadline.com/2010/06/urgent-peter-jackson-negotiating-to-direct-the-hobbit-films/)
The final deal is apparently in negotiations.
Great news, I hope this ends up that way. Like it was said, Jackson did such a masterful job with the LOTR Trilogy, and I think he'd do just as good with The Hobbit. I was starting to think these movies just wouldn't get made with all of the studio troubles, but hopefully this is a positive sign. I'm getting psyched again....I sort of miss the years when we had a LOTR movie to look forward each year.
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This news couldn't have been any better. I think we will have a seamless transition between the Hobbit movies now and the LOTR trilogy. You know that Jackson will be meticulous at making sure the these movies are visually identical so that you could watch them in order and not feel as though you were looking at two completely different worlds. Can't wait to start seeing web-spots and pictures from filming.
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Now it's a race to see which gets out of development hell first: this or the Star Wars live-action series.
(http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080720043642/starwars/images/f/fc/Odupiendo.jpg)
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This doesn't look good for Bilbo Baggins... SAG Warns Members Not to Work on LOTR Prequel (http://www.comcast.net/articles/entertainment-eonline/20100926/b202422/)
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Jackson fires back and says he may move the Hobbit to Eastern Europe: Clicky (http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_583574.html)
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The guy wins an Oscar for best picture and he thinks he's George Lucas. That is how Lucas got exiled from Hollywood by taking production to England. I say more power to Jackson! Screw the leeching unions! I want my Hobbit movie.
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Sounds like it has finally been green lit (http://movies.ign.com/articles/112/1128435p1.html), a few casting rumors at the linky as well.
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Sweet! Me and my oldest son have been reading the Hobbit together the last few weeks. It is amazing how different of a book it is from LOTR while basically telling a similar story
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And...much of the cast is announced via Warner Bros (http://movies.ign.com/articles/112/1129839p1.html), including the often rumored Martin Freeman playing Bilbo.
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Here's a great summary (http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/10/21/39468-meet-your-hobbit-cast/) of the actors that have been announced.
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Filming in New Zealand! (http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/hobbit-production-stay-new-zealand-21999)
E...
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Excellent choice for Bilbo. Martin Freeman was pretty good in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
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Sounds like another LOTR vet (http://movies.ign.com/articles/113/1139252p1.html), other than Serkis, McKellen, and Weaving, may be returning for the Hobbit in some capacity.
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Sounds like another LOTR vet (http://movies.ign.com/articles/113/1139252p1.html), other than Serkis, McKellen, and Weaving, may be returning for the Hobbit in some capacity.
Ummm...Why are they adding characters to the movie who weren't in the actual novel? ::)
This turns my stomach...it reeks of a cheap money-grab, and does nothing to augment the story, which is perfectly fine as originally written.
Hollywood Whores!
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Well his dad is in the movie and since elves basically live forever, there is no reason that he sqhouldnt be present with the elves of Mirkwood. Now, I hope he's nothing more than a passing cameo and not a "main" character. Anything more and I'll agree with you.
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I agree, there is no reason why he shouldn't be there...my son and I just finished the Mirkwood portion of the book, where I assume they will split the movie when it happens. It makes sense length wise and mirrors the leaving of the Elves in Fellowship...although I have read that Jackson also thought of doing one complete film of the Book and the second being a bridge between the book at LOTR with Aragorn and crew
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Has he done anything much since the LotR movies?? I know of a couple movies, but nothing spectacular.
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Oh, he hasn't done much... (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=piratesofthecaribbean.htm) ;)
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Oh, he hasn't done much... (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=piratesofthecaribbean.htm) ;)
Between those two (successful) franchises and Elizabethtown, he's pretty much disappeared off the face of the planet...
Okay, I decided to look at IMDB and it appears that I've seen quite a few of his movies (12).
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although I have read that Jackson also thought of doing one complete film of the Book and the second being a bridge between the book at LOTR with Aragorn and crew
I thought that was debunked and the movies will be strictly the Hobbit, the main reason being they don't have the rights to all the stuff that happened between Bilbo's adventure and the start of Frodo's quest?
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although I have read that Jackson also thought of doing one complete film of the Book and the second being a bridge between the book at LOTR with Aragorn and crew
I thought that was debunked and the movies will be strictly the Hobbit, the main reason being they don't have the rights to all the stuff that happened between Bilbo's adventure and the start of Frodo's quest?
That's good because that is a dumb idea IMO
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They have the rights to anything in LOTR and the Hobbit. Much of the proposed "extra material" is in the Appendices to LOTR--most of the Arwen subplot in the movies actually came from here. But they can't use the Unfinished Tales or the other books.
Right now I assume they'll just incorporate it back into the Hobbit--e.g., showing what other characters, such as Gandalf, were doing "offscreen"--and fill two movies that way, but I'm really not clear on it yet.
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Interesting news (http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2011/01/07/41520-elijah-wood-will-be-in-the-hobbit/) concerning the Hobbit, and a certain actor/character's appearance from the LOTR films. SPOILERS present, as this is apparently confirmed by TheOneRing.net, and may be sort of a surprise for anyone going into the movie spoiler free.
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I don't really have a problem with that. I look at it as a Fred Savage, Peter Falk moment. Some of the earlier rumors of returning characters were more of an issue IMO.
E...
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Gandalf and Gollum (http://blog.movies.yahoo.com/blog/390-its-official-ian-mckellen-to-return-as-gandalf-in-the-hobbit)
Sweetness beyond sweetness. I cannot wait for this movie!
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Glad to see this pair was made official! I think the exciting for the Hobbit will really starting building in 2011.
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Yeah, at first I wasn't all that thrilled about these films. Now I can't wait for them. I got excited when Peter Jackson said he would direct them.
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Yeah, at first I wasn't all that thrilled about these films. Now I can't wait for them. I got excited when Peter Jackson said he would direct them.
It's just one movie right?
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Yeah, at first I wasn't all that thrilled about these films. Now I can't wait for them. I got excited when Peter Jackson said he would direct them.
It's just one movie right?
No, it's being made into a biopic. (2 movies)
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Sounds like (http://comicbookmovie.com/fansites/DenofL5/news/?a=27783) Christopher Lee is returning now as well, provided he is in good health. I'm in the boat with you guys, really looking forward to this project and I'm glad we're getting two movies out of it. The time during the release of the LOTR trilogy was almost as fun, anticipation-wise, as the Star Wars movies. Nice to have something to look forward to in this "world" again.
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But will it do well? Is the public over the Sword and Sorcery movies? The latest Narnia movie tanked big time. Just because the fan boys want it, doesn't mean it will do well. I'm looking at you Watchmen!
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I think Lord of the Rings transcends things like Narnia, or Watchmen... They have their niches, but Lord of the Rings has literature courses on just Tolkien's works at different colleges. I think that speaks volumes to the renown of his books. I think The Hobbit will do incredibly well so long as its quality isn't suffering at all.
I kind of put LOTR in with Star Wars... More Star Wars will do well financially. I mean, look at the prequals, and they didn't suffer financially at all but probably by all rights should have.
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But will it do well? Is the public over the Sword and Sorcery movies? The latest Narnia movie tanked big time. Just because the fan boys want it, doesn't mean it will do well. I'm looking at you Watchmen!
Good question. The Lovely Bones was an interesting film for Peter Jackson to take on, and King Kong did reasonably well. But Peter Jackson (as a director) has not been able to match the success of the LOTR trilogy with any of his subsequent work. I have to believe that his knowledge and passion for Tolkien's work will elevate The Hobbit above some of the other fantasy fare that movie goers have been taking in over the past 5 years.
I don't think the fantasy genre is dead. Just look at the Harry Potter series. The series has grossed over $8 billion worldwide, and there's still one film yet to be released. Are studios guilty of trying to capitalize on the success of LOTR and Harry Potter? Absolutely. When the first Narnia film was coming out a big part of the selling of that film was the relationship between C.S. Lewis and Tolkien.
The casting news has been great. And I don't think you would have this level of talent involved if the director and the script were not just as great. The hopes for these films are definitely high, but Peter Jackson's track record with Tolkien's material has to leave you optimistic about what will wind up on screen.
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The latest Narnia movie tanked big time.
Maybe people over the age of 13 realized this was just a thinly veiled Christian parable and churchy God stuff is not nearly as cool or interesting as actual sword and sorcery/fantasy stuff?
Any religiousy type junk like that can be the kiss of death for the fanboy set.
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The latest Narnia movie tanked big time.
Maybe people over the age of 13 realized this was just a thinly veiled Christian parable and churchy God stuff is not nearly as cool or interesting as actual sword and sorcery/fantasy stuff?
Any religiousy type junk like that can be the kiss of death for the fanboy set.
C.S. Lewis never meant for them to be thinly veiled. The first two were Christian parables (as all the Narnia books are) and did just fine despite being "religiousy type junk" as you so eloquently stated.
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I just think deeper movies, in general, can be/will be appreciated more by an adult audience.
One could easily compare Narnia to LOTR and the themes of Christianity are both there, but it is a lot harder to see it in LOTR. I just did a quick search on the topic as a refresher but, while Tolkien and Lewis were friends I am pretty sure they disagreed with how "deep" it should be. Tolkien wasn't a fan of how outright Lewis' writing/message was. I guess Lewis churned out all 7 of his Narnia books in 7 years whereas Tolkien did LOTR in trilogy in 17 years. a quality vs. quantity debate there
So, looking at the two, which is more widely appreciated? I am pretty sure the general consensus would be LOTR. More action + deeper message = win?
On a similar note - I just watched "Inception" and loved it for all of its complexities.
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I don't disagree with a non Christian movie doing better, but Lewis was a Christian author so of course he wanted that message out there. Tolkien wasn't. I love LOTR. Like Narnia. But I'm all for a Christian author writing a Christian story.
I'm gonna get yelled at for off topic soon.
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Tolkien was a Christian author - LOTR is a Christian story.
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Sorry, I didn't mean to steer the topic off course. It's probably not even fair to compare the two.
I've read all of both sets of books and I do think there is more to Tolkien's stuff that perhaps lends itself to a larger audience.
I think the Hobbit will do well, even with a colossal budget.
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Tolkien was a Christian author - LOTR is a Christian story.
I'll grant you the former, but you lost me on the latter. How do you figure?
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Smash, Tolkien actually himself was pretty vehement in saying that he wasn't drawing on Christianity with the Middle-Earth books... He also said he didn't draw on his experiences in World War I though, pertaining to LOTR though... I personally think he was influenced to a degree, if only subconsciously, from those experiences, but he seemed to lose a lot of his "faith" after the war.
Lucas sort of denies Christian influence in Star Wars, but I think analogies can be made, whether intended or not... I don't know if they were intentional with either though.
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google something like this "lord of the rings christian" and you will find countless entries for it.
dont have much time to do all the searching now but here are some quick things:
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote to a priest friend, "The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision." [1] By design The Lord of the Rings is not a Christian allegory but rather an invented myth [2] about Christian and Catholic truths.
the fundamentals
Like all Christians, Frodo is called to risk his life through great peril to save others. Frodo, like us, does not appear to be up to the task. He does not have any obvious talent suited for war. But he is chosen, as we are. We are all necessary for God's grand plan to be fulfilled; and even the most unlikely and disgusting Gollum-like beast in our life is necessary. And when Frodo asks, "What can a little hobbit do?" — Isaiah answers, "A little child will lead them" (11:6).
There is a longing for the return of the king. As Christians long for the return of Christ the King, so the free people of Middle-earth long for their kingdoms to be once more united in peace and justice under the rightful heir.
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/arts/al0160.html
I also once read this book, Walking With Frodo: A Devotional Journey Through the Lord of the Rings (http://www.amazon.com/Walking-Frodo-Devotional-Journey-Through/dp/0842385541). Throughout this book/devotional the comparisons are very clearly outlined between the characters and their actions and Christianity.
anyway, there is a lot there on the webs - do some searching when you have the time
i don't mean to sound as if I am being a "turd" - so please don't take it that way ;D
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While there are themes of good vs. evil and archetypal protagonists, those are hardly unique to Christianity. Go read some Joseph Campbell. ;)
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Smash,
Basically what Sprry said... The archetypes are there, but they're comparable to a lot. The on-set of my Tolkien Studies class in college actually made it a point to reinforce that we weren't to get "trapped in Christian themes" because Tolkien denied them completely. People still draw them though, especially religious groups.
Like I said, he denied influences from his WW1 experiences despite it being a traumatic and extensive part of his life as a younger man. Many of his best friends died. I think he was subconsciously influenced by the war, but he denies any intentional influence put into LOTR... He was the same with Christianity though, if not moreso. I find him to be much more influenced in his writing by nature, and the organic, over religious overtones and things. Just my opinion though.
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I think we're splitting hairs a little here because I think both sides are
Furthering what Jesse said, he also repeatedly made a point of not trying to force Allegory on anything written in Middle Earth. Which is totally opposite of Lewis who embraced the concept of allegory...so while I think Christianity and boths WWs influenced him and shaped his story, they aren't meant to be the basis of either.
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I just think deeper movies, in general, can be/will be appreciated more by an adult audience.
I wish I went to the same theaters as you. Maybe it's the cold weather or something but around here adult audiences take any lull in action and reduction in volume as a reason to critique some aspect of the movie or make a smart ass remark that can be heard ten rows away. I cannot wait until I finish the construction of my home theater so I don't have to deal with our "adult audiences" any longer.
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I just think deeper movies, in general, can be/will be appreciated more by an adult audience.
I cannot wait until I finish the construction of my home theater so I don't have to deal with our "adult audiences" any longer.
yup - I don't do theaters anymore. There are far too many movies out and I have a giant back log of them at home. I don't need to waste the money at the theaters unless the movie is HUGE and it has been a long time since something that "epic" has moved me to make me feel like I had to rush out to theaters.
As for the LOTR discussion - I appreciate it and seeing others views/takes/beliefs on the topics. Thank you for your collective perspectives :)
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Fans of LOTR and The Hobbit might like today's t-shirt at Teefury
http://www.teefury.com/
(http://www.teefury.com/products_large_images/1294697865_bottom_baggins.jpg)
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Behind the Scenes video (http://comicbookmovie.com/fansites/TheSorcererSupreme/news/?a=35227) about the lead up to filming for The Hobbit (hosted by Peter Jackson). From the sounds of things, we should be seeing more of these. Watching this not only makes me excited to see the Hobbit, but sort of miss the years that the LOTR trilogy was coming out in theaters. It was a fun time looking forward to the next installment each year.
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It's gone.
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Try this link... The Hobbit: Start of production, video from the set. (http://www.wimp.com/thehobbit/)
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Although this is technically Lord of the Rings news, I didn't know if we wanted to dig up those old threads or not. Anyways, it sounds like AMC will be showing the Extended Editions in theaters (http://movies.ign.com/articles/116/1164182p1.html) prior to the Blu Ray releases this summer. We don't have AMC in our town here, but I think within an hour's drive, so it is tempting to go check them out.
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I guess if you like your movies to move even slower then these are for you.
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haven't these already been on Blu Ray for years?
Or were they that old HD format?
I know I have seen them at someone's house in hi-definition.
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The theatrical versions have been on Blu-ray but I think this is the first time for the extended editions.
E...
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Try this link... The Hobbit: Start of production, video from the set. (http://www.wimp.com/thehobbit/)
Exciting to see...and again a reminder of why Jackson's epics surpassed the SW prequels....physical sets.
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Official Titles, Release Dates, and Cast List (http://movies.ign.com/articles/117/1171505p1.html) have been released....
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Dec 14, 2012
The Hobbit: There and Back Again - Dec 13, 2013
Bilbo Baggins - Martin Freeman (British Office, Hitchhiker's Guide.., etc.)
Returning LOTR castmembers - Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Hugo Weaving (Elrond), Ian Holm (Elder Bilbo), Elijah Wood (Frodo), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Andy Serkis (Gollum). More cast info at the linky.
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Returning LOTR castmembers - Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Hugo Weaving (Elrond), Ian Holm (Elder Bilbo), Elijah Wood (Frodo), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Andy Serkis (Gollum). More cast info at the linky.
Why do we need Elder Bibo, Frodo and Saruman? I guess Legolas can be standing around in the background but why the others? Is this all told via flashbacks by Elder Bibo?
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None of the Elves are mentioned by name, Legolas is from Mirkwood, his father is the Elvenking in the book so it stands to reason he would be there during the movie.
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As far as Old Bilbo and Frodo, I think I have read somewhere that they are going to start the movie with a flashforward to Frodo and Bilbo discussing Bilbo's book which leads to the beginning of the movie.
As far as Saruman, I believe Gandalf disappears right as they are entering Mirkwood as talk of the Necromancer comes up (which turns out to be Sauron). I would guess there will be a scene of the 5 wizards and the chief elves (The White Council) discussing what to do about Sauron. There are some theories that the entire White Council may go after the Necromancer/Sauron and do battle forcing him back to Mordor
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Evangeline Lilly as an elf? That's actually some pretty shrewd casting, she looks the part already.
But seriously, if they keep adding more and more characters that aren't in the book, you have to wonder what they are going to leave out. Even for two movies, eesh.
Seems like Jackson is taking a lot more creative liberty with this project.
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Again, much like Legolas, there are absolutely no elves named in the book so why can't Jackson take some liberties with them? I really don't get all of this angst about casting...it is a movie not a book, I want things to look at and if it is Evangeline Lilly so much the better :)
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Again, much like Legolas, there are absolutely no elves named in the book so why can't Jackson take some liberties with them? I really don't get all of this angst about casting...it is a movie not a book, I want things to look at and if it is Evangeline Lilly so much the better :)
Because she's not being cast as "Nameless Elf #23" - the article states he specifically created a new role for her that was not in the book. Maybe that is not true, but if so it would seem worrisome at best. If he wants to throw her in as background filler or non-speaking eye candy, that's fine. Just don't make her a love interest for Legolas or whatever.
Just my two cents, I'm not all that fiercely protective of the Tolkien legacy like some freaks out there. I'm just worried this thing is going to end up looking more like King King than LOTR...shudder.
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And again...none of the elves are named so why not? They do things in the book so why not name them and cast them? Again, I don't get the angst
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Part of me sees the argument more with LOTR than with The Hobbit... The Hobbit was, for all intents and purposes, LOTR Lite... It was intended to be an easier read, an easier story... Liberties are cooler to me then with The Hobbit. LOTR didn't bother me with what changes were made though... As a different media, you almost had to accept certain changes. Films that acted out the books line-for-line would've been more than the 3 epics that we got.
Either way, I'm a huge Tolkien fan, and I'm excited to see a new film in the genre... There's only so much they can do, and this is pretty much the last gasp unfortunately. The Silmarillion would never translate to a series of movies. The Hobbit may translate far better than LOTR even did.
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And again...none of the elves are named so why not? They do things in the book so why not name them and cast them? Again, I don't get the angst
Sheesh, people like you will never get it! Next thing you know, you will be trying to give all the background characters in Star Wars names and backstories too... ::)
I can picture it now - you'll pick out some nameless guy on Cloud City, you'll give him a name and a backstory, you'll be expecting all of us to care about him... ::)
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And again...none of the elves are named so why not? They do things in the book so why not name them and cast them? Again, I don't get the angst
Sheesh, people like you will never get it! Next thing you know, you will be trying to give all the background characters in Star Wars names and backstories too... ::)
I can picture it now - you'll pick out some nameless guy on Cloud City, you'll give him a name and a backstory, you'll be expecting all of us to care about him... ::)
Ice Cream Making Elf!! ;D
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Oh god, here we go again.
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(http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2011/06/22/MARTIN-FREEMAN-Hobbit_610.jpg)
http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20504849,00.html#20980350
Love it...
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I'm looking forward to this more than I ever looked forward to LOTR. I think Freeman will be very funny and charming, as opposed to Wood who had to play the straight man. I'm also curious how they do Smaug's talking. In the LOTR movies, the beasties didn't speak or have personalities. Could be cool. And I at least know that Jackson will deliver an action adventure film with style and substance. He's earned his right to stir up the Tolkien narrative a bit.
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the first look at Nori, Dori, and Ori (http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2011/07/07/45799-first-look-at-dori-nori-and-ori-in-the-hobbit/)
Don't click if you don't want to see a picture of the actor/costumes.
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The dude on the right in that photo looks suspiciously Klingon.
E...
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Looks more like Flargin, Dingle and Merle. :D
JK, awesome pic! Can't wait to see more...
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Oin and Gloin too (http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/movie-stills/gallery/3491/#photo0)
I'm sure the look will grow on me but not exactly as I was expecting.
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Fili and Kili:
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/5711/filikili.jpg (http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/5711/filikili.jpg)
Bombur, Bofur, and Bifur
http://media.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/10300/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey-20110713111341600-000.jpg (http://media.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/10300/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey-20110713111341600-000.jpg)
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Pic of all the Dwarves together:
The Hobbit's Dwarves (http://www.cosmicbooknews.com/images1/aaimages/hobbitdwarvesl.jpg)
(http://www.cosmicbooknews.com/images1/aaimages/hobbitdwarvesl.jpg)
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THE HOBBIT, Production Video #3 [HD] (https://www.facebook.com/TheHobbitMovie#!/video/video.php?v=10150326323406807&oid=141884481557&comments) was posted to Facebook yesterday. Some GREAT stuff in this, including interviews with all of the actors playing the dwarves. And make sure you watch it all the way to the end for a familiar old face!
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Peter Jackson looks like a homeless person.
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Ain't It Cool News (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/51787) has a report up from the set of the Hobbit (with pics). It sounds like it will be a regular feature. It is so nice seeing Bag End and the Shire again, can't wait for next year.
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It's such a beautiful location. And it's very cool to see that Peter Jackson is encouraging this kind of reporting from the set.
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Production Video Number 4 (https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150451523596807) is now up. It talks mostly about the 3D process, but there is a lot of nice behind the scenes footage that gives you an idea of the film. Can't wait.
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trailer (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=85322)
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Wow...I just found where I am going to spend my time during the end of the world.
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I can't wait for either, frankly.
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I should probably line up a babysitter now.
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I got major pants tent right now...
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Awesome. I can't wait to return to Middle Earth.
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I'd buy my ticket today if they were on sale.
E...
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Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful. I assume this movie ends with the stealing of the Ring, right?
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Just great. Like everyone mentioned, can't wait for the return to Middle Earth next year. Reminds me of how much I missed those years when the LOTR trilogy was being released. Can't wait.
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Very, very cool. It looks like a far more grown up telling of the tale that we saw in the animated version of The Hobbit. And the sense of continuity with LOTR only adds to the mystique of this movie.
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Possible spoiler regarding the Hobbit, and a possible change to bridge with LOTR:
http://comicbookmovie.com/fansites/debbiedowner/news/?a=52316 (http://comicbookmovie.com/fansites/debbiedowner/news/?a=52316)
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Billy Connolly cast as Dain Ironfoot, Lord of the Dwarves of the Iron Hills.
No, really.
http://bit.ly/ypntu5
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The Hobbit trailer (in 3D) played in front of Phantom Menace at my theatre. That was a nice bonus for going to see TPM.
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The Hobbit trailer (in 3D) played in front of Phantom Menace at my theatre. That was a nice bonus for going to see TPM.
Nice, we got the Three Stooges trailer here...not really the same caliber IMO. ::)
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Stooges / Hobbit? Hmm. They just don't weigh the same.
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We actually had both prior to seem TPM. They first played the Stooges trailer, then had the little "put your glasses on now" screen, and then we saw trailers for Brave, the Lorax, and the Hobbit. It was cool getting to see the Hobbit trailer on the big screen, can't wait.
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I really feel cheated now. Didn't get the Darth Maul 3D glasses or the Hobbit trailer!
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I really feel cheated now. Didn't get the Darth Maul 3D glasses or the Hobbit trailer!
Same here. :(
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Oh, crap. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/25/hobbit-48-fps-footage-divides-audiences_n_1452391.html)
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Oh, crap. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/25/hobbit-48-fps-footage-divides-audiences_n_1452391.html)
I read a couple different reviews of the footage from CinemaCon that said the same thing. The footage was cool, but didn't look great in this new format I guess. A lot compared it to "television looking" I believe.
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Hmmm... not sure how I feel about this. Hopefully its not so disruptive to lessen the overall experience. I can't think of a more highly anticipated movie for me since the Fellowship of the Ring came out.
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Oh, crap. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/25/hobbit-48-fps-footage-divides-audiences_n_1452391.html)
I think what hasn't been said in those pieces is that what's been shown at Cinemacon is likely not a finished product. It's a clip that's been put together for the purposes of expos like this one which primarily focuses on theater owners, as well as studio execs.
48 fps is definitely not going to look like what everyone is used to. Here's something from Slashfilm (http://www.slashfilm.com/cinemacon-ten-minutes-the-hobbit-underwhelms-higher-frame-rates-cinematic-future-james-cameron-promised/) about the presentation:
A brief primer: Modern films are shot and projected at 24 frames per second. That has been the industry standard for feature films since the mid-1920s after sound motion pictures were introduced. The low frame rate results in a strobing effect when there is moderate camera movement. You have probably accepted this technological artifacting, but it looks artificial and your brain interprets it as such. Raising the framerate makes movement look a lot smoother, and gives the impression of an enhanced resolution. The low framerate is also one of the major factors of why some people experience discomfort while watching 3D movies.
I get the feeling that the reel that was shown at Cinemacon hadn't undergone the final level of digital grading. And if you go back through your LOTR DVD bonus material you'll find a feature about this very process. Digital grading is generally done after the final cut of the movie, and addresses the lighting and related mood of the movie through processes that aren't all that dissimilar to photoshop.
In a feature like The Hobbit, a scene with some heavy dramatic content may actually be shot in lighting that can seem contrary to the tone of the scene. Especially if there are going to be CGI elements added in post-production. And that's because it's easier to incorporate those CGI elements into a well lit scene so that those elements which are going to potentially be the toughest sell for the audience will look right. After that, with digital grading you're essentially re-lighting the scene to add to the dramatic tone.
All of this being said, I'm not a huge fan of the current crop of 3d movies. But I think that the blur that's been mentioned which is inherent to quick camera moves in the 24 fps format may have something to do with the jarring feeling of some of those viewing experiences. 48 fps will aid in this, but will it affect the feel of the final cut of the movie? Something like this could potentially hurt a movie, but in the grand scheme of things who will be going to see The Hobbit? Certainly not film purists, because much of that crowd has already made their minds up about movies like The Hobbit long before they ever get a chance to see it in theaters.
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A new production blog video (#7) has been posted by Peter Jackson:
http://www.thehobbitblog.com/?p=6823 (http://www.thehobbitblog.com/?p=6823)
Keep an eye out for little cameo towards the end. Really looking forward to this, hopefully we'll get a new trailer soon - or at least this summer.
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This is the only movie I'm definitely going to be seeing... Cannot wait for this thing. The video blogs are really nicely done too, and look like so much fun to be a part of.
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Keep an eye out for little cameo towards the end. Really looking forward to this, hopefully we'll get a new trailer soon - or at least this summer.
Cool. The guy from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! Oh, you mean the tall one.
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A new production blog video (#7) has been posted by Peter Jackson:
http://www.thehobbitblog.com/?p=6823 (http://www.thehobbitblog.com/?p=6823)
Keep an eye out for little cameo towards the end. Really looking forward to this, hopefully we'll get a new trailer soon - or at least this summer.
Thanks for the link....great stuff.
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jadesfire? I used to know a jadesfire...
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jadesfire? I used to know a jadesfire...
I lurk-----but I am still here and waiting for you to come to Ohio ;)
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http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/07/02/this-weeks-cover-hobbit-comic-con-preview/ (http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/07/02/this-weeks-cover-hobbit-comic-con-preview/)
(http://img2-1.timeinc.net/ew/i/2012/07/02/1215-comiccon-ew-cover_300.jpg)
Also, some new pics:
http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20483133_20608420,00.html (http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20483133_20608420,00.html)
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So, I saw the trailer last weekend finally, and was sorely disappointed.
I don't know if there are multiple, different trailers floating around out there, but the one I saw sucked out loud. All they showed was a bunch of hobbits and dwarves capering around like idiots. Is the film G rated?
The only thing even remotely sinister looking was the final shot with Gollum, but everyone already knows about him, so very underwhelming.
Where were the orcs, goblins, and fing Smaug?!?!
(Ok, I get Smaug is probably being held back for the 2nd movie, but there has to be some kind of villain for the first part, right?)
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So, I saw the trailer last weekend finally, and was sorely disappointed.
I don't know if there are multiple, different trailers floating around out there, but the one I saw sucked out loud. All they showed was a bunch of hobbits and dwarves capering around like idiots. Is the film G rated?
The only thing even remotely sinister looking was the final shot with Gollum, but everyone already knows about him, so very underwhelming.
Where were the orcs, goblins, and fing Smaug?!?!
(Ok, I get Smaug is probably being held back for the 2nd movie, but there has to be some kind of villain for the first part, right?)
I saw the trailer before The Amazing Spider-Man yesterday, and I think it was the same one that has been out since December of last year. There was definitely a lack of "bad guys", and I wonder if that has something to do with the visual effects being in various stages of completion. I expect another trailer to be released sometime between now and December.
Based on the scenes in the trailer and pics available, I think part one will have run-ins with goblins, the trolls, and possibly spiders in Mirkwood. The really good stuff (Smaug and Battle of Five Armies) will probably be in part two. I wouldn't be surprised if part one ends with the heroes looking at (or just a shot of) the Lonely Mountain, with Smaug remaining unseen until part two.
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EW has a "scroll" up with a number of images from the Hobbit:
http://www.ew.com/ew/special/0,,20399642_20610399,00.html (http://www.ew.com/ew/special/0,,20399642_20610399,00.html)
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It looks like one of those cheesy Jesus paintings where someone photographs real people and puts them in painted backgrounds.
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The Hobbit to be converted to a trilogy?
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/hobbit-third-movie-warner-bros-353719
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Oh for Pete's sake, it's not War and Peace for chrissake. Is he going to film every single page word for word or something?
TWO movies was a stretch, but three is just plain ridiculous.
I love this stuff, but I don't want to seem them artificially stretch it out just to make more money, which let's face it, is the only reason the studio is on board with this.
What's next, the eight film epic retelling of the Silmarillion?
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What a cluster**** of a site EW.com is by the way... I'd forgotten why I try to avoid it at all costs. Too bad they're given so much exclusive stuff... Their site's about as cluttered as the average porn site... err, so I'm told.
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I'm not really happy with a trilogy. I'm okay with 2 because I have faith in Jackson's storytelling...but 3? No.
Same reason I'm not happy to hear that they're splitting the 3rd Hunger Games book into 2 parts. That book isn't significantly longer or more detailed than the first or second and I can't even come up with a good place that they'd break it up anyway. Maybe other movies have done it, but Harry Potter was the first I remember that successfully split a story and because of the depth of the original material, kind of needed it. I still have issues with Deathly Hallows part 2 but not because it was split.
Now it's just a blatant money grab by the studios because they'd rather milk the public than do something like, I don't know, come up with something else that doesn't suck balls?
******' accountants shouldn't be allowed to make movies.
E...
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Eh... I don't mind a trilogy. If it's three 2.5-hour movies instead of two 4-hour movies, I can see that actually being a better overall experience.
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Eh... I don't mind a trilogy. If it's three 2.5-hour movies instead of two 4-hour movies, I can see that actually being a better overall experience.
As long as Peter Jackson doesn't have a 90 second countdown for the time that Bilbo has left to escape the Goblin Tunnels when clearly, a diminutive Hobbit running at full speed would require a full 3 minutes to cover that much distance, right Bill?
(sorry, I couldn't resist :P)
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I'm good with 3 too. Gives me something to look forward to at the movies.
Especially since it sounds like #3 is a bridge to LOTR. If this company doing the figures gets to make The Riders of Rohan then WIN.
I just don't like waiting a year between each, especially if we know they are "in the can" so to speak.
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I have mixed feelings about the possibility of The Hobbit being split into three movies. On the one hand it's very hard to complain about the chance to see more of Peter Jackson's vision of middle earth, while on the other it would suck to have to wait an extra year for the story to be wrapped up. Despite my reservations I have faith that all of the films will be done right and very entertaining, and I will happily fork over my money to see them.
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I can understand the worries about stretching things too thin, but I guess overall I'd be happy with a trilogy. With Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter all wrapped up, it is nice to have an ongoing saga of movies going where you can look forward to the next installment and discuss it all year. The time during the LOTR trilogy release was a lot of fun because of that. It does sound as if Jackson is using a lot of the appendices/etc. to flesh out characters and the movies, and bridge them with LOTR, which might be cool. Aside from Marvel's expanding universe, there isn't always something to look forward to continuing the way the Hobbit could.
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Well there are some really good series of books out there that only fantasy and sci-fi geeks would know about. I'd like to see the Dune series, Ender's Game, Wheel of Time series and some others get made.
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They are making Ender's Game…starring the kid from Hugo as Ender and Han Solo
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I was excited with the prospect of them stretching this book out into two films, and while I absolutely love Jackson's film interpretations of these Tolkien classics (especially in their extended forms), a trilogy for The Hobbit is just going way overboard and reeks of nothing more than a cash grab to me. I certainly wouldn't mind being proven wrong in that respect, but I just can't comprehend how there'd be enough material to warrant such a material adjustment at this late juncture, unless they wind up trimming the runtimes down on all of them to a "paltry" 2 hours or so. I much prefer the more in-depth and entrenched viewing experience of longer flicks though, as we got with each LOTR movie, and even moreso with each of their EE's.
Harry Potter 7 seems to have set quite the business model precedent that all movie franchises based on book series are now following: Twilight, Hunger Games, and now The Hobbit. Annoying. I can't wait for Percy Jackson, Part 9, Vol.'s 1 & 2.
Any Tolkien purists here upset with the added female character? Amusing rants around the web about that. Seems fairly trivial to me, to be honest, and probably a pretty wise move by the movie studio/writers since Hobbit lacks any of the various heroines found in LOTR. Gotta have at least one lady in the movie, right?
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And they have added Legolas too in order to draw in the viewers.
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And they have added Legolas too in order to draw in the viewers.
To me Legolas is not much of a stretch since he is from Mirkwood
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Trilogy confirmed...
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I'm ok with this, actually. there's quite a bit that The Hobbit doesn't expand on much, but which is expanded upon in other texts... Maybe because it was a little too deep for The Hobbit which was intended to be lighter reading or whatnot, but this film's story wasn't supposed to be a light fairytale to anyone but those reading it as though it were just a book written by a hobbit... if that makes sense.
Its "reality" was to be much more involved. Much more like LOTR then, ultimately. I imagine that's partly what Jackson's going for then. Taking the story and making it have its more involved and "realistic" tone since you're supposed to be sort of living it via the film... if that makes any sense.
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(http://comingsoon.net/nextraimages/hobbit3dglasses1.jpg)
(http://comingsoon.net/nextraimages/hobbit3dglasses2.jpg) :D
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Very interesting perspective on how to weave the Hobbit into a trilogy with an eye on the Lord of the Rings.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2012/08/03/60354-greenbooks-guest-post-in-defense-of-a-hobbit-trilogy/
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I saw the preview for this before Dark Knight Rises... man, I am stoked!
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Message from Peter Jackson over at the Hobbit Blog http://www.thehobbitblog.com/ (http://www.thehobbitblog.com/), sounds like the new trailer will be released this Wednesday (the 19th) in honor of "Tolkien Week" marking the 75th anniversary of the publication of the Hobbit. Looking forward to it.
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And now, it is online:
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/thehobbit/ (http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/thehobbit/)
Can't wait for this.
UPDATE: Also, you can view additional scenes (and apparently make "your own" trailer, at The Hobbit.com. http://www.thehobbit.com/index.html (http://www.thehobbit.com/index.html)
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SO AWESOME CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!
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Wow... I cannot wait for this. The only thing in a theater I have to look forward to!
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Awesome, can't wait! 8)
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Never been a huge LOTR fan but I did get the Blu-Ray set before Father's Day when it was like $40 at Best Buy. Gonna have to rewatch the movies before this one hits!
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We may have a prequal series here that doesn't suck.
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Looks like it's going to be a great movie! And I'm very glad that Peter Jackson stepped back in as director. I really like Guillermo del Toro's work, but this IS Peter Jackson's world, just as much as Tolkkien's.
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(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/250075_10151221323001558_711878471_n.jpg)
I know we've seen all of them before, but it looks like they're using Kili and Fili to get the chicks in the seats (similar to Legolas and to a lesser extent Aragorn in LOTR). They really stand out compared to all the other hairy short dudes.
Chicks are going to be pissed by the end of the series...
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That poster will make a great puzzle!
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(http://www.herr-der-ringe-film.de/v3/media/galerie/hobbit001/hobbit_12/HOBBITposter3-cb116817.jpg)
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I really like that poster. First shot of Bolg the Goblin leader. Fili and Kili are the second most prominent Dwarves which is consitent with what Nicklab suggested.
If you search the internet you can find images of a lot of the toys that are being released in conjunction with the Hobbit. These include the Great Goblin and Tauriel (Evageline Lilly) and many of the Unexpected Party.
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yeah we are talking about the toys here http://www.jedidefender.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=22072.msg549346#msg549346
I found a brand new image of a new figure today! check it out
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I really like that poster. First shot of Bolg the Goblin leader. Fili and Kili are the second most prominent Dwarves which is consitent with what Nicklab suggested.
If you search the internet you can find images of a lot of the toys that are being released in conjunction with the Hobbit. These include the Great Goblin and Tauriel (Evageline Lilly) and many of the Unexpected Party.
Wait a minute, Kate from Lost is in this movie?!?! How did I miss that?
I wonder if her erstwhile fiance Dominic Monaghan put in a good word for her with Peter Jackson. Or maybe he was too busy flaming Matthew Fox over Twitter...
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Wait a minute, Kate from Lost is in this movie?!?! How did I miss that?
Yep, she plays a Peter Jackson made up Elf, Tauriel. Although given the way the movies may break up into 3 parts, I suspect there is a chance that she might not show up until Part 2 and Part 3. Of course, PJ managed to work Arwen into the Two Towers movie even though she never appeared in that book so I don't presume to be correct that Tauriel would be limited to only the later chapters.
(http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Evangeline-Lilly-as-Tauriel.jpg)
(image taken from box art for a toy)
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Yep, she plays a Peter Jackson made up Elf, Tauriel. Although given the way the movies may break up into 3 parts, I suspect there is a chance that she might not show up until Part 2 and Part 3. Of course, PJ managed to work Arwen into the Two Towers movie even though she never appeared in that book so I don't presume to be correct that Tauriel would be limited to only the later chapters.
I watched LOTR again about a month ago, and found it more difficult to enjoy this time around, as I had read the books not long before. Glorfindel getting bumped at the river for more Arwen time cheeses me off.
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Have you guys seen this Air New Zealand Safety video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBlRbrB_Gnc
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just saw all of these poster shots - pretty cool:
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=96639
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Is anyone else as disappointed as I am in the make-up/casting for Kili (and Thorin to a lesser extent)? He is way too human looking. It's as if he was cast that way purely to put in a good looking character. Dwarves aren't supposed to look like that, where is his big beard or bulbous nose?
He looks completely ridiculous when pictured next to the rest of the dwarves.
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Definitely, there is a problem when Gandalf and Bilbo looks more like dwarfs than a dwarf character.
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They probably just felt compelled to have some cute/handsome/whatever you want to say people cast as characters to possibly get more girls into the theaters.
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It looks like Galadriel is chucking the bird.
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Is anyone else as disappointed as I am in the make-up/casting for Kili (and Thorin to a lesser extent)? He is way too human looking. It's as if he was cast that way purely to put in a good looking character. Dwarves aren't supposed to look like that, where is his big beard or bulbous nose?
He looks completely ridiculous when pictured next to the rest of the dwarves.
It honestly doesn't bother me that much. And from I've seen of all of the dwarfs, it looks as though their facial features become more pronounced as they get older. That is actually something that happens naturally in people: their noses and ears continue to grow as they age. Why wouldn't the same happen to dwarves?
Thorin, Fili and Kili look reasonably alike, and I appreciate the effort there. The makeup department seems to be trying to make the members of the same dwarf families look as though they're actually related. And they've done that with the other dwarf families, too. Gloin looks very much like Gimli from LOTR. And there are resemblances between Gloin, Oin and Balin. Again, they're all family. It's that level of effort in the filmmaking process that I think really make a huge difference in creating a world like Middle Earth.
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First clip is online:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/nailbiter111/news/?a=70553 (http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/nailbiter111/news/?a=70553)
Can't wait, only a couple more weeks!
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Does anyone know at which point of the book the first movie ends?
I am assuming it's probably right after they escape from goblins in the mountain, Gollum, etc.
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I suspect it is ... right when the eagles show up after the get chased by the goblins and wargs
Unrelated, it looks like I'm going to be in Dublin the week that the Hobbit premieres. I was looking for local theaters and found that they have shows starting on Thursday afternoon. I'm going to buy tickets for an 8pm show. Really excited about this!
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Based on the LEGO sets, the Wargs are in the first movie...so not sure if they are going to end in a cliffhanger or have the Eagles rescue them
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2 days away and anticipation at the OCB household is at an all time high...can't wait to return to Middle Earth again. I am also really interested in seeing it 48fps in 3D...might go twice this weekend
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Really looking forward to seeing it this weekend. I've been rewatching LOTR just because I've been in a Middle Earth mood in anticipation of this. From what I've seen, the reviews have been solid (although not so much for the 48 fps), so we'll see. I don't know that we even have a theater in town playing that version anyways, and I'm still trying to decide if it is worth paying extra for 3D or not. Either way, can't wait.
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I got physically ill trying to sit through Blair Witch and Cloverfield, so I am concerned about hearing early reports of motion sickness at this movie too. I wish they could have let the technology season a little more before rolling out it for such a major release.
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You don't have to see it at 48 fps...there is the standard rate as well
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I got physically ill trying to sit through Blair Witch and Cloverfield, so I am concerned about hearing early reports of motion sickness at this movie too. I wish they could have let the technology season a little more before rolling out it for such a major release.
I heard somewhere the motion sickness reports were from disgruntled employees.
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I hadn't read so much about motion sickness, but more so about parts of the movies looking like they are "sped up". I read an article somewhere that had several quick reviews from the 48 fps screening, and more than one mentioned parts looking like "Benny Hill" where they seemed to be moving too quickly. Who knows. I know they have mentioned before that it really is the best way to see a movie, but that our brain doesn't comprehend it correctly yet after being used to 24 for so many years. Something like that anyways...
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I'm gonna see it in 48FPS. Usually 3D doesn't work well for me, but this is supposed to correct that. The only complaint I heard was that it makes the sets and make-up look obvious.
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I caught a good deal of the press tour that some of the cast was doing in New York. One of the topics that kept coming up was how the movie was shot. And it's definitely cutting edge technology.
First, the frame rate. They decided to go for 48 FPS because that was a rate at which motion blur became minimized. 24 FPS has a long history, but it was based in economy. That was the lowest frame rate at which film could be projected without the viewer noticing the space between frames. Essentially, it was done in order to save film stock (and print stock, too). But during high speed movement 24 FPS will show motion blur. The 48 FPS specs eliminate a lot of that blur.
Then there's the resolution. The image resolution has been increased far beyond current HDTV standards. The images in The Hobbit will have 4 - 5 times more pixels than a standard 1080p HD image. So the image will be immensely sharper, too.
Add in the 3-D component next, and you're adding depth to the image.
As for viewer reviews? I heard one avid movie-goer describe it as being an amazing visual experience. One comparison I heard was that it was akin to watching a stage production, since the images were that vivid. Younger viewers who are active video gamers will probably be drawn more into the experience than people who have more traditional film tastes.
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48fps blows. Saw it last week in this format, 3D. Movie is great. I can not recommend seeing it in 48fps at all.
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For clarity's sake, existing film stock for the past forever still contains more image "data" than HD or even the new 4K process. This 48FPS does not contain more "resolution" than a 24FPS presentation does, just twice as many frames per second.
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For clarity's sake, existing film stock for the past forever still contains more image "data" than HD or even the new 4K process. This 48FPS does not contain more "resolution" than a 24FPS presentation does, just twice as many frames per second.
I don't think anyone said that. The 4K process is what adds the higher resolution. 48FPS helps to elimate motion blur.
But film stock is far more tempermental to work with. And it's also more expensive to buy and process. It also doesn't hold up well in the post-production process. Then there's exhibition. A film print quickly degrades, and after perhaps half a dozen showings it will show significant degradation. All of these reasons are why the industry has been moving away from 35mm film stock.
There is definitely the likelihood that movie-goers who have been watching films as far back as the 1980's are going to find the 48 FPS / 4K presentation TOO VIVID for their tastes. But this seems to be a harbinger of things to come, and we're probably going to see more movies shot this way.
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Then there's the resolution. The image resolution has been increased far beyond current HDTV standards. The images in The Hobbit will have 4 - 5 times more pixels than a standard 1080p HD image. So the image will be immensely sharper, too.
Even most digital presentations far exceed 1080P, and film stock definitely does. 48FPS is not about the resolution of the frames, but the number of them. The 24FPS version will have the same resolution, just fewer frames. The 4K is completely independent of the 48FPS. Most BluRay discs masters are 4K transfers downgraded to 1080P.
That said, I agree with all your points.
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Ordered my ticket last night. Opted to see this in 3D which I normally don't do. Even my relatively small local theater has sold out several showings of both 2D and 3D viewings for midnight tomorrow. Starting to get excited for this.
E...
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Then there's the resolution. The image resolution has been increased far beyond current HDTV standards. The images in The Hobbit will have 4 - 5 times more pixels than a standard 1080p HD image. So the image will be immensely sharper, too.
Even most digital presentations far exceed 1080P, and film stock definitely does. 48FPS is not about the resolution of the frames, but the number of them. The 24FPS version will have the same resolution, just fewer frames. The 4K is completely independent of the 48FPS. Most BluRay discs masters are 4K transfers downgraded to 1080P.
That said, I agree with all your points.
Uh, Jim...
You didn't happen to notice that there are a series of points in the post you quoted, right?
First, the frame rate. They decided to go for 48 FPS because that was a rate at which motion blur became minimized. 24 FPS has a long history, but it was based in economy. That was the lowest frame rate at which film could be projected without the viewer noticing the space between frames. Essentially, it was done in order to save film stock (and print stock, too). But during high speed movement 24 FPS will show motion blur. The 48 FPS specs eliminate a lot of that blur.
Then there's the resolution. The image resolution has been increased far beyond current HDTV standards. The images in The Hobbit will have 4 - 5 times more pixels than a standard 1080p HD image. So the image will be immensely sharper, too.
That first graph is about the frame rate. And the second one was specifically addressing the 4K scanning technology. Pardon me if I didn't make that abundantly obvious in the original post. I was going based off of the radio interview I had caught with Andy Serkis. In addition to his role as Gollum, Serkis has also served as a director for Second Unit shoots for The Hobbit. And part of his interview got into the varying layers of new technology that the upcoming Hobbit trilogy would be introducing to audiences. Among them the 48 FPS frame rate and the 4K scan technology.
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Tomorrow is Hobbit Day, I'm going to eat a second breakfast.
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Tomorrow is Hobbit Day, I'm going to eat a second breakfast.
Elevenses sounds good, too.
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Has anyone confirmed where this movie will stop? I am guessing based on a Lego commercial I saw it will be right after the Eagles rescue the group from the tops of the burning trees.
Film two would then have the story-telling at the Bear's (can't remember his name) home as a great review of the first film to get things started and finish with the barrel ride to the lake town.
That leaves the confrontation with Smaug and the battle with the armies armies for the third picture.
It will be interesting to see how they shoot Mirkwood. That is going to be one dark background to spend most of two hours in.
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Has anyone confirmed where this movie will stop? I am guessing based on a Lego commercial I saw it will be right after the Eagles rescue the group from the tops of the burning trees.
Film two would then have the story-telling at the Bear's (can't remember his name) home as a great review of the first film to get things started and finish with the barrel ride to the lake town.
That leaves the confrontation with Smaug and the battle with the armies armies for the third picture.
It will be interesting to see how they shoot Mirkwood. That is going to be one dark background to spend most of two hours in.
I was wondering the same thing and think your conclusion is probably correct. Yeah, the stuff with Mirkwood and Beorn should be interesting to see how they interpret. I'm also wondering how they are going to tackle all the singing...there are LOTS of songs in the book, dwarf-songs, hobbit-sings, elf-songs, goblin-songs, etc. I can't help but feel that keeping a lot of that stuff in would sort of dampen the drama, so I expect it would be somewhat minimized for the most part. Or at least woven sparingly into the overall framework ala LOTR.
Getting psyched for this now too but I feel like I have to sit down and research which version I want to see for the optimal experience. What happened to just having to figure out what showtime you wanted to attend?
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There is a picture of Bilbo in Smaug's lair that was released that is from the second movie so we know they at least get there.
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Has anyone confirmed where this movie will stop? I am guessing based on a Lego commercial I saw it will be right after the Eagles rescue the group from the tops of the burning trees.
Film two would then have the story-telling at the Bear's (can't remember his name) home as a great review of the first film to get things started and finish with the barrel ride to the lake town.
That leaves the confrontation with Smaug and the battle with the armies armies for the third picture.
It will be interesting to see how they shoot Mirkwood. That is going to be one dark background to spend most of two hours in.
Considering the second movie is subtitled 'Desolation of Smaug', it's probably a good bet his entire arc takes place in the second movie. Third movie should be Battle of the Five Armies plus all the extra **** they're doing to bridge the gap to FOTR.
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Just got back from the movie. Rally enjoyed the story. For the most part it was quite faithful to the book with even a fair amount of direct quotes. There were of course some deviations and one part that was very much counter-Tolkien, but still a fun story.
I did not care for the higher film speed. Definitely felt blurry at times during camera panning. Also, didn't care for one specific part of the Great Goblin, which I won't be too specific for any spoiler concerns.
I saw the movie in 2d but bought the 3d glasses because they were cool collectibles.
Long wait until part 2 next year. >:(
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Wait... are they screening a non-3D 48FPS version someplace? I thought all the 2D showings were 24FPS.
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Wait... are they screening a non-3D 48FPS version someplace? I thought all the 2D showings were 24FPS.
I'm in Ireland. Now, I'm also assuming I was seeing this in 48fps because it looked "off" to me. However, I never confirmed this.
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Saw this last night in 3D and really liked it. There are quite a few changes from the book but I was mostly okay with them. There's a whole extra villain introduced into the movie that's not in the book and the Dwarves are a little more bad-ass than in the book.
I thought that the higher frame rate was supposed to cut down on motion blur, but I noticed a few placed where the blur was terrible; some of the beginning scenes in Dale, during their run through the Goblin layer in the mountian and one other that I'm forgetting now. Otherwise, I thought the film looked gorgeous and the 3D made some things really pop. Jackson also, IMO, did a good job in letting the 3D enhance things and didn't play it as a gag so he could throw stuff "out" of the screen at you, sort of like how Cameron treated Avatar, but unlike how pretty much everyone else treats it.
There's a decent article over on The Daily Beast pointing out 19 changes from the book to film (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/14/the-hobbit-19-changes-from-j-r-r-tolkien-s-novel-to-peter-jackson-s-movie.html). I think the writer is nitpicking on a couple of them, meaning yes, they are changes, but they're so minor I probably wouldn't think to point them out, and I think she missed the point on at least one of them...still a good article, though.
E...
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Interesting article on how JRR Tolkien revised the Hobbit through the years, tinkering with the story...
http://badassdigest.com/2012/12/13/how-jrr-tolkien-pulled-a-george-lucas-on-the-hobbit/
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There's a decent article over on The Daily Beast pointing out 19 changes from the book to film (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/14/the-hobbit-19-changes-from-j-r-r-tolkien-s-novel-to-peter-jackson-s-movie.html). I think the writer is nitpicking on a couple of them, meaning yes, they are changes, but they're so minor I probably wouldn't think to point them out, and I think she missed the point on at least one of them...still a good article, though.
E...
Thanks, that was super interesting. Most of that stuff does seem pretty minor, but I don't like the insertion of Radagast, the Elf-Witch, and the Necromancer. Those characters only merited fleeting references in the books. (Well, Radagast and the Necromancer anyway) To say nothing of whatever Evangeline Lilly is supposed to be doing there.
I think they need to be careful about how much they tweak Thorin too. You can't make him too "noble" at the outset because it just rings false when he takes that darker turn in the latter half of the book.
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but I don't like the insertion of Radagast, the Elf-Witch, and the Necromancer. Those characters only merited fleeting references in the books. (Well, Radagast and the Necromancer anyway) To say nothing of whatever Evangeline Lilly is supposed to be doing there.
The Necromancer is an important part of the Lord of the Rings. He's made in passing reference in the Hobbit for sure, but his inclusion in the movies will be the second link to the LOTR trilogy (aside from the One Ring). The story of the necromancer is included in the appendices of the LOTR books as I recall.
I was happy to see Radagast fleshed out... not sure if I love how PJ actually fleshed him out though. ;)
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Saw this yesterday morning in 3D and really enjoyed it. I haven't read the books nor seen the original LOTR since they hit DVD but I felt like this one went by really fast. Maybe it's because I'm used to 3 hour movies now?
I did feel like the midle was pretty boring though... from when they go to the Elf town all the way to when Bilbo meets Gollum.
Speaking of which, another lights out performance by Andy Serkis... Gollum was downright scary.
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Somehow I think I'm going to hate this movie. I hate it when movies are long just to be long. For example Titanic. They spent almost an hour of pointless chases up and down the ship that could have easily been done in 15 minutes. The Hobbit sounds a lot like that. I think if it really takes 45 minutes just to get out of Bags End someone should have hired a better editor.
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I'm sure that I'm going to be in the minority for saying this, but I wasn't overly impressed with this one as I was with the LOTR trilogy. Yes, the scenery was great and the costumes were great, and it's great that they finally brought the Hobbit to the big screne. But other than Andy Serkis' performance (which was the best part of the movie IMO), that's about it... It just didn't have the same affect on me that the LOTR trilogy did when I watched it. There just wasn't that 'real' feeling to this movie. There was a lot more CGI feeling to this than I was expecting.
Maybe it was because I watched Fellowship while I was waiting in the theater for one of the midnight shows. Maybe it was because I only saw it in 2D. I'm hoping that it's just because I was over tired that I'm not gushing about it. I'm planning another 3D viewing with a friend next week, so hopefully I'll have a different opinion afterward.
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This was no LOTR, but it was nice to see some of the characters back from the original trilogy. My viewing went all black and the power went out so they had to restart the movie a couple of times over...first time that's ever happend to me at a theatre.
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I'm sure that I'm going to be in the minority for saying this, but I wasn't overly impressed with this one as I was with the LOTR trilogy. Yes, the scenery was great and the costumes were great, and it's great that they finally brought the Hobbit to the big screne. But other than Andy Serkis' performance (which was the best part of the movie IMO), that's about it... It just didn't have the same affect on me that the LOTR trilogy did when I watched it. There just wasn't that 'real' feeling to this movie. There was a lot more CGI feeling to this than I was expecting.
I agree with you. Waaaaay too long, too. I thought Martin Freeman as Bilbo was very good, though. Just okay, in my book, which makes it a bit of a disappointment compared to the first LOTR trilogy, which I thought was wonderful all the way through.
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Agree with some of the criticism, but taking all 6 movies into account I can see what he was trying to do. The money grab to go to three movies really shows here. Two sequences could have been easily axed...the Elrond/Galadriel/Saruman stuff as well as the long long Hobbit hole scenes. I still liked it. My boys loved it. Agreed that it doesn't touch LOTR but what can? In general The Hobbit as a book is vastly different as well as not being as good of a story as LOTR.
48fps popped for me...I didn't even really notice it and it was super duper sharp.
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The reviews of the 48 FPS presentation have been mixed. People seem really accustomed to 24 FPS projection, and it's really a result of their eyes having been trained by a lifetime of movie-going.
The general sentiment I've been reading in articles is that the first 30 minutes tend to be an acclimation period. And after that a lot of viewers are able to forget about the higher frame rate & resolution, and finally focus on the story.
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Saw this last night, and was disappointed compared to how I felt after watching LOTR. I give Peter Jackson a tremendous amount of credit for those screen adaptations. It really brought my own visualizations of the stories to the screen. The Hobbit...not so much. Some of the changes in what characters said and did, impact the effect of the story to me. All of the extra character additions were not needed. It quickly became evident to me that this has become more of a LOTR prequel than it is a definitive version of the Hobbit. Which is a shame because it is a great book standing on its own.
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Got spared having to take my girls out to see it when a screener arrived at my door on Friday. We watched it pretty much immediately. 24fps looked so much better, even on a DVD copy at home. My girls loved it.
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We went and saw it yesterday, and I really enjoyed it. It was so nice to go back to Middle Earth again, and although I know it may not be enough info to spread throughout a trilogy, I am sort of glad to have more of these movies to look forward to again. I thought the beginning, although pretty accurate, was a little slow getting going. I loved the stuff with Gollum and Bilbo, and the action in the later parts of the movie was pretty great too. Also loved the musical callbacks to Lord of the Rings. Like I said, just nice to visit Middle Earth again, and kind of cool each time we got to see a character from those movies appear.
Like others, it doesn't compare to the Lord of the Rings experience to me either, but as a whole (like Scott mentioned) I can see what they are doing with the whole six film saga. The Hobbit story, while great, just isn't the same as the LOTR for me. I honestly didn't go into the Hobbit expecting to like it as much as Fellowship, Two Towers, or Return of the King...but I did still really like it, and hope to see it again. Plus, it makes me appreciate those previous films all over again (I've been rewatching them lately as well). I was maybe one of the rare ones here who hadn't read the books when I originally saw the movies in my early 20s. I started learning more about the books as the approach to Fellowship was building, and went the opening weekend and was just blown away. The other two films didn't disappoint either, but the feeling I had after seeing FOTR was one of those movie experiences I'll never forget. It was sort of a "how have I not read these?" moment, and the anticipation for the sequels was great. As I've said before, the Star Wars Original Trilogy are my favorite movies, but the LOTR trilogy are the best overall movies I've seen (particularly in the whole "nerdy" genre of movies). But, back to the Hobbit, I thought it was well done, and I hope to see it again. Already looking forward to the sequel next year.
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I went and saw it yesterday with my gf's sons at the local IMAX theater.
What Scott said resonated with me... I think the comparisons with LOTR are, frankly, a bit unfair. LOTR and The Hobbit are different books. I saw Jackson, and this is sort of paraphrasing it, but say something like he viewed The Hobbit as a children's story written by Bilbo but based in an adult reality of the things that happened, and so he was trying to tell the "actual things that happened" with the movie. So for that, I think the ties into the LOTR are fine. I like that even, that they're trying to give it that LOTR Prequal film to set it apart from the actual book a little bit.
I also think there will be a little less LOTR Prequal feel in the next two films. I think this set that into motion as much as maybe he will want to. You'll get Legolas and stuff, but ultimately you'll get more of what The Hobbit's about as its own story in the next two films.
I almost wanted to pull out my college paper on this after watching the movie, haha. Then I realized it probably sucked and I should back off the thought of reminiscing. :-X
Anyway, I loved it and the kids loved it. The oldest one's gf went with us, and it was her introduction to the Hobbit story, and she loved it as well.
I can see where some edits could've been made, but I don't know if it's enough to have widdled this down and condensed it back into 2 movies. But there were definitely some slower parts.
Everyone left the theater with the same bitch though, that it sucks waiting a year to see the next one.
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I saw this on opening day and really enjoyed it. I saw it in IMAX and will stay away from the FPS version if I go see it again.
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You mean HFR (high frame rate). FPS = "frame per second" - something all movies have. ;D
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Seeing the Hobbit this weekend brought back memories of the time with the LOTR trilogy (or "Original Trilogy" I guess now) was coming out. I had to look this up online to stir up some memories again:
Fellowship of the Ring Trailer (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring/trailers/;_ylt=AnZAFh7LQUbtOrNR1s1HQhDtYjIB;_ylu=X3oDMTIwMWcxc2xvBG1pdANNb3ZpZSBIZWFkZXIEcG9zAzUEc2VjA01lZGlhRW50aXR5SGVhZGVyTGlua3NQYWNrYWdlQXNzZW1ibHk-;_ylg=X3oDMTE2Z2ppM3RwBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQD;_ylv=3)
So, so good :).
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I finally saw the movie last night. And it was thoroughly enjoyable! I like the fact that they did another prologue. Given how much Tolkien fleshed out the world of Middle Earth in appendices and such, you really do need some background before getting into the story. And I REALLY liked that Peter Jackson gave the Dwarves some really good established backstory.
Another interesting thing? Almost everyone came into this having seen The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. And when we saw that we knew Gandalf and Bilbo to be old friends. Seeing their introduction as Gandalf tries to enlist Bilbo into the company of Dwarves was enlightening. Especially Gandalf talking about Bilbo's Took lineage. And then to contrasting these scenes with the first part of the animated version of The Hobbit? The difference is like night and day!
I'm definitely going to see it again in the theater, time permitting.
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Saw it last night finally in full 48FPS 3D and LOVED it. I think my expectations were tempered pretty well going in, based on some of the comments I have read here, but overall I thought it was terrific. Nothing like the train-wreck that was King Kong.
Yeah, it's long, but it didn't FEEL long to me, it seems to pick up momentum as it goes along. I thought the casting was once again very strong, especially Bilbo and Thorin. They both did a great job with those roles.
The soundtrack and cinematography were outstanding as expected...and once again, the breathtaking landscapes of NZ were in full glory. Damn, that's a beautiful country.
The scenes in the Goblin lair were incredible, just so much going on in there I will definitely need to re-watch those scenes many, many times. I also loved the preamble showing Erebor and the dwarf kingdom in the height of its glory. That was really well done.
I can't say I was crazy about Radagast, I just don't see the need to have inserted him in there, and it seems sort of contrived especially showing up just after Gandalf has explained who he is. Rabbit-sled? Hrmm.
I did enjoy the scenes with Galadriel and Saruman in Rivendell, although none of that stuff happens in the book. I guess they are going to make a more robust sub-arc showing what Gandalf does when he splits apart from the group in the next movie, so they had to set that up somehow.
The songs were mostly Ok I think. "That's What Bilbo Baggins Hates" was comical enough, and the "Under the Mountain" song the dwarves sing right after that was freaking awesome. But the Goblin-song just seemed silly and sort of out of place to me. Kinda wish they would have cut that.
Like the singing, the voice work was the other thing I was most curious to see how they handled. EVERYONE talks in the freaking book, even the Wargs and Eagles. I was glad they kept those two silent in the movie. I wasn't so crazy about the trolls, I always think back to the cave troll in Moria which was just a mindless brute so it was odd to hear them breaking out the Cockney accents. No real way around that one though. The thing that bothered me most was the Goblin King's voice. Just not scary or imposing at all. Guy just comes off as a corpulent clown.
Jackson got way more right with this movie than wrong though, so any complaints I would voice at this point would be pretty minor.
One thing that troubles me though - that very last scene. WHY DOES SMAUG LOOK BLUE?!?! I am REALLY hoping that it just some funky lighting going on because that needs to be one full-on bright RED dragon. :)
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I loved it too. Those Rivendell scenes while not in the proper novel are in one of the appendices. I think it does a nice job fleshing out why Gandalf gets involved with these guys in the first place, which always puzzled me when I first read it many years ago.
I loved the film.
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I'm glad to hear that they included the songs. I really loved that part of the novels and wondered if they include them.
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...and the "Under the Mountain" song the dwarves sing right after that was freaking awesome.
That was one of my favorite parts of the movie. That song was perfect.
E...
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I forgot to mention also - Gollum looked a MILLION times better in this film, IMO. Not nearly as fake or CGI looking as in LOTR, I don't know if that is a by-product of the 3d/HFR or what, but it was probably the best "live creature" CGI I have even seen.
And yeah, he was downright scary down there in his Gollum hole.
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The Trolls are all different breeds of troll, like Orcs are varying breeds (and Goblins more or less a lesser breed of Orc). There's mountain trolls, cave trolls, etc. Even the battle trolls are different from the Cave Troll in Moria... I figure some are smarter than others.
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That's a good point about the orcs/goblins...the book doesn't seem to make much distinction between the two but I always considered them to be totally separate races. The goblins seem fairly distinct as a species.
What's interesting is you never actually see any goblins in LOTR, whereas you see just about every other creature under the sun Saruman and Sauron can pull together. Either they got decimated after the events of these films, or they just did all their helping offscreen I guess.
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The Goblin town looked pretty amazing! You could never build a set like that, and it looked really convincing. Although the end of the chase through Goblin town was a little difficult to believe.
As for the difference between the Goblins and Orcs? I like that we got to see both Goblins AND Orcs. And that's cool in the leadup to LOTR, where Gandalf talks about how Saruman crossed Goblin men with Orcs to create the Uruk Hai.
But some of the Orcs looked...OFF. Some of the Warg riders looked very much like the Orcs you saw in LOTR, like guys in makeup & prosthetics. But Azog looked like he was completely CG to me. Which is weird, because I knew the actor who played Azog, but I couldn't recognize him. Was Azog like Gollum, a character who was done completely via motion capture? And there were at least a few other Orcs that looked that way, too.
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You mean HFR (high frame rate). FPS = "frame per second" - something all movies have. ;D
Leave me alone...I'm a retiree now! :P
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But some of the Orcs looked...OFF. Some of the Warg riders looked very much like the Orcs you saw in LOTR, like guys in makeup & prosthetics. But Azog looked like he was completely CG to me. Which is weird, because I knew the actor who played Azog, but I couldn't recognize him. Was Azog like Gollum, a character who was done completely via motion capture? And there were at least a few other Orcs that looked that way, too.
Yeah - I was surprised they went full-on CG for Azog. That was absolutely not a guy in costume... it was mo-cap like Gollum. And I found it jarring to have him next to traditional prosthetic orcs.
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The family plus two friends of my son went to see this last night to celebrate son's 12th birthday.
Thoroughly enjoyed everything...could have lived without the goblin song and dance, and the disney-esque dishwashing sequence. Otherwise I was thrilled at the addition of Radagast and completely surprised by the Sauruman. Loved those scenes probably most out of the whole movie.
Right as the dwarves climbed the trees the house lights in the theater came up...and stayed up until the end of the film. I kept thinking an usher or projectionist would correct this but it never happened. Complained to the manager afterwards, and he apologetically offered to refund my money. At first I thought...no...but then decided that taking six people to a movie is an expensive outing and it's not too much to expect that theater actually stay dark, so I accepted. He also threw in six passes on top of refunding the ticket price.
When I got home, I actually counted the money he refunded and realized that he gave me regular showing as the refund, when we only paid matinee prices since this was the 4:45 show.
Two adults, and four kids walk in to a matinee. Walk out with refunded ticket price, plus 7 extra dollars, PLUS six passes for future shows.
Best 12 year old birthday party I've ever thrown..
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Nice story name...if we had a Facebook like option I would have liked it:-*
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I'm liking it in my mind.
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Finally saw "The Hobbit". Liked it but it seemed like it was one third of a really long movie.................................
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Finally saw "The Hobbit". Liked it but it seemed like it was one third of a really long movie.................................
That's exactly why I am tempted to wait till all three are available on bluray or wait till the last ones out then watch them all together
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Finally saw "The Hobbit". Liked it but it seemed like it was one third of a really long movie.................................
That's exactly why I am tempted to wait till all three are available on bluray or wait till the last ones out then watch them all together
My substantial anti-social tendencies towards crowded movie theaters has me thinking the same thing. In my old job I was usually able to steal away for afternoon matinees but not so with the current job. Afternoon showings were often empty enough that I wouldn't be near the cell phone/texter/wrapper crinkler and have my movie going experience spoiled. Soon enough the basement theater will be done though and no more of having to put up with people believing they are on their own couch and no one else matters.
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For anyone that picked up the blu ray this week (and got the UV code included), there is a sneak peek for Part 2, The Desolation of Smaug hosted by Peter Jackson going up in about 7 minutes from now (3 ET/2 CT). Just a heads up!
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Just watched it (nearly an hour) with a tour of their facilities, video Q and A, etc. They did show a clip involving Gandalf and Radgast that is sort of from the appendices, involving the story of the Necromancer. Also, there were several unfinished/behind the scenes shots throughout the question and answer period that showed a bit as well. I think you can still view it (again, if you have a code) for a couple months. He said the trailer will be released this summer.
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I watched much of the Finnish miniseries The Hobbits (Hobitit) from 1993 on Youtube. Low-bugdet bad-wig hilarity...but it tried. Gollum played by a not-so-thin actor is odd. No big battle scenes, because its main focus is on the Hobbits.
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Considering that The Hobbit falls under the general Warner Brothers banner, does anyone else think that it's likely we'll see a trailer attached to Man of Steel?
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I think it has been confirmed that there is a trailer attached to Man of Steel, the poster is online today and the trailer is supposed to be online Tuesday and in theaters next weekend.
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The new trailer is up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJhE5OWaSho
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Looks a lot better than the first film, actually. Like the rollercoaster gets to the top and starts its descent now.
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Looks really cool, definitely looking forward to it. Although it didn't reach the levels of LOTR with me, I really enjoyed the first installment of the Hobbit, and I'm looking forward to this one even more. I know some aren't crazy about it, but I'm sort of jazzed to see Legolas included here, even if just for a bit. Still wondering if we'll end up getting a Smaug from the Bridge Direct toyline, that would be pretty spiffy.
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New Desolation of Smaug trailer up today:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/nailbiter111/news/?a=87901 (http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/nailbiter111/news/?a=87901)
Pretty sweet.
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December 13 can't come soon enough!
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Indeed. Awesome trailer. Love it!
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Wow! That looks awesome. Can't wait!
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Man. They really don't want people to see Smaug do they?
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First trailer showed his head very prominently.
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New trailer! 8)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Sneak Peek [HD] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfflhfn1W-o)
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Good stuff.... Enjoyed the midnight show a lot but I'm getting too old for this foolish behavior.
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Good stuff.... Enjoyed the midnight show a lot but I'm getting too old for this foolish behavior.
3:08, eh? I'm sorry I couldn't join you, but after looking at your post time I'm glad I decided to skip it. Can't wait to hear the review...
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Good stuff.... Enjoyed the midnight show a lot but I'm getting too old for this foolish behavior.
Yeah, same here. I got home around 3:30 and was up for work by 6:30. I'm going to be hurtin' all day long.
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Caught an IMAX show tonight...can't say enough good things. I really hope the rumors of Benedict Cumberbatch lobbying to be in EpVII are true...he brought Smaug to life and just oozed evil. After a little bit of a rough start Desolation brings back the Middle Earth magic...next year can't come soon enough
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I can't believe they left it on such a cliffhanger.
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Caught an IMAX show tonight...can't say enough good things. I really hope the rumors of Benedict Cumberbatch lobbying to be in EpVII are true...he brought Smaug to life and just oozed evil. After a little bit of a rough start Desolation brings back the Middle Earth magic...next year can't come soon enough
He said as much on Conan. And he did his best Wookiee impression for Harrison Ford (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuMQYFDAPyc) on a UK talk show.
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The look on Ford's face was priceless. It really surprised him.
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Saw it tonight and loved it, a surprisingly quick 2 hours and forty minutes. There were some pretty major divergences from the book, not suprisingly, but nothing that really bothered me too much except for the weird Tauriel/Kili thing. I found it kind of distracting and extraneous to the larger story.
Thought they did a great job with Beorn and the Bard, and of course the spiders and Smaug himself.
Interesting that Cumberbatch did the voice of the Necromancer as well.
Why does my Bolg action figure look nothing like the guy in the movie?
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Interesting that Cumberbatch did the voice of the Necromancer as well.
I recall reading or watching an interview (probably with Cumberbatch) where it was stated they wanted to link the evil forces of the Necromancer and Smaug together with a similar, yet different, voice. I liked the final result.
Why does my Bolg action figure look nothing like the guy in the movie?
Things changed A LOT during production. There is an interesting behind-the-scenes featurette on the Extended Edition Unexpected Jorney DVD, which details the evolution of Azog. The design of the Bolg action figure was actually one of maybe four or five different live-action/non-CG incarnations of Azog. I guess during production that design was re-used as Bolg (hence the action figure), then eventually scrapped in favor of a CG model. The "action figure Bolg" can be seen fighting in the Moria flashback in Unexpected Journey, which is kind of cool.
Personally I like the CG Azog a lot more than some of the original designs. CG Bolg, on the other hand, sucked in comparison to the live-action design.
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Why does my Bolg action figure look nothing like the guy in the movie?
Is that rhetorical sarcasm or an honest question? If its an honest why I can fill in some of the details from what I've read online about the Bolg switcheroo.
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Why does my Bolg action figure look nothing like the guy in the movie?
Is that rhetorical sarcasm or an honest question? If its an honest why I can fill in some of the details from what I've read online about the Bolg switcheroo.
No, it actually was an honest question, but I think Greg answered it nicely in his post (thanks). I do recall there being some modification of the Azog character but I didn't pick up on how Bolg related to that. I won't even get into Fimbul and Yazneg.
Other thing I forgot to mention was I had a very different reaction to the 3D HFR version this time around. I thought it looked great in the first movie, but in DOS a lot of the sequences seemed unnaturally fast to me and it was hard to follow the action with a close eye. I am keen to see the regular 3D version now or even the 2D version to see how it might look different.
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No, it actually was an honest question, but I think Greg answered it nicely in his post (thanks). I do recall there being some modification of the Azog character but I didn't pick up on how Bolg related to that. I won't even get into Fimbul and Yazneg.
Ah, I didn't see Greg's earlier answer too... but yep, that's what's been speculated. I think once the PJ decided that he needed a more intimidating Azog and went the CGI route then the design for Bolg (his son) needed to change as well. Also in the original two part story, Azog wasn't even going to be the main Orc bad guy - this was supposed to be Bolg. If fact, originally Bolg was the orc stationed at Dol Guldor with the "Legions"... this all go turned around when PJ decided to expand to 3 movies and inserted Azog as the main baddy. So Azog ends up in Dul Guldor and Bolg is sent out to do the dirty work.
Since Azog was added about 5 weeks before the movie was released (or so the says the internet speculation) then all the merchandisers were left with a toy (old Bolg) that was actually only added in a flashback scene to the Battle of Azanulbizar. Look closely and you can see young Dwalin killing this character.
There was also a change to the Smaug design... originally he was a four legged / two winged dragon and then was later changed to be the "integrated" wing/leg design we have now. I believe this even changed from the Theatrical release of AUJ and the Extended Edition DVD/Blu release.
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No, it actually was an honest question, but I think Greg answered it nicely in his post (thanks). I do recall there being some modification of the Azog character but I didn't pick up on how Bolg related to that. I won't even get into Fimbul and Yazneg.
Ah, I didn't see Greg's earlier answer too... but yep, that's what's been speculated. I think once the PJ decided that he needed a more intimidating Azog and went the CGI route then the design for Bolg (his son) needed to change as well. Also in the original two part story, Azog wasn't even going to be the main Orc bad guy - this was supposed to be Bolg. If fact, originally Bolg was the orc stationed at Dol Guldor with the "Legions"... this all go turned around when PJ decided to expand to 3 movies and inserted Azog as the main baddy. So Azog ends up in Dul Guldor and Bolg is sent out to do the dirty work.
Since Azog was added about 5 weeks before the movie was released (or so the says the internet speculation) then all the merchandisers were left with a toy (old Bolg) that was actually only added in a flashback scene to the Battle of Azanulbizar. Look closely and you can see young Dwalin killing this character.
There was also a change to the Smaug design... originally he was a four legged / two winged dragon and then was later changed to be the "integrated" wing/leg design we have now. I believe this even changed from the Theatrical release of AUJ and the Extended Edition DVD/Blu release.
What's interesting about Azog is that the digital model actually matched pretty closely to a very early concept sculpture that they made. The EE DVD feature highlights the process where they go thru a bunch of costumes and finally land on a digital version that wasn't far off from what they originally made.
Regarding the old Bolg at Azanulbizar, I think they actually filmed with the character versus adding him in later. The old Azog design was definitely filmed in the sequence, with the final digital version I guess being composited over the live-action version. Pretty crazy how many changes they made during production, and how close those changes were made to release.
I hadn't heard anything about Smaug being changed, but that doesn't surprise me. I plan to look up info on that as it has me curious to see the changes.
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Caught a matinee today and I guess I'm the only one here who was disappointed... the 2.5 hours actually did fly by quick but I think I'm mostly let down by the cliffhanger. I could have sworn somewhere they were ending it with the death of Smaug and having the Bilbo/Thorin conflict as the center of Part 3 but what we got felt more like 2.5 hours of "good guys find out who the bad guys are and don't do anything"
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I still think these are too little book in way too much movie. Still enjoyed it as I did the first one, but the LOTR Trilogy, one book, one movie, not just about cash grab was soooo much better.
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I saw the movie during the week. For me, I tried to view the movie as a standalone piece that drew from a number of Tolkkien sources. I've never read the book. My own familiarity with The Hobbit came from the animated film. It seems very clear that someone wanted to stretch things out. The big question seems to be whether it was story driven or money driven. I think it's a bit of both, but more likely it was about money.
From a story perspective? I've been reading in a number of articles that some of the material that's found it's way into The Hobbit film series actually comes from The Silmarillion. And I've also read accounts that The Silmarillion is a very difficult read, and most likely IMPOSSIBLE to film. But it IS Tolkkien source material that could potentially contribute to a film, and I think that's probably what was behind New Line's efforts to stretch the movies into a trilogy. And New Line has shown that their interest in Peter Jackson's film interpretations of Tolkkien's written work is very much about money. After all, New Line did try to withhold royalties from Jackson, forcing him to sue the studio. But I get the general sense that New Line recognizes that these films are likely to be their last opportunity to cash in on the world of Middle Earth.
As for the film itself? The prologue was cool. At first I was scratching my head, wondering why in the hell is Thorin back in Bree? Sure enough, he turned up at the Inn of the Prancing Pony. And it was nice to see Peter Jackson reprise his cameo role as Carrot Eating Man, albeit sober this time. It was puzzling though, that there were men after Thorin. Would men actually work with the Orcs to hunt down Thorin? And on the cameo front, I was almost expecting an Aragorn cameo. There have been some rumblings that Viggo Mortenson might reprise the role at some point. But perhaps that's going to come in the Battle of the Five Armies?
The pursuit of the company of Dwarves by the Orcs has almost gotten a little tiring for me across the span of two films. The prologue at least served to break that up a little bit. But we ended An Unexpected Journey with the pursuit / rescue by the Eagles only to go back into The Desolation of Smaug with more of the Orcs chasing the Dwarves. At least that was broken up with their encounter with Beorn, and the trek through the Mirkwood.
The Mirkwood sequence was kind of trippy. And the spiders were more than a little bit scary. The Wood Elves? They seemed remarkably different from the Rivendell and Lothlorien Elves that we saw in LOTR. It's funny, because I almost see a Star Trek parallel with the Elves, with the Rivendell & Lothlorien Elves being more like the Vulcans, and the Wood Elves are more like the Romulans. The Wood Elves seem far more aggressive than any other Elves we've seen before. Thranduil especially seems like a real sonuvabitch, and I can understand more and more why the Dwarves don't trust him. I think I might need to see the extended edition of An Unexpected Journey to flesh out my own opinion on Thranduil and why he turned his back on the Dwarves of Erebor.
As for the whole Azog / Bolg thing? I've done some reading and learned that in the books Azog was killed by Dain Ironfoot at the Battle of Azanulbizar. And yes, you can clearly see Bolg as we saw the action figure in that sequence. I personally haven't seen Dwalin killing him, but that scene is really dense, visually. Making out all of the details is a little difficult.
I think the reason for the inclusion of Azog (or a key Orc) was to aid Thorins character for the film. When Azog killed Thorins grandfather, King Thror, it was a humanizing moment for Thorin as a character. It helped to develop the story of Thorin and his oaken shield. And all of a sudden the story wasn't just about the quest to re-take Erebor and it's treasure, but to avenge his slain family members. One thing that I remember keenly from the animated film was the Dwarves being obsessed with the treasure. Thorin in the films seems a bit more complex of a character than that. Still, in Desolation of Smaug, they seemed to explore the treasure obsession a little bit when the Dwarves finally got into Erebor and Thorin was able to see the treasure for himself. And that seemed to echo the scene of Thror's obsession with the treasure that was in the first film.
I don't know that I buy the whole love triangle with Tauriel, Legolas and Kili. A Dwarf and an Elf? Really? Based on Evangeline Lilly's appearance on Conan O'Brien's show it seems likely that the studio wanted some kind of love story. That's not without precedent in Peter Jackson's movies. The whole Aragorn & Arwen storyline was a very minimal element in the print version of LOTR, but was greatly expanded for the Peter Jackson trilogy of movies.
I thought Smaug was thoroughly menacing. The voice definitely worked for me. Cumberbatch did a great job, and the Smaug voice didn't seem anything like the Necromancer voice. And his dialogue with Bilbo? I thought it played well. At least, as well as you could picture a conversation between a Hobbit and a dragon. But clearly, the fight between Smaug and the Dwarves seemed more like a film creation. But Thorin's ride in a wheelbarrow down a sluice of molten gold? Come on.
Gandalf's journey was interesting. His investigation of the tombs of the Nazgul was understated, but cool. As for his quest to Dol Goldur and fight with the Necromancer / Sauron? That I'm not so sure about. I get what the film is trying to achieve about Sauron's return, and his desire to use Smaug as a weapon of war. But it does come across as being almost too convenient of a tie-in leading up to the events of LOTR. There's also the mystery of Thrain that might still be explored.
Clearly, there's plenty left to resolve for the third film. And the cliffhanger seems to leave us in a far different spot than we saw at the end of The Two Towers. But we seem to be on a clear course for the third film, complete with Bard making himself ready with the black arrow in an effort to kill Smaug.
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I finally saw "The Desolation of Smaug" or "The Desolation of Peter Jackson" last night. I was underwhelmed and I think it's because PJ is bringing too much into the movie that wasn't in the book. To be fair, it's his adaptation, but it was horrible in my opinion. Too much orc chasing, too much love story that felt shoved in there for a romance angle. With all the extra parts with Gandalf were cool, but I felt a little out of place time-wise. It seems that Sauron already has an orc-army at the ready and is marching out to take over Middle-Earth. And the summoning of the Nazgul as well. I had thought that quite a few number of years passed between the Hobbit and LotR and in that time Sauron was amassing his army. It almost seems that some of these scenes should be an epilogue....
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Fresh off its SDCC debut, the first trailer for The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies has made it's debut online:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/MarvelFreshman/news/?a=104665 (http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/MarvelFreshman/news/?a=104665)
Also, on the LOTR subject, I see Amazon has the Extended Edition Trilogy on Blu Ray today for $38, if anyone is interested.
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Bought the BR's so the kids should be stoked.
Loved the trailer but knowing what's coming, it's kind of odd having it as one movie. It'll have a weird pace to it I think.
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Loved the trailer but knowing what's coming, it's kind of odd having it as one movie. It'll have a weird pace to it I think.
I'm sure PJ can find enough filler material like he did to destroy the last one. You know, the love triangle... that will probably end up being a Romeo and Juliet ending since the elf-chick is not in LotR.
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Battle of Five Armies Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVAgTiBrrDA)
Squeeeeeeeal
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WOW! That looks pretty amazing.
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Wouldn't it be great if they made action figures from this movie?
sigh...%$^@#*Bridge Direct
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Warrin' and whorin' but never borin'
Looks like it'll be an exciting ending with some heavy emotion.
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...and that's only part 1 of the Battle of Five armies. ;)
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I've read two absolutely stellar reviews of Five Armies, who is going this weekend?
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I'm going Saturday. 8)
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I saw Part 3 last night. It was pretty good, and while nowhere near as good as LOTR it was easily the best of the Hobbit films. Lots of action and a good bit of emotion as expected.
The only thing that bothered me was maybe half of the CGI. Some stuff, like Smaug and Azog, were amazing. Other stuff, like Dain and the Elf army, looked poorly done and stood out like a sore thumb. At some points during the battle sequence I couldn't help but think of the animated Beowulf movie from 2007 as there was so much obvious CGI crowding the frame.
Overall it was a good movie to close out the saga. I still think everything could have been condensed into two films, but it was nice to spend a few extra hours in New Zealand Middle-Earth.
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It is almost surreal but this thread is over 11 years old...wowzers, for a good time and drama read from page 1. I am still not convinced that this needed to be 3 movies and the biggest complaints I have read are along those lines. Early on there was speculation that the first movie was the Hobbit and the second was going to be a bridge movie between the two books. That might have been better 2 Hobbit movies and bridge...oh well, still excited for this weekend
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This is over simplified, but.....
All three LOTR books are masterpieces.
The Hobbit is "only" great.
So just by math The Hobbit movie wouldn't have been as good if it had been one movie let alone made into three movies that are all diluted from the book material and then also crammed full of other sources to make them 2+ hours. So I think we got what was to be expected from the Hobbit trilogy of movies.
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I agree Nick. The Hobbit wasn't intended to be LOTR, but rather a little simpler, and so the story I think got a just adaptation from Jackson. He said he wanted to beef it up to the level of LOTR and I think he took it from "kid's book" to that pretty well. It wasn't ever going to be as good, but it was good.
I think it could've been two fairly long films, but I think 3 was fine ultimately. I'll happily buy these as a set when they're out I think.
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I saw it today and liked it. Some nice LOTR nods and it ended just like I thought it would.
Well worth seeing in the theater.
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Saw it yesterday. I thought it was just meh. Not bad, but okay.
Too much battle and not enough plot, which I think was the danger of making this book in to three movies.
I agree with the previous comments that LOTR was far superior. I've watch all of the LOTR movies several times afterwards.
This was entertaining, but I'm not sure I'll ever seek out The Five Armies to watch again.
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Saw a showing tonight... 3D and a high frame rate, which I definitely do NOT recommend seeing. Felt like I was watching something on display TVs at Best Buy/ Ignoring that, I liked it less than the first Hobbit but a lot, lot more than the second Hobbit. I still stand by my remarks that the entire second movie was completely pointless, and this never should have been more than two movies, but oh well. I'll probably buy a box set for cheap sometime in the future to complete my LOTR set.
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Saw it over the weekend, and I would say it was about what I expected. A lot of death and destruction... Sets up LotR nicely but doesn't overdo it too much with the references. It wraps up some relationships, a lot of reconciliation and all that.
I was a little miffed at how they handled some aspects of it, like drifting from the actual battle to focus on characters specifically far away from the action. Hard to explain but it detracted something for me. Plus it basically pulls you away from ALL these other characters you care about till the very end... It was odd is all.
The Hobbit is not LotR and never will be. It's ok though, and fun.
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Agreed with a lot of the takes here, saw it and liked it just fine. All three together were a good and I'm glad they were made but man were three movies pointless. Also agreed that LoTR is possibly right up there with the OT and the Indy movies for me and these were nowhere near that.
I also saw the HFR version and I really hate the look, like Travis said it is almost like watching TV and it just doesn't do it for me
I really would like to see some of the Middle Earth prequels as some of those stories are amazing but not sure I want PJ leading anything moving forward :-\
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Also agreed that LoTR is possibly right up there with the OT and the Indy movies for me and these were nowhere near that.
Best way to sum it up IMO.
The Hobbit is in my memory like the Prequals are for Star Wars... I'll watch them, but I'll never watch them like I did the OT.
And likewise I'd put LOTR right up there with Indy and the OT.
KotCS falls into that Prequal/The Hobbit category by the way. I'll watch it, but with some eye rolling.
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I'd love to watch one of these HFR in 2D. I saw the first in 3D and it still didn't work great for me. The couple scenes were everything was moving slowly looked pretty awesome, but any time there was the slightest action all I see is blur or double-images.
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Finally saw it this past weekend and loved it. The pacing was great...did not feel like a 2.5 hour movie at all. I think it helped a lot being able to jump right into the action without a long build-up.
Agree with all the comments about the 3D HFR, I always see that version first but the rapid "closed-circuit TV-esque" movement is very distracting, much moreso than the first installment. I look forward to watching this at home on Blu-Ray.
Sad that this is the end of that world...Jackson did an amazing job breathing life into this universe over 6 films.
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"End of the world"? He could always film the original war that ended with Sauron being a lefty. That's two more films there, easy. 8)
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Why stop now? Out of those six movies about half of it wasn't in the books anyway. Jackson could make a sequel trilogy about Saurmon escaping and building a new army. Maybe some magical force could awaken? Jackson could even do spin offs based on a character. Who wouldn't want to know what happen to Merry and Pippen when they got home?