Tons o' Hobbit News

[Tuor in Gondolin]

It's dangerous to make too much from their
comments, but there seems to be some
hope that GdT is interested in being more
"faithful" to the books then PJ (especially in
TTT and ROTK). I like it that he appears to
want to keep elements/events that could have
been changed or eliminated, such as his view
of talking animals and including all of the dwarves.
Marrying his interpretations with PJ's visual success in recreating
M-E [U]could[U] lead to a quite successful interpretation.

Also, I still like the idea of "aging" Aragorn 10 years
to have his initial encounter with Arwen (or alternately)
10-year-old Aragorn chatting with his mum.

Or just have Bilbo meet young Aragorn briefly and in
the (inevitable) extended dvd Aragorn and his mother
chatting- with Agent Elrond?

And from the thread
"Christopher Tolkien: Kill HOBBIT film"

Today the film-makers will confirm that Sir Ian McKellen is returning to his role as the wizard Gandalf in The Hobbit and that Andy Serkis will reprise his role as the murderous creature Gollum.

Sir Ian Holm, who played the hobbit Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings, is expected to narrate. Viggo Mortensen has unexpectedly been asked to return as Aragorn, a character who does not appear in the original Hobbit story, published in 1937.

[Sir Kohran]

I can't say I'm happy about Aragorn returning as an adult - the whole point of the original book was that the central 'hero' is not a sword-swinging champion but a small hobbit. Also, I don't know how they'll fit him in - Aragorn was a big character in the LOTR films and for him to be included in TH in the same style will require some pretty big alterations to the story (as if Aragorn being an adult wasn't already).

That said, him being there as a child is a good idea.

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

I guess I'm not the only one who thought the wargs could be given a different treatment. And it is encouraging to find that GDT is concerned with staying faithful to the book. But that said, I leave you with the following I heard recently...

"No two persons ever read the same book." ~Edmund Wilson

Now that is something to keep in mind!

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Guillermo del Toro

Tolkien wrote 13 dwarves and I intend to use 13 dwarves. I am, in fact, thrilled to keep them all and have them be distinguishable and affecting as characters. Much of the drama and emotion in the last third of the book and film will come from them.

I am so relieved.

This might interest many people:

Originally Posted by Gullermo del Toro

Therefore what can be saidis: Unequivocally, every single actor that originated a role in the Trilogy will be asked to participate and reprise it. If Health, availability or willigness become obstacles – and only in that case recasting would be considered.

[skip spence]

Originally Posted by Sir Kohran

I can't say I'm happy about Aragorn returning as an adult - the whole point of the original book was that the central 'hero' is not a sword-swinging champion but a small hobbit. Also, I don't know how they'll fit him in - Aragorn was a big character in the LOTR films and for him to be included in TH in the same style will require some pretty big alterations to the story (as if Aragorn being an adult wasn't already).

That said, him being there as a child is a good idea.

Bear in mind that the two ME movies will be filmed together. The return of Viggo doesn't nessesarly mean he will feature in The Hobbit and I don't think he will either. The character Aragorn as a young adult will however certainly feature heavily in the second "bridge"-movie.

[Sauron the White]

I think that is right. Aragorn is not involved in HOBBIT and if you go by what Del Toro said, probably will not be in the film. I do see him playing a major role in the Gollum story in film 2. And depending on negotiations with Orlando Bloom, I would see a major role for him also. With the character of Legolas, there is no age problem. And since he is a Prince of Mirkwood, he is right in the thick of the action regarding the Necromancer and Dol Guldur. For Legolas to not be involved in such a major event right in his own backyard, seems to defy common sense. However, Bloom is the one actor who really broke out after the LOTR pics in terms of box office appeal and increase in his per picture price. It certainly did not hurt him to be a major player in the other major box office bonanza - the PIRATES trilogy. So Bloom is in the drivers seat and it would not surprise me to see his agent ask for Tom Cruise like wages. The script will probably not even be seriously attempted until the question of which actors they have on board is resolved.

[Kuruharan]

The script will probably not even be seriously attempted until the question of which actors they have on board is resolved.

I agree. They said that they'd cast people after the script is done, but I think it is the other way around.

I'm probably the only one who finds the inclusion of John Howe and Alan Lee to be depressing.

[Gwathagor]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

I'm probably the only one who finds the inclusion of John Howe and Alan Lee to be depressing.

Probably. Though Nasmith easily has the best landscapes.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Tuor in Gondolin

It's dangerous to make too much from their
comments, but there seems to be some
hope that GdT is interested in being more
"faithful" to the books then PJ (especially in
TTT and ROTK). I like it that he appears to
want to keep elements/events that could have
been changed or eliminated, such as his view
of talking animals and including all of the dwarves.
Marrying his interpretations with PJ's visual success in recreating
M-E [U]could[U] lead to a quite successful interpretation.

Quite, quite... very odd to hear that from me (and I am not the last to be surprised, for sure), but I like that fella, and I may even start to like it thanks to that fella. Well, of course, still with maaany reservations (like my belief that nothing should be filmed in the first place, for more see Tolkien's On Fairy-Stories).

And someone said something about Ron Perlman? That may be another reason. If there will be actors I actually know and like (like him), then it may be a good reason to really watch the movie in the first place And I daresay he would have made a good Beorn, but whatever...

[skip spence]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

And someone said something about Ron Perlman? That may be another reason. If there will be actors I actually know and like (like him), then it may be a good reason to really watch the movie in the first place And I daresay he would have made a good Beorn, but whatever...

I can actually see Ron Pearlman doing a great Bombur. Imagine a fat, sullen and slightly retarded Bombur played by Pearlman. That would be a classic role for him!

[Longstaff Sixpenny]

I am intrigued by this:

WetaHost: Will the Mirkwood Elves be different from the Rivendell Elves of the LOTR trilogy?

Guillermo del Toro: That is definetly my intention but I cannot reveal anymore at the moment.

And this:

WetaHost: I would love to know how you are going to deal with goblins in the movie. Will they look like the smaller orcs in the LOTR movies or are you going to make a completely new design?Also will everything look like it did in the LOTR movies or will you be redesigning it to fit your vision?

Guillermo del Toro: This is an area in which I hope we can expand and enhance a LOT from the established designs in the Trilogy. I plan to come up with a very strong, new treatment for the Goblins.

[ArathornJax]

why you find the addition of Alan Lee and John Howe to be depressing? This might be more appropriate as a PM and feel free to return that way if you like (or ignore this as you like ) but I would be interested to hear your opinion. I have several artists outside of Lee and Howe that I find interesting and would love to hear your thoughts. Anyone else depressed or looking for new movement on this front?

[Sauron the White]

The thought of John Howe, Alan Lee, Howard Shore and many of the production crew already being on baord makes me very happy.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by ArathornJax

why you find the addition of Alan Lee and John Howe to be depressing?

Actually, the artistic integrity of Lee and Howe were one of the things I actually appreciated about the films, as well as the stunning cinematography (minus, of course, the Great Red Eye Radio Station Beacon atop Barad-dur). The look of the movies (save, perhaps, the flouncy Elvish dress code) was spot on. My disagreements are almost entirely with the scripting.

[mark12_30]

I do have to keep reminding myself that the first movie is book-Hobbit, and the second movie is stuff like Dol Guldor and post-Battle-of-five-armies and maybe some unfinished tales...

Once reminded, I find myself very intrigued by the Second Film. It is borderline fanfiction; the sort of things fanfic writers are challenged by: "but while they were off doing that, what was so-and-so up to?" Of course, we want it to be terribly canonical. But what would YOU write?

Depending on what actors came back... what if they get some crazy unexpected combination? (say, for instance) Faramir, Boromir, Gimli, and Arwen, but NOT Viggo and NOT Orlando and NOT Elrond and not Galadriel...? I guess the options are as varied as the characters were... but we could end up with something very unexpected.

Kind of fun to imagine.

In terms of being an adult: During LOTR Aragorn is 87, right? ... In Movie terms, Frodo went east not-too-long after BIlbo's 111th birthday party, and so 111 - 50 = ummm 61, and so by THAT timeline Aragorn would have been 87 - 61 = ummmm 26. So although that's not Tolkien's original timeline for young Aragorn, it fits the PJ timeline, sort of. Using that PJ timeline, when Bilbo came eastward through Rivendell, Aragorn would have been a strapping starry-eyed 26-year-old fellow. On Bilbo's return trip he would have been 28. He met Arwen when he was twenty, so using PJ's timeline, there's room for an Aragorn-Arwen scene at Rivendell.

Remains to be seen what Del Toro will do with the timeline-- Tolkien's or PJ's?

One could also wonder whether we will be seeing Pippin and Merry's adolesence. Yeeee. And I wonder whether Tom Bombadil will make it into the second movie, if his actor comes back.

Right. Just kidding.

[Gwathagor]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

(minus, of course, the Great Red Eye Radio Station Beacon atop Barad-dur).

Now that's interesting. I'm pretty sure they were going for the Nazi searchlight look.

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by ArathornJax

why you find the addition of Alan Lee and John Howe to be depressing? This might be more appropriate as a PM and feel free to return that way if you like (or ignore this as you like ) but I would be interested to hear your opinion. I have several artists outside of Lee and Howe that I find interesting and would love to hear your thoughts. Anyone else depressed or looking for new movement on this front?

Alan Lee's conception of Middle earth, in my view, could only be described as "fog-bound".

John Howe's vision of Middle earth just doesn't line up well with what Tolkien wrote. His paints his subjects in plate armor and tends to have too much of a High Medieval tone for my taste. It is probably more of a niggle for me than it should be, but I can't seem to help it. Also, his balrogs look like dobermans with bat wings.

I like Lee's clothing and armor styles better as they seem to be somewhat more in line with what Tolkien wrote...when you can see the clothing through the haze.

Did I mention that Howe's balrogs look like dobermans with *wings*?

My favorite Tolkien artist is Ted Nasmith. His landscapes are phenomenal, and while I admit that figures aren't his strongest suit, he clothes and arms them more in a manner which I believe to be consistent with what Tolkien wrote.

And his balrogs have no wings.

Did I mention that Howe's balrogs look like dobermans with *wings*?

[R.]

My personal favorite Tolkien artist even though he only did a few is Michael Kaluta although i don't know about his Legolas.



Ron

[Longstaff Sixpenny]

Anyone have a count of what creatures and landscapes in PJ's LoTR came from Howe or Lee? The Stone Trolls were essentially lifted from an illustration done by Lee, as was Orthanc. Howe's design for the Winged Beasts/Nazgul Steeds was also adopted pretty much wholesale. I wonder if the "camouflaging" Smaug will be closer to Lee's design? Here's a link to the two side-by-side:

http://fan.theonering.net/middleearthtours/dragons.html

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

My favorite Tolkien artist is Ted Nasmith. His landscapes are phenomenal...

Indeed. Nasmith's "Last Sight of Hobbiton" has brought me to tears more than once.