Official The Hobbit thread

[Nirvana]

I'll bet that both Ron Pearlman and Doug Jones will end up playing roles in the Hobbit movies. Should be really interesting to see Del Toro's vision of the Hobbit.

Rage

I would love if they both came on! As for Chris Lee...The man is getting old, and I really hope he's around when they release the Hobbit. Maybe he can have a cameo that takes place in a studio in London...would be nice.

 

[The Lizard]

So -- regarding Smaug the dragon...


Two rear legs with the front legs being bat-wings like the dragons in Dragonslayer and Reign of Fire, or four-legged with wings like in Dragonheart and Dungeons & Dragons?

 

[Rage]

I would like to see the wings as arms like Reign of Fire.

Rage

 

[The Lizard]

I would like to see the wings as arms like Reign of Fire.

That's actually the kind of dragon I prefer in general, since they make more sense "scientifically", being a 4-limbed flying reptilian instead of a 6-limbed one.

But of course science has no place in fantasy fiction. And the illustrations of Smaug in the original edition of the Hobbit book did indeed show him with 4 legs and 2 wings, so I'm guessing that's what we're most likely to get.

 

[Boom]

Del Toro said that his two influences for Smaug were Vermithrax (Dragonslayer) and Maleficent (Disney's Sleeping Beauty). One dragon has four limbs, and the other has six.

Me? I prefer the Dragonslayer/Reign of Fire look with the winged forearms.

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

Guillermo Del Toro shifts from Hellboy to Hobbit

August 7th, 2008 by Altaira | Source: The Times Online | Discuss


The Times Online reports on Guillermo Del Toro’s transition from his other projects to working on “The Hobbit:”

“I’m trying to be faithful to what I read when I was young. That’s The Hobbit I’m serving. I cannot serve a Peter Jackson film. We also hope to bridge the trilogy. We will create an expansion of what lies in the four books and in a number of appendices.”

 

[Timstuff]

Del Toro said he a role for Perlman.

I HAS to be the big guy who turns into a bear (I can't remember his name, it's been a while since I read the book.) I mean, that guy has Ron Perlman WRITTEN ALL OVER HIM!

Del Toro said that his two influences for Smaug were Vermithrax (Dragonslayer) and Maleficent (Disney's Sleeping Beauty). One dragon has four limbs, and the other has six.

Me? I prefer the Dragonslayer/Reign of Fire look with the winged forearms.

I always pictured Smaug as bing six-limbed. He's supposed to be an absolutely freaking massive force of destruction, and I think that a six-limbed approach would be best for conveying that.

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

I HAS to be the big guy who turns into a bear (I can't remember his name, it's been a while since I read the book.) I mean, that guy has Ron Perlman WRITTEN ALL OVER HIM!

Beorn

rwar!

 

[FVD]

Since John Howe is back on board I'd imagine this would be the Beorn they'll be working with. It's the best look I've seem IMHO.

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

Thats so awsome

 

[regwec]

Really looking forward to this. I loved the ethereal visuals of Pan's Labrinth, and I am interested to see a Tolkien adaptation that (hopefully) more fairytale and dreamlike in tone than it is epic.

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

I think they should name the second film... The Return of the Shadow or something since it'll deal with the return of Sauron; the hunt for the ring (Gollum being taken prisoner and then released only to be taken prisoner again by Aragorn who drags him all the way to Mirkwood where the elves watch over the creature). Gandalf and the White Council. Aragorn keeping watch along the borders of the Shire. Possibly the driving out the Necromancer from Dol Guldur. Perhaps a bit of a background on the Nazgul, which I am sure they'll be back since they are the ones who attack the Dunedain outside the Shire.

Now...I believe this takes place during the 60 years time period between The Hobbit and Fellowship, but I am hoping that the time of the Istari can be explained in regards to how the five wizards came to middle-earth. First came Saruman, the white; then the two blue wizards: Alatar and Pallando; Radagast, the brown and lastly, Gandalf the Grey who remained faithful to accomplish what he was sent to do, for he was the Enemy of Sauron. Gotta love Gandalf. :heart:

Now if my memory serves me well, Aragorn would be about 20 so we could possibly see the first meeting between him and Arwen in Rivendell.

 

[Rezzo]

Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens join Guillermo Del Toro penning 'The Hobbit'

It's now official: The Lord of the Rings screenwriting team of Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens will join The Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro to pen the screenplay for the two planned Hobbit movies. Sources tell EW.com that the scribes' deals are all complete and they have already begun writing. (With shooting scheduled to begin Fall 2009, at the earliest, in New Zealand, the quartet better get busy!) The Hobbit will center on Frodo's uncle, Bilbo Baggins, and his initial discovery of the immensely-powerful ring. New Line and MGM plan to release the two films Christmas 2011 and Christmas 2012.

Nice to know things are moving along.

 

[Gotham]

Excellent. Hopefully they start shooting in the middle of next year.

 

[Timstuff]

Martin Freeman for Bilbo, dangit!

 

[Gotham]

I would totally be on board with Martin Freeman as Bilbo.

 

[regwec]

Yep, Martin Freeman is actually a Hobbit in real life.

I was thinking the other day that, (without undermining Peter Jackson) I really hope that GdT manages to find a way to confer Orcish/spiderish/dragonish evil without resort to the colour black and abundent monster-noises; and manages to represent Elvish/Istarii "goodness" without lots of white light and choral music.

I actually think that The Hobbit is a more subtle book in that way, since even the trolls have a moral compass of a sort, and the Elves of Mirkwood aren't terribly helpful. So, let's hope for more than black and white in the visual palatte and in the characterisation.

 

[Timstuff]

One thing I'll say about Smaug, is that while I look forward to being surprised by whatever Del Toro and Howe have in store, I really hope that they make sure that Smaug's overall image is a very "classic" looking dragon. He needs to be the definitive fantasy dragon, and encompass pretty much everything that people imagine when they hear the word.

 

[regwec]

Smaug should be based on JRRT's own drawing.

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

I marvel at those two images of smaug.

Is it fall 09 yet?

 

[Dr Strange]

Ron Perlman would be perfect as Beorn, as soon as i heard Del Toro was making the Hobbit, my confidence in him being cast rose even more.

 

[Timstuff]

Smaug should be based on JRRT's own drawing.

Heh, that's pretty rad. I think that the Howe picture I posted draws some inspiration from Tolkien's illustration, so I'm guessing the movie version will too. I'm sure it's gonna be awesome, whatever they do...

With all this talk of Smaug, I was on google images today and I actually found the cover of the first version of The Hobbit I'd ever read, which also had the first image of Smaug that I had ever seen. Ah, the memories...

 

[FVD]

I'm completely sold on the John Howe illustration. If GDT plans to go with that design then I'm sweet on that....

 

[CGHulk]

I would like to see the wings as arms like Reign of Fire.

Rage

These are the two dragons Del Toro that have inspired him for Smaug!

Dragonslayer


Sleeping Beauty

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

The information on the budget is disclosed at the moment. If I knew, I would have posted it here at this very moment. Or it could already have been posted at the beginning of this thread.