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[InvincibleAgent]

There's one particular instance in the Fellowship where he gave off the lovable grandpa vibe. It's when he first greets Gandalf at the entrance of Orthanc.

"The hour grows late, and Gandalf the Grey rides to Isengard seeking my council. For that is why you have come, is it not, my old friend?"

I always thought that was condescending and foreboding.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I always thought that was condescending and foreboding.

Strikes me as quite sage-like and fatherly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8CNdyHL6XY#t=0m20s

 

[Edmond Dantès]

On the subject of Smaug, I hope Alan Lee and John Howe take their cues from Tolkien's own illustrations.

http://www.lordkilgore.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/conversation-with-smaug.jpg

 

[Jibbajabbawockky]

In defence of The Hobbit trilogy.

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/201...ks-guest-post-in-defense-of-a-hobbit-trilogy/


Excellent article and it mirrors much of my thoughts thus far.

One issue I have though is a certain sorcerer showing up at The Battle of the Five Armies. Far too much of a departure to have him involved in any capacity.

Huh...I had only briefly read how they were extending this to 3 movies but figured they were going to mostly keep the structure of the first 2 intact and just have the third be more material to link The Hobbit to LotR.

Hobbit spoilers I guess:

Spoiler

So they're likely stretching out the Battle of Five Armies all the way to the third movie now? I had figured they were keeping that in the second movie and the new third one would basically be mostly material from the appendices or something.

It'll be interesting to see more of Sauron's story but having him get more directly involved in the Battle of Five Armies seems kind of odd.

It'll be interesting to see how these movies shape up, thats for sure.

 

[Felix Lighter]

On the subject of Smaug, I hope Alan Lee and John Howe take their cues from Tolkien's own illustrations.

http://www.lordkilgore.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/conversation-with-smaug.jpg

That certainly matches the way it is described in the book but I guess that makes sense.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

 

[Steelyuhas]

The way the film was spliced together, there was no tension in that scene. It was nice to have of course, but it was a Tolkien fan's scene, not a casual movie goers scene.

Yeah in the film, you know that Frodo is alive, and you know why they would have the mithril coat. In the book obviously it is different because you haven't read about Frodo since the end of The Two Towers at that point.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Yeah in the film, you know that Frodo is alive, and you know why they would have the mithril coat. In the book obviously it is different because you haven't read about Frodo since the end of The Two Towers at that point.

But the characters don't so it makes Aragorn's "For Frodo" even more moving.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Huge spoiler dump

Credit to 'SimionSmallEye' from TORn

Hey, in the game section of this board (http://newboards.theonering.net/...orum.cgi?post=478439) there is a discussion about the release list from tabletop miniature company Games Workshop which produces the official Hobbit movie miniatures.

The full list can be found at http://pastebin.com/9EC3qw3b with additional information. I made the list a little bit more readable and deleted all the releases that are not related to the movies.

There will be the following boxes in the next years:

Massive spoilers beware!!!

Spoiler

Dwarves: Kili & Fili & Longbeard Archers
Dwarves: Bombur with Kettle
Dwarves: Drogo Baggins & The Tavern Maid
Dwarves: Dáin & Iron Hill Berserkers
Dwarves: King Thráin & Longbeard Vanguard
Dwarves: Young Thorin & Longbeard Mattockguard
Dwarves: King Thrór
Dwarves: Dragon Mithril Company of Dwarves
Dwarves: Dáin Ironfoot & Iron Hill Boar Riders
Dwarves: Dís, Mother of Kili and Fili
Dwarves: Gimli (Stubble)
Dwarves: Samwise Gamgee (Red Book)

Wargs: Dire Warg
Wargs: Grinnah & Mirkwood Werewolves
Wargs: Feral Wolf Pack
Wargs: The Werebeast
Wargs: Lagdush & Orc Wolfcloak Warriors
Wargs: Narzug & Orc Warg-Riders
Wargs: Dol Guldur Orc Overlords
Wargs: Orc Chieftain on Warg
Wargs: Orc Wolfbone Shaman

Dol Guldur: Leaping Spiders / Shiverfang Spiders
Dol Guldur: Spiderlings
Dol Guldur: The Willowhags
Dol Guldur: Bloodwraiths
Dol Guldur: Gwethil
Dol Guldur: The Necromancer / Flesh Avatar
Dol Guldur: Narzug & Orc Summoner Coven
Dol Guldur: Tomb Wights
Dol Guldur: Mounted Tomb Wights
Dol Guldur: Saruman & The Ringwraiths
Dol Guldur: Vampire Bat Swarms

White Council: Mounted Rivendell Nobles
White Council: Lindir the Harper
White Council: Arwen & Estel
White Council: Galadriel (Barrel)
White Council: Radagast with Roäc & Swoop
White Council: Galadriel (Water Steed)
White Council: The War Council
White Council: Galadriel & Lórien Drumhooves
White Council: Chief Aravir & Dúnedain Rangers
White Council: Dúnedain Runecaster
White Council: Elrond & Rivendell Spearguard
White Council: Elros & Rivendell Outriders
White Council: Radagast's Chariot / Spellfire Cart
White Council: Cirdan the Shipwright

Mountain Orcs: Azog & Orc Needlers
Mountain Orcs: Azog (Wounded)
Mountain Orcs: Bolg & Great Goblin Bodyguard
Mountain Orcs: Armoured Hill-Trolls / Frenzied Trolls
Mountain Orcs: Orc Stone Thrower

Men of Esgaroth: King Girion
Men of Esgaroth: Fram the Watchman
Men of Esgaroth: The Master of Lake-Town
Men of Esgaroth: Bard & Greystreak Bowmen
Men of Esgaroth: Bain & Quickstrings Gang / Trout Guild Militia
Men of Esgaroth: Alfrid & Loyal Town Guard
Men of Esgaroth: Garf & Footsoldiers of the Dale

Grey Mountain Dragons: Fire-wyrms
Grey Mountain Dragons: Braga & Goldscale Worshippers
Grey Mountain Dragons: Venomblade Assassin
Grey Mountain Dragons: Goldscale Priest
Grey Mountain Dragons: Bofur on Cold-Drake
Grey Mountain Dragons: Dragon Thrall
Grey Mountain Dragons: Money Bags & Hired Knives
Grey Mountain Dragons: Fell Hatchlings

Beornings: Woodmen Healer
Beornings: Fair Daughter
Beornings: Meneldor & Swiftbeak Flock
Beornings: Gorm & Woodmen Axethrowers / Skin-Changers
Beornings: Whisperbark / Gnarlfir
Beornings: Black Bear Pack
Beornings: Enraged Beorn
Beornings: Grimbeorn (Greataxe)

Silvan Elves: Legolas & Mirkwood Fire Archers
Silvan Elves: Mirkwood Warhost
Silvan Elves: King Thranduil (Battle Garb)
Silvan Elves: Tauriel (Mounted)
Silvan Elves: Castellan Amroth

Adventure: Gandalf's Quest
Adventure: The Battle at the East Gate
Adventure: The Fall of Dale
Adventure: The Belltower
Adventure: A Thief in the Night
Adventure: The Clearing of Foul Roots
Adventure: Assault on the Barrows
Adventure: Clash of the Beasts
Adventure: The Last Stand
Adventure: The Raven Hill
Adventure: Thorin's Folly
Adventure: The Battle of Five Armies
Adventure: Breaking the Siege
Adventure: Revenge of the Goblin King
Adventure: Blacksoil Slope
Adventure: The Final Onslaught
Adventure: The Clouds Burst
Adventure: The Ritual
Adventure: The Haunted Tombs
Adventure: The Blight Breach
Adventure: Gollum's Escape

don’t fit into the naming pattern:
Frodo with Red Book
Smaug the Golden
Gandalf (Dual Sword)
Turin, The Dragonslayer

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Assuming all these characters make it into The Hobbit... well it'll be packed.

At least we know what form Mr Necromancer will take and seemingly confirmation of the Wights making it in. Not Wights from the Barrows, Wights who are in Necro's service.


Also, seemingly more Dragons than just Smaug.


And a flashback to the mighty

Spoiler

Túrin Turambar

slayer of Glaurung and the eventual destroyer of Melkor.

 

[maquiladora]

Nope. Not gonna look at that.

 

[Cheebo]

Haha, why am I not surprised Peter Jackson found a way to fit

Spoiler

Arwen

into The Hobbit?

 

[Little Old Man]

Solid list, but they will all be made from resin and plastic, no more metal miniatures....#cries#

Edit: those all might not be in the films though, I'm not sure on the specifics, but GW does have access to the books, and not just the films for LOTR (hence the scouring of the Shire expansion for example). I imagine it is the same for The Hobbit.

 

[rakhir]

Edit: those all might not be in the films though, I'm not sure on the specifics, but GW does have access to the books, and not just the films for LOTR (hence the scouring of the Shire expansion for example). I imagine it is the same for The Hobbit.

They do have both licenses, but usually they were different sets - first they made the proper film miniatures and only after that added stuff from books.

Also it's funny that GW already had done supplement "The Fall of The Necromancer" and made some fancy models for Sauron, White Council and others.

 

[agrajag]

Wow, that's some serious expanding that they're doing.

 

[Little Old Man]

They do have both licenses, but usually they were different sets - first they made the proper film miniatures and only after that added stuff from books.

Also it's funny that GW already had done supplement "The Fall of The Necromancer" and made some fancy models for Sauron, White Council and others.

I don't think that will happen however this time. With LOTR, from what I remember GW got the permission to expand out of the film content after the TT releases, or ROTK. This time they have both avenues to use from day 1.

Either way, this release list is horribly embarrassing for GW, especially as they now have a policy of showing new ranges only a week before release (another one of their odd business ideas). This appears to be all the releases for the Hobbit franchise, though how a third film affects this we won't know for a while.
It will be interesting to compare PJs interpretation of the Necromancer to that of Games Workshops original model as you say. Thraundril also.

 

[Mr Cola]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha-FS_CHmGw

This music is pretty much prefect

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Frodo's parents were cast a while ago, I wonder if their deaths at the hands of Gandalf will be included.

 

[Snake]

Frodo's parent were cast a while ago, I wonder if their deaths at the hands of Gandalf will be included.

Frodo's father already had his own show last year: http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Drogo

So I hope they give his mom some adequate screentime.

 

[Loxley]

Horse deaths plaguing Hobbit production.

Two articles about this story have already been taken down, seems like a controversy is brewing.

TheOneRing.net posted a follow-up to this, the American Humane Association says The Hobbit production crew followed safety guidelines for the horses to the letter, and the horse deaths were not a result of incompetence or negligence:

Last week, a former wrangler who worked with animals on the set of The Hobbit mounted a protest outside the farm where the animals were kept. Two New Zealand newspapers, Kapi-Mana News and City Life Porirua News, and TheOneRing.net reported the man’s claims that several animals died during production due to “incompetence”.

The American Humane Association monitored the safe and humane treatment of animal actors during filming of The Hobbit in New Zealand. It has sent TheOneRing.net a statement that the Association investigated the deaths of the animals — which were not being used as animal actors at the time.

The Association says that its “stringent Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media were rigorously applied and followed throughout the production.”

Read the statement from the American Humane Association in full below the cut.

“In 2011, while filming was being conducted in New Zealand for The Hobbit, which was monitored by one of our Certified Safety Representatives to ensure the safe and humane treatment of the animal actors in the movie, we were made aware of claims by a former contractor of the production company alleging that animals living on a working farm that was being used to house some of the animal actors being used for the production had died.”

“None of the animals in question died during filming action or were being used as animal actors when the incidents occurred.”

“Nevertheless, being a humane organization concerned with the welfare of all animals, we did an investigation. While our jurisdiction over animals covers housing on-set, we recommended that safety improvements be made to the animals’ living areas, and the production company was responsive, upgrading fences, improving farm housing, and educating farmhands to encourage them to use the same high standard of care on the farm as on the set.”

“Not only were we able to increase safety for animals not involved in production on the farm that was being used, but our stringent Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media were rigorously applied and followed throughout the production.”

 

[Monocle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha-FS_CHmGw

This music is pretty much prefect

Yep. The brilliant soundtrack is one of the reasons I can't take LOTR detractors seriously. This is absolutely top quality stuff.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Smaug, four times the size of the Empire State Building

"Filming The Hobbit brought challenges of a different kind. Although he plays two roles, a necromancer and Smaug a fantastical villain he describes with undisguised glee as 'a 400-year-old fire-breathing worm who lives in the middle of a mountain on top of a pile of gold, who is three or four times bigger than the Empire State Building and can fly', he barely encountered any other members of the cast. He worked on his scenes with the director, Peter Jackson, shooting against a green screen while wearing a motion-capture suit. 'It's sort of a grey all-in-one jumpsuit, with a skullcap, a Madonna headset and Aboriginal-like face paint,' he explains. 'You feel like a tit in all that gear but Peter is so lovely you soon forget.' "

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...edict-Cumberbatch-returns-in-Parades-End.html

Can only imagine how big they'd make Ancalagon The Black, mightiest of all the Wyrms.

 

[Mr Cola]

id rather they release some images early than tease it as a big reveal

 

[Starsunder]

Smaug, four times the size of the Empire State Building

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...edict-Cumberbatch-returns-in-Parades-End.html

Can only imagine how big they'd make Ancalagon The Black, mightiest of all the Wyrms.

HOLY SHIT. I can't wait to see him.

And it sounds like they are really fleshing out the movies big time. I need to see the trailer!

 

[Edmond Dantès]

id rather they release some images early than tease it as a big reveal

Nah, Smaug the Magnificent deserves a grand revealing. We won't see him in his full glory until the second film.

 

[Loxley]

Nah, Smaug the Magnificent deserves a grand revealing. We won't see him in his full glory until the second film.

My thoughts exactly. Although I'm fully expecting Smaug's appearance to be spoiled by way of merchandise leaks.

 

[Mr Cola]

My thoughts exactly. Although I'm fully expecting Smaug's appearance to be spoiled by way of merchandise leaks.

I await the lego version

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Peter Jackson: King of the little people

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/culture/7463145/Peter-Jackson-King-of-the-little-people

 

[Edmond Dantès]

New Biblio Boggins pic

http://bondbear.tumblr.com/post/29194571061/entertainment-weekly-aug-17

 

[WyndhamPrice]

I really wish Jackson would stop making up characters. Biblio Boggins? Is he serious?

 

[Clayton Bigsby]

I really wish Jackson would stop making up characters. Biblio Boggins? Is he serious?

lol what?

 

[ViewtifulJC]

 

[WyndhamPrice]

I eagerly await Edmond's scholarly explanation of why such a character is possible.

 

[Clayton Bigsby]

I eagerly await Edmond's scholarly explanation of why such a character is possible.

What are you talking about???

 

[Wiggum2007]

He's talking about Biblio Boggins. C'mon.

 

[WyndhamPrice]

I've updated the OP to reflect this new information.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Very interesting quote from Doug Adams.

Shore's Kong score is staggeringly beautiful, but you won't hear a note of it in The Hobbit. We're strictly in Middle-earth on this one.

Shame that it hasn't been released/leaked.

 

[Biggzy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha-FS_CHmGw

This music is pretty much prefect

I couldn't agree more. The music always makes me want to watch the films again.

 

[DodgerSan]

Frodo's parents were cast a while ago, I wonder if their deaths at the hands of Gandalf will be included.

Where's this? I thought they drowned?

 

[Cheebo]

He's joking lol.

 

[Emerson]

OK, so I haven't followed this movie/trilogy at all, so forgive my ignorance here:

What is the deal with no Viggo Mortensen? Is there any chance that might change now with a third film?

 

[Cheebo]

OK, so I haven't followed this movie/trilogy at all, so forgive my ignorance here:

What is the deal with no Viggo Mortensen? Is there any chance that might change now with a third film?

I highly doubt it. All the LOTR characters who are in it are ones who would be around at various points during the Hobbit. Aragorn has no part to play in any of the on goings unless it stretches beyond the end of the Hobbit but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[Emerson]

I highly doubt it. All the LOTR characters who are in it are ones who would be around at various points during the Hobbit. Aragorn has no part to play in any of the on goings unless it stretches beyond the end of the Hobbit but that doesn't seem to be the case.

No part to play in the material from the appendices for the third film even?

 

[Cheebo]

No part to play in the material from the appendices for the third film even?

From what we have heard the expansion is all within the time span of the Hobbit, not stuff extending beyond the end of The Hobbit. Aragorn did nothing of significance during the time period of The Hobbit.

 

[Emerson]

From what we have heard the expansion is all within the time span of the Hobbit, not stuff extending beyond the end of The Hobbit. Aragorn did nothing of significance during the time period of The Hobbit.

Interesting, thanks. I'd just assumed (wrongly, it seems) that using the appendices might mean they'd fill in some gaps between Hobbit and LOTR.

 

[Little Old Man]

OK, so I haven't followed this movie/trilogy at all, so forgive my ignorance here:

What is the deal with no Viggo Mortensen? Is there any chance that might change now with a third film?

I think if they could bring him back they would, since he was one of the most loved people on the team of LOTR.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I think if they could bring him back they would, since he was one of the most loved people on the team of LOTR.

Yeah, he even had photos of much of the crew in his make-up trailer which was a nice touch.



One month until trailer 2 is released.

 

[Branduil]

Smaug, four times the size of the Empire State Building

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...edict-Cumberbatch-returns-in-Parades-End.html

Can only imagine how big they'd make Ancalagon The Black, mightiest of all the Wyrms.

Geez, that's kind of a ridiculous size.

Spoiler

I wonder how they're going to do his death because a single arrow killing something that size would seem kind of unbelievable. To say nothing of the talking thrush.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Geez, that's kind of a ridiculous size.

Spoiler

I wonder how they're going to do his death because a single arrow killing something that size would seem kind of unbelievable. To say nothing of the talking thrush.

I think Benedict may have been exaggerating ever so slightly, but Smaug will be large no doubt. Certainly large enough to

Spoiler

squish much of Lake-town

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Interesting plot rumor that's popped up.

Spoiler

Yes, the Necromancer will be voiced by Lees in the first and second film. He will not have a physical body, and will be portrayed as a uber-wraith. At the end of the second film, the Necromancer will be chased out by the White Council and his spirit will travel towards Erebor with the White council in pursuit.

Meanwhile all the events unfold at Lake Town and Smaug is killed by Bard, falling into the lake. The dwarves, men, and elves move on to their fight over the treasure and eventually the beginning of the battle of 5 armies. In the middle of the battle, the Necromancer’s spirit arrives and reanimates the body of Smaug. Necromancers after all...raise the dead. Smaug/Necromancer will then join the battle and will be voiced by Cumberbatch, because at this point the Necromancer and Smaug are one being. With the arrival of the eagles enabling combat with the dragon in mid-air, causing the Necromancer/Smaug to flee, flying to Mordor where the Nazgul have fled as well. The Necromancer will shed the "Smaug body" by breathing fire onto the top of his tower thus taking the shape of a giant fire ball eye.

Well, he is a 'Necromancer'.