Who should be in The Hobbit?

well said that man ^

very interesting and valid (in my view) points

heres hopin p.j has a plan like this and is bankin on making another fantastic 3 films, and hasnt gone down the lucas path of "lets make money, f**k the fans" i.e the "dark side" (sorry)

anyway, who agrees that The Hobbit would suit a two film setting with lots of back stories and "else-where in middle-earth" short story tie-ins rather than a one, 3 1/2 hour film chock-a-block of Bilbo-ness ?

discuss
 
I just read the same article. It does all sound to me like a game of financial brinksmanship between New Line and PJ. PJ knows New Line have only a short while to make the film before thier rights to make the film expire, and that it's financial success will take a hit if PJ is not on board. Equally New Line knows that PJ would hate to see The Hobbit (and the 'LotR prequel) be made by someone else, both out of an artistic sense of ownership and as a financial transaction. I don't know the sums being quibbled over between New Line and PJ, but I would have thought they would be quite insignificant compared with the potential value of 2 new films (well over another $billion gross). Maybe PJ is hoping New Line's deal will expire so he can option it himself. I think he loked into it originally when he was developing LotR but found out about the problems with the spilt rights so gave it a miss. He probably regrets that now.
 
Don't forget, a lot of people were against anyone other that George Lucas directing the sequel to SW. For me ESB is the best film out of all 6, and I was appaleed back in 98 when GL decided to direct all three prequels. OK, he still had full contrl over ESB and ROTJ, but it just shows that taking a great product and adding something new does not alwasy ruin it.

The Hobbit is a totally different book to LotR. For one thing The Hobbit was conceived as a children's book. While I'm sure PJ is able to adapt his style, seeing The Hobbit depicted in the same manner as LotR I think would be to the detriment of the story. The problem may be finding someone prepared to take over where PJ left off. The only name I can think of right now is Chris Columbus.
 
I'm sure they'll go for an actor around 30 or younger for Bilbo, after all he was meant to be the same age as Frodo was when he went to Mount Doom. Remember, there is 60 years between The Hobbit and LOTR.

Sadly, it doesn't look like Peter Jackson will be involved in the movie(s) and it's all down to the lawsuit that he filed against New Line Cinema regarding a lot of money that he and Wingnut Films didn't get paid for the first LOTR movie (i.e. someone basically STOLE from them) because New Line need to make the Hobbit in the next year or so or they'll lose the rights, they CANNOT wait for the lawsuit to be worked out and Peter refuses to direct The Hobbit while the lawsuit is going on because it will get in the way of the filmmaking. It's all a mess really.

I'm sure they will offer the movie(s) to the BEST writers and directors out there, we're not talking about crap churn-them-out ten-a-penny directors, they will not just offer it to anyone. ALSO, it's highly likely that WETA Digital and Workshop will work on the films, thus keeping alive the look and feel of Peter's LOTR world.
 
Out of the three so-called favourites I would like to see James McAvoy as Bilbo.

Jack Black? Please no!

Daniel Radcliffe?? Definitely not. :eek:

If only Sir Ian Holm was a bit younger.
 
It may be that Tolkien described Smaug as having a deep voice. I don't know? But why must all evil characters have deep voices? I blame James Earl Jones myself!

Brian Cox would be an exellent bit of casting.

Bilbo is a much more difficult one to picture. It neeRAB someone in their 'middle years' with a slightly 'cuddly' physic (nice way of saying chubby). I'm going to hate myself for suggesting it, because I really am not a fan, but the only actor I can think of at the moment is Ricky Jervais (excuse me while I go and wash my hanRAB for ten minutes).
 
A lot happens in the time frame The Hobbit is set that could expand the story into two films. As already mentioned Gandalf has 'pressing business' confronting Sauron at Dol Guldur. I guess as part of the prologue (tieing in with LotR) we could see Gandalf find Thr
 
LOL it makes sense though can't really picture most villians with soft voices, deep voices makes more of an impact and you have to admit without JEJ's voice Vader is just not as good a villian
 
I think you have that wrong, Derek. In 2941 Gandalf visited Dol Guldur and found that what the White Council thought was a nazgul was actually Sauron. This was my understanding (but I concede that it's along time since I read it) and Encyclapedia of Arda appears to confirm this:


http://www.glyphweb.com/Arda/
 
I've also started to think about the changes the writing team may see fit to make. One of the biggest changes they made in LotR was to beef up the female roles. At least in LotR they had a couple of female characters to play with. I can't think of any in the Hobbit? I wouldn't mind betting they bring back Arwen in some way, perhaps even Galadriel. I'd also not be surprised if the Elf King becomes a Queen. Somehow women do evil better than men imo.

I'm still fascinated by who might voice Smaug. Rickman is still my favourite.
 
McAvoy also did good with Tumnus, so i think he will do better with this one if he is chosen.



Radcliffe is not any where near of a hobbit.
 
I've just sent an e-post to Sir Ian McKellen to ask him if he would ask Peter Jackson to consider Alan Rickman as the voice of Smaug. :eek:

:D



I also congratulated him on reprising his role as Gandalf. :cool:
 
What makes you think that Weta (which was the creation of one Mr. Peter Jackson) will work on the movie?

I also think re-casting Bilbo would be a dumb move - as he's supposed to have stayed the about same age since finding the ring.

I see McKellan has put his in 2p about this.

What a mess. I can genuinely see New Line and PJ's perspective on this. But at the end of the day, MGM has the final veto now, it seems.
 
As that article points out, will any of the actors who played recurring characters want to return if PJ is absent? I think you could pretty much gaarantee Andy Serkis won't. Although I could pretty much accept the 'human' characters being played by someone other than the orifinal actors, having Gollum 'played' by someone other than AS and animated by other than Weta wold be very bad indeed. Another of the very important aspects of the LotR films was the music score. However, I imagine Howard Shore is less sentimentally attached to PJ, especially after the King Kong debacle.
 
New Line have the rights to make the movie but MGM the rights to distribute. I can see MGM refusing to distribute unless PJ is on board as they will want to make as much cash as possible. New Line wont make it if MGM wont distribute therefore it comes back to needing to get PJ on board. No idea the sums involved in the court case but I'm sure if they agreed to have an independent arbitrure (as requested by PJ) problem would be solved. Still think (hope I'm not tempting fate) PJ will be on board soon
 
Not so fast new line...

From IMDB

As Lord of the Rings fans mounted a protest following word that New Line had dropped Peter Jackson from consideration as director of The Hobbit and another Lord of the Rings prequel, producer Saul Zaentz has given assurances that Jackson will indeed direct the two films. A German website, Elbenwald.de, posted an interview with Zaentz, who acquired the rights to the works of the late Rings writer, J.R.R. Tolkien, in 1976 (the Saul Zaentz Company owns Tolkien Enterprises), in which Zaentz says, "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." (The preceding quotation is a translation that appeared on TheHobbit-Movie.com from the German interview posted on Elbenwald.de.)
 
Blimey... nearly a year since this thread was last posted to.

Anyway - I see there's a special 'Birthday' issue of Empire magazine for GdT & PJ (I assume it's their birthdays soon?) and they have revealed that rather than do The Hobbit in one film and then a second LotR prequel, they are going to extend The Hobbit across both films and flesh it out with the other goings on - White Council / Dol Guldur.

Absolutley the right thing to do. With Lovely Bones in post production hopefully PJ can give some more attention to this. Can we get some more casting soon, please?
 
Although Bilbo didn't age much between The Hobbit and LotR, he aged greatly after losing the ring. I imagine this is why Ian Holm was cast as he made a better 'old Bilbo' than a younger actor would have done, made up to look old. Ian Holm is 75 now. He was 68/69 when they filmed LotR, and he probably only spent a couple of weeks on set. Making a 3-4 hour film as THE main character on the other side of the world (assuming they make it in NZ which I guess is by no means assured) when he will be nearly 80 is I think asking a bit much. You could imagine the director (hopefully PJ) being a bit clever and starting the film off in Rivendell when Bilbo returned their to write his book, using Ian Holm as the old Bilbo, then flash back to a younger Bilbo about to go off on his adventure played by someone else. A good 'morph' from Ian's face to the new new face would provde some continuity and believability.
 
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