Slight update on The Hobbit movies

[Kegg]

The elements found in The Hobbit don't have to be dragged out though, not if he's taking stories and inspiration from Tolkien's greater works and weaving them into the story. I would be more worried if splitting the book in half was his only intention but that's clearly not the case.

That did work pretty well with Arwen, but that was just one subplot in the LOTR film. Having a substantial element of the Hobbit being from other Middle-earth works... well, I'll have to see the end result, but what would that be? Beren and Luthien? Illuvatar chillin' with Melkor and his dissonant music?

 

[coolghoul]

^ That was funny.

If they are truly breaking up only The Hobbit (with the addition of some off-the-page scenes) then probably a good place to end would be when they are captured by the Elves and Bilbo decides he's gonna have to do something about that... Maybe even the escape from the Elves... In case they want to have a "triumph" at the end of the first film.

If they are going to just add stuff or fill the in-between years, then yeah the Iluvatar-Melkor counterpoint sequence would be funny to see on film.

However, if they are taking requests - I want Galadriel ( played by Cate Blanchett) in the Hobbit and the film needs to begin with her voiceover. (Purists be damned! )

 

[Greylock Crescent]

One bit of "extra" material that I am sure they are going to include is the attack on Dol-Guldur by the White Council (which should make for an entertaining, epic scene). If that's the case, then I'm pretty certain there will be at least a handful of "incidental" scenes in which the Council meets and plans their actions -- which would mean there ought to be a place for Galadriel as well as Elrond ad Gandalf. If so, I do wonder if they'll be able to get Christopher Lee to reprise Saruman. IIRC, Saruman didn't take part in the actual attack, but I believe he was consulted before hand.

 

[Rulius]

So when they gonna do The Silmarillion? How many movie's would that take heh.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

So when they gonna do The Silmarillion? How many movie's would that take heh.

They're not. The Tolkien estate hasn't sold the movie rights to The Silmarillion. It's doubtful they ever will.

It'd take the book falling out of copyright -- which, thanks to Disney and their obsessive need to protect "the Mouse" -- for someone to make a Silmarillion film.

 

[coolghoul]

One bit of "extra" material that I am sure they are going to include is the attack on Dol-Guldur by the White Council (which should make for an entertaining, epic scene). If that's the case, then I'm pretty certain there will be at least a handful of "incidental" scenes in which the Council meets and plans their actions -- which would mean there ought to be a place for Galadriel as well as Elrond ad Gandalf. If so, I do wonder if they'll be able to get Christopher Lee to reprise Saruman. IIRC, Saruman didn't take part in the actual attack, but I believe he was consulted before hand.

Elrond is in The Hobbit story but as an "elf-friend" and not in his "Half-Elven" form that he appears in LotR.

In order to show Dol-Guldur, which does happen during this timeframe, how would they establish the connection with the Hobbit storyline - I don't recall now but it doesn't seem to have any bearing on the main characters in the Hobbit.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

It'd have to be as a "subplot." In The Hobbit Gandalf seemingly inexplicably leaves the Company at the entrance to Mirkwood, before rejoining them for the Battle of Five Armies. It's only through references that we learn that, during the time he was away, he was engaged against the Necromancer at Dol Guldur. I imagine that it'll be handled much like the split-narratives were handled in The Two Towers.

 

[Mr Light]

There's also the fact that Gandalf masterminded the Hobbit storyline to assassinate Smaug, so that Sauron couldn't use him in the upcoming war.

 

[Gepard]

There's also the fact that Gandalf masterminded the Hobbit storyline to assassinate Smaug, so that Sauron couldn't use him in the upcoming war.

Since I'm not heavily into Tolkien, is this the official interpretation of events or a fan reading?

 

[Skywalker]

It's official, though probably a retcon devised by Tolkien as he was working on LOTR. It's recounted in the story "The Quest of Erebor," which can be found in Unfinished Tales. I wouldn't be surprised to see that story feature in the film adaptations.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Another update, from Jackson himself re: the 2011 release date:

So you believe in December 2011 the first part is going to be in theaters.
Jackson: At this stage, that is certainly the plan. Yeah.

Source

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Then they'd better get cracking. Films like this take years to make. I don't see how *any* major film could be in theaters in time for 2011 (even December) unless they start right now.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Based on the article, they plan to be filming no later than June '10 ... which, if they wrap in six months (for whatever they need on film I), they'd have a full year of post-production time.

I'm not saying it's gonna be that simple or easy (heck, coordinating actor schedules will be tricky enough), just that, at this point, it's still a distinct possibility.

 

[Skywalker]

^ Then they'd better get cracking. Films like this take years to make. I don't see how *any* major film could be in theaters in time for 2011 (even December) unless they start right now.

They didn't start filming The Lord of the Rings until late '99, and FOTR was in theaters by December '01. The Hobbit won't need as much time.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

The actual filming won't take much time. It's the pre- and post-production times that are lengthy between the designing and making the costumes and sets and creating all of the special effects.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

^ Filming should take the same time, assuming it's as long as any of the trilogy flicks.

A simpler book probably doesn't necessarily translate into quicker filming.