THE HOBBIT (2012/2013): News, Rumors, Pics Till Release

This is a little off-topic, but I'm re-reading LOTR and I'm at the start of ROTK and I came across a Gandalf quote I absolutely did not remember and I think it's my all time favorite line from him:

The rule of no realm is mine, neither of Gondor not any other, great or small. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, those are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail of my task, though Gondor should perish, if anything passes through this night that can still grow fair or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I also am a steward. Did you not know?

He says this to Denethor when he says he is the Steward of Gondor and not him. Was this in the Extended Edition? It's a beautiful, and bad ass, quote!

 

I'm pretty sure they did that for both TTT and ROK during the main release. I was hoping they would do that here too, but apparently not.

 

Just for fun, Yahoo! imagines the Rankin-Bass Christmas special that never was -- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Christmas.

 

So I'm reading the ROTK Appendix right now and I'm wonder what new scenes they'll put into the movies to link it further to the LOTR Trilogy?

I forgot that Gandalf basically disappears from the novel after Beorn. So I guess he won't even see the Company in Movie Two and it will just show him and the White Council attacking Dol Guldor.

What further linking material can go into Movie Three? I'm guessing we'll see Sauron arriving at Barad Dur and commencing its reconstruction, and Mount Doom bursting into flames. They should show Saurman using the palantir and becoming ensnared by Sauron. If Viggo is appearing in it, Gandalf and Aragorn meeting and hunting for Gollum. We could see Aragorn and the Rangers setting a silent watch on the Shire, with hapless Bilbo playing with his Ring. Maybe it could end with Gollum entering Morodor, getting caught, and giving up Baggins?

 

Highly unlikely considering the second film is subtitled The Desolation of Smaug. I think Dol Gudlur will play a major part of the film but it will hardly be the only aspect (or the leading focus) of the film.

 

Obviously I mean Dol Guldor will be the subplot of Movie 2, and the main plot will be Beorn - spiders - elves - Laketown - Smaug.

I just finished reading Hobbit this morning! I wonder if Movie 3 will actually be only two hours or so. Because from the death of Smaug to the end of the book is only 50 pages. And if Dol Guldor takes place in Movie 2, what else can you throw in but little bits like I mentioned above?

So, what does everyone think would be the best FINAL scene of Movie 3?

My vote would be Mount Doom bursting into flames as a tortured Gollum cries out "Shire! Baggins!". Yes, we already saw it, but it's the perfect ominous note to directly link the Hobbit with LOTR. And I'd like to actually see the phantom form of Sauron (as we saw in Movie 1) with his four fingers looming over Golllum.

I don't think it should end on a happy Bilbo in the Shire scene. I think it should end on a straight lead-in to LOTR.

 

I don't think it'll end on a straight lead-up to LOTR. This is The Hobbit. At the end of the day it's the story of Bilbo Baggins. The events of the movie take place sixty years before FOTR even begins. In the first trailer (before the duology became a trilogy) we saw Gandalf exploring a dark fortress (likely Dol Guldur) and getting into a fight with someone (not going to mention his name to avoid spoilers), so I think that'll be in DoS.

There's only fifty pages between the death of Smaug and the end of the book, but there's a lot of material in there to cover. If DoS doesn't include all of the battle at Dol Guldur then there will be that to wrap up, and there will also be the aftermath of Smaug's attack on Lake-town. Bilbo has to discover the Arkenstone, then the Wood-elves and the Men of Lake-town claim Erebor's treasure and put it under siege, Bilbo sneaks out to speak to Bard, Gandalf returns, then Dáin shows up with his army of Dwarves and the Orcs show up, and the Battle of Five Armies begins. Then there's the aftermath of the battle, and Bilbo's journey back to the Shire through Beorn's home and Rivendell, and then his having to deal with what happened to Bag End while he was gone. That's more than enough for the third movie to cover without having to bother with any unnecessary LOTR tie-ins.

Besides, I think if they're going to do anything with Aragorn in his pre-LOTR days, it would be in its own movie (there actually is enough material in the Appendices for that, with some expansion for dialogue and such of course).

 

In a way it will, since we all know that the entire story of "The Hobbit" is a very long flashback which takes place right at the beginning of "Lord of the Rings". When the movie ends, old Bilbo just joins the birthday party and Fellowship begins.

 

Well, yeah. Aside from that.

 

We see Bilbo writing There And Back Again at the beginning of Fellowship, and when he meets Frodo again in Rivendell, he finished it. So I guess that's how they will integrate it into the Hobbit films.

 

Also, I'm still not convinced that Film 2 ends with Smaug's final moments. It would seem a bit much to introduce (in an explicit sense), then dispose of, his character all in one film - particularly when there's another film to be had. Heck, that'd mean Azog would have a much longer arc than Smaug (he will, in any case, but if Smaug has no appearance in Film 3, the contrast will be all the greater).

 

Well in the book Smaug is basically only in three scenes; first Bilbo conversation, second conversation, and his rampaging death.

 

Film 3 ends with Balin and his expedition deep within Moria, the Balrog appears, and Balin, doing his best G.O.B. Bluth impression: "I've made a horrible mistake." *cut to black*

 

I hadn't thought of that, but they should totally do that! I'd love to see Balin waking the Balrog! Maybe they can do a little montage at the end showing all these intersititals

 

I'd bet they are going to do things like Balin's fate and other events that lead into Lord of the Rings in a beautiful montage sequence with great music and a profound voice over by either Bilbo, Gandalf or Galadriel.

 

The Minstrel of Gondor practicing in the Hobbiton field for Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday party, warming up his vocal chords with something like "The Greatest Adventure" or "Leave Tomorrow 'Til It Comes."

 

I know I own the Hobbit cartoon but I'm ransacking my collection and I can't find it anywhere!

 

Bilbo waking up in bed next to Suzanne Pleshette??

 

Having a Gollum moment?

 

Okay, Set, what have you got in your pocket?