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

More Cumberbatch news (just when you didn't think there would be more):

Benedict Cumberbatch Voicing Smaug AND The Necromancer!

Close on the heels of their exclusive that Luke Evans has been cast in the role of Bard the Bowman, Deadline.com has broken another exclusive that Benedict Cumberbatch will be voicing the character of both Smaug the Dragon and the Necromancer in The Hobbit.
Via Deadline.com: After reporting today that Luke Evans will play Bard in the Peter Jackson-directed The Hobbit and wondering who’ll voice the dragon Smaug, Deadline can now tell you that it will be Benedict Cumberbatch. He’ll portray Smaug via motion capture. He is already on the picture, providing the voice of the character Necromancer.
Head over to Deadline.com for the complete article.
Oh, yeah, and Luke Evans (not, unfortunately, David Tennant) is Bard the Bowman.
 
Smaug and the Necromancer? Nice. :techman:

I was never on the 'Tennant as Bard' bandwagon. He's too skinny and scrawny, IMO.
 
Isn't a bard a minstrel or something? The guy shot an arrow. There's no reason he couldn't be scrawny. But it doesn't particularly matter to me either way.
 
Isn't a bard a minstrel or something? The guy shot an arrow. There's no reason he couldn't be scrawny. But it doesn't particularly matter to me either way.
A Bard is a storyteller, modern day would generally refer to a writer specifically, I believe
 
Isn't a bard a minstrel or something? The guy shot an arrow. There's no reason he couldn't be scrawny. But it doesn't particularly matter to me either way.
His name is Bard, but he's not a bard. And, IIRC, to be any good at archery (at least prior to modern compound bows with all the fancy technology) you usually needed good upper body strength.
 
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Yeah, but I could still see Tennant filling that role. You don't need to be hulking to fit the role.
 
Isn't a bard a minstrel or something? The guy shot an arrow. There's no reason he couldn't be scrawny. But it doesn't particularly matter to me either way.
His name is Bard, but he's not a bard. And, IIRC, to be any good at archery (at least prior to modern compound bows with all the fancy technology) you usually needed good upper body strength.


More like a Ranger/tracker, wasn't he?
 
IIRC, Bard is a warrior.

You know--I don't think I've ever actually read The Hobbit. But my Dad read it to me as a bedtime story, when I was five, and I listened to the audio version of the animated movie repeatedly as a kid.

In the movie, at least Bard introduces himself as Bard the Guardsman.

And I still remember...

...his speech to the Black Arrow, right before he looses it at Smaug.

"Black Arrow, you've never failed me. And I've always recovered you. I had you from my father, and he from of old. If ever you came from the forges of the true King under the Mountain...go now, and speed well!"

I should really sit down and read this book before the movie comes out.

If anyone's interested--one of my colleagues, Dr. Janice Liedl, is currently editing a collection of essays on The Hobbit and History, which is scheduled to come out around the same time as the movie. I was talking to her in her office the other day about historical parallels between the Elves and the Byzantines.

(Apparently, a volume on The Hobbit and Philosophy has already been finished--they're just waiting to release it to tie in with the movie.)

Dr. Liedl really seems to have found her niche with this Pop Culture and History series. She has also contributed an essay to Twilight and History and two essays to the volume on Harry Potter and History.

She's also co-editing an upcoming volume on Star Wars and History. She's invited me to submit proposals to these volumes, and to the volume on Star Trek, but I couldn't think of anything interesting or significant to say. :(
 
"Black Arrow, you've never failed me. And I've always recovered you. I had you from my father, and he from of old. If ever you came from the forges of the true King under the Mountain...go now, and speed well!"

Ooh, good point about what he is (also, a great line). Like I said, I don't overly care who they cast. Just that I wouldn't have found a skinny guy unconvincing.
 
If anyone's interested--one of my colleagues, Dr. Janice Liedl, is currently editing a collection of essays on The Hobbit and History, which is scheduled to come out around the same time as the movie. I was talking to her in her office the other day about historical parallels between the Elves and the Byzantines.

(Apparently, a volume on The Hobbit and Philosophy has already been finished--they're just waiting to release it to tie in with the movie.)

Dr. Liedl really seems to have found her niche with this Pop Culture and History series. She has also contributed an essay to Twilight and History and two essays to the volume on Harry Potter and History.

She's also co-editing an upcoming volume on Star Wars and History. She's invited me to submit proposals to these volumes, and to the volume on Star Trek, but I couldn't think of anything interesting or significant to say. :(
Sounds interesting. I'll have to check out The Hobbit and History when it comes out (if I remember).

And now for some more news!

Evangeline Lilly to play a woodland elf

He has also announced two new cast members. Barry Humphries will be portraying a completely CGI Goblin King…and…wait for it…the biggest news is LOST star Evangeline Lilly will be Tauriel. PJ describes Tauriel as a Woodland Elf, ‘Her name means ‘daughter of Mirkwood’ and, beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas.)
Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I wasn't thrilled with the old rumors of Saoirse Ronan playing a similar character and I love that actress. I'm not a big fan of Lilly (but maybe that's because I hate Kate Austen), but I'm more against the idea of adding such a character. Only time will tell.
 
As long as she's only a background character in the visit to the Elevenking's halls in Mirkwood I can deal with it. If you can accept adding Legolas then other Elves not seen onpage would be fine with me as long as they're not too disruptive.

And I don't hate Kate as much as some do [I'd rank her below the Scarlett O'Hara mark on the annoying scale :devil:] but I'm more than willing to separate my admiration for her on aesthetic grounds from Kate's idiocies.

i.e., she'l look hot in pointy ears, methinks. :D
 
As long as she's only a background character in the visit to the Elevenking's halls in Mirkwood I can deal with it. If you can accept adding Legolas then other Elves not seen onpage would be fine with me as long as they're not too disruptive.

Don't be surprised if either Tauriel or Orlando frees the dwarves.

Rosalind said:
YES! YES! YES!

Again with the casting of the same actor to play two separate parts, as seen in the case of Rhys-Davies. Is PJ just trying to save money or something?
 
Colour me excited! Barry Humphries is in this too! Have loved this gal since I was a kid.
 
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