The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Movie Discussion: The Lord of The Rings: Peter Jackson is not done

The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Movie Discussion: The Lord of The Rings:
Peter Jackson is not done

Junesong
Rohan

May 9, 1:14pm

Views: 27875

Peter Jackson is not done

Woke up today to rumours and reports that Jackson and co are back for more Tolkien! Anyone know what or when?

"So which story do you prefer?"
"The one with the tiger. That's the better story."
"Thank you. And so it goes with God."

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 9, 1:37pm

Views: 27606

Confirmed!

The story is on the TORn homepage. Expect discussion to begin soon on the Main Forum.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

Junesong
Rohan

May 9, 2:18pm

Views: 27258

Hmmm ok

Hunt For Gollum is a strange choice. I'm usually pretty anti-cynicism around here but I don't see how this leads anywhere except Middle Earth burn out with the IP being wrung out like an old dishcloth.

I hope the Tolkien Estate is holding tight to the First Age. I don't want to see Beren and Luthien dragged into the MECU

"So which story do you prefer?"
"The one with the tiger. That's the better story."
"Thank you. And so it goes with God."

Patty
Immortal

May 9, 2:37pm

Views: 27054

I wonder if they will take the fan film off of YouTube

This could be an interesting development. Wonder who would play Aragorn and Gandalf

Permanent address: Into the West

Junesong
Rohan

May 9, 2:52pm

Views: 26901

My thoughts exactly

I was just on the way back to ask this very thing.

Clearly we'll be recasting Aragorn, Gandalf and Legolas as they all have a major role to play in the hunt for Gollum. Not to mention Sauron.

I hope they recast - I know they have the power of CGI and can likely use tricks or even de-age the original actors. But I hope they don't.

"So which story do you prefer?"
"The one with the tiger. That's the better story."
"Thank you. And so it goes with God."

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 9, 3:51pm

Views: 26321

Discussion Better Here?

In Reply To

The story is on the TORn homepage. Expect discussion to begin soon on the Main Forum.

Come to think of it, maybe the discussion is better had here than in Main. Especially as it's already begun!

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 9, 3:54pm

Views: 26302

Recasting Gandalf?

In Reply To

I'm not sure that there's a need to replace Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf. Out of the entire cast, he and Andy Serkis could both remain.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

Junesong
Rohan

May 9, 4:01pm

Views: 26228

If he wants to

I have a feeling he's done with big long shoots and long days spent oceans away from his home.

"So which story do you prefer?"
"The one with the tiger. That's the better story."
"Thank you. And so it goes with God."

Patty
Immortal

May 9, 4:22pm

Views: 26023

Vigo is 65 years old

Um…
I doubt he would want to do it again even with CGI youthening or AI. It should be too active a role.

Somebody should tell Tom Cruise it’s time to give up the mission impossible series.

Permanent address: Into the West

cats16
Half-elven

May 9, 5:21pm

Views: 25923

Jumping into this thread...

...since it has a bit more activity going.

Incredible timing as I was just chatting with a friend last night about Serkis, his directorial efforts and what he might be up to next.

Well, here we go it seems on another adventure!

The timeline here seems a bit ambitious, but that could be Warner Bros. just not wanting to commit to a release date yet.

I feel like there are several ways you could go here with the story. The first that comes to mind is essentially a road movie, wherein Aragorn is off in the wild facing adventures hunting for the elusive Gollum, whom we perhaps only see traces of but don't see much of until the end. That's the simple version that I doubt would get made lol.

My gut tells me Sir Ian, approaching 85, would at most do in-studio work for this, if they really wanted his Gandalf one last time.

Curious where this goes!

Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!

DGHCaretaker
Rohan

May 9, 6:23pm

Views: 25380

Why am I not excited?

I'll look forward to this with cautious optimism. It's a solid production and director list with apparently limited chance of following the typical pre-investor call PR releases followed by multiple directors and writers until we never hear about it again, a la Star Trek, with the sole purpose of maintaining rights, but so much fear, doubt, and shell-shock from movies today...

Will the same writers and producers do better than "Go home, Sam" or whatever "dramatic reversal" they invent to "improve" Tolkien's word choices?

Is this invented fan fiction a la Rings of Power or is it Tolkien?

Will they continue the decimation of "Hollywood" by inserting a political message/agenda? Will they precede the release with a defensive posture against fans? It's certainly not Jackson's style, but times have changed.

Will contemporary identity politics dictate story and wag the dog to age the movie? Or will story prevail and become ageless?

Will Jackson's steep slide into CGI hell continue on from The Hobbit?

Will there be orange/green color grading?

Will they stretch it into a trilogy?

Go ahead - restore my faith with good story, good writing, and escapism from "what the world looks like today."

(This post was edited by DGHCaretaker on May 9, 6:30pm)

CuriousG
Half-elven

May 9, 7:01pm

Views: 24980

The Road movie

Coincidence that Viggo was in "The Road." Smile

Viggo cast as Aragorn or not, I keep thinking the same thing :

Quote

The first that comes to mind is essentially a road movie, wherein Aragorn is off in the wild facing adventures hunting for the elusive Gollum, whom we perhaps only see traces of but don't see much of until the end. That's the simple version that I doubt would get made lol.

But then I keep reminding myself that I never imagined "The Hobbit" movies having Galadriel go to Dol Guldur, or an Elf-Dwarf romance, so, I probably should stop speculating. Except I can't help it, lol.

Junesong
Rohan

May 9, 7:06pm

Views: 24936

Bored at work

So I thought I'd take a stab at answering your rhetoricals:

Will the same writers and producers do better than "Go home, Sam" or whatever "dramatic reversal" they invent to "improve" Tolkien's word choices?
No. Probably not.

Is this invented fan fiction a la Rings of Power or is it Tolkien?
Like all adaptation, it will have to be a combination of the two. Especially if the story really does focus on Gandalf searching for Gollum and getting help from Aragorn and the elves. The info we get about this in Fellowship isn't nearly enough to pad a theatrical film. It's not about IF they combine Tolkien and their own imaginations - they will - it's about HOW they do it. It could be really cool.

Will they continue the decimation of "Hollywood" by inserting a political message/agenda? Will they precede the release with a defensive posture against fans? It's certainly not Jackson's style, but times have changed.
If you're looking for stuff like this you'll probably find it in whatever Jackson and co/Warner Brothers do with the film's promotion. Another good question could be - will fans hate on this from a long way off for silly, superficial culture war reasons? Probably. Will any casting/crew diversity be immediately attacked by SOME fans as being pandering or politically motivate? Sure.

Will contemporary identity politics dictate story and wag the dog to age the movie? Or will story prevail and become ageless?
Quite a cynical binary you have here - so I'm not sure how to answer this, even rhetorically. I'm guessing no. But it depends on how they try to "fill out" the story. It's possible they'll try to add their own thing like a strong woman character, or a character of colour in a prominent role, or even a non-traditional relationship that Tolkien maybe would never have included. I don't think would necessarily date or cheapen the movie. It totally depends on what it is and how it's done. Similarly, avoiding these "identity politics" or "wag the dog" additions won't necessarily ensure that story will prevail or become ageless. I don't think these things are as related as your question implies. A good story can prevail and be timeless, sure - but no one knows how or why. There is no ingredient list to guarantee it. Conversely, I see no reason to make a list of ingredients that would definitely prevent this either.
Will Jackson's steep slide into CGI hell continue on from The Hobbit?
Most definitely. Although it will still be Serkis's call. He strikes me as a fantastic director who loves CGI as a tool - but only a tool to sharpen the story. He's never struck me as someone who's fallen off the CGI cliff. But as you say a few times in your post - times have changed.

Will there be orange/green color grading?
If there is - I'll probably only notice or care if the internet tells me to. And even then... it's not something that's ever been a dealbreaker. I still can't see the problem with any of the LOTR movies - and I have the "green" version of Fellowship on blu-ray. It's a big shrug from me.

Will they stretch it into a trilogy?
Safe to say this is just the beginning of what I describe a few posts above this as "wringing Tolkien's stories out like a dirty washcloth" - I think they'll keep making movies about Middle Earth in varying (likely descending) quality until people stop paying for tickets. (See the DCU, MCU, Star Wars, etc for the precedent here)

Go ahead - restore my faith with good story, good writing, and escapism from "what the world looks like today."
We may be surprised. Let's call it a fool's hope. But I'm with you - not excited. Taking it as both good and bad news. Excited to revisit ME with Serkis and Jackson and the crew - but also feeling like everytime these guys have touched Tolkien since 2003 they've made things worse. I've never wanted to be wrong more than now. But I think there's a better chance of the fandom eventually loving the five seasons of ROP than there is of any of us loving whatever MEU content WB throws at us. We had our moment in the late nineties when an obscure Tolkien lover/filmmaker got a chance to make a passion project with a bunch of people who all loved Tolkiens words and creations and set out to bring them to screen. Reading about the making of LOTR is like looking at pictures of a unicorn -they weren't chasing boxoffice succes, or ciritical appreciation, or awards, or cash, or a better job for the resume. They were chasing their love of Tolkien - and it blew the whole world away.
That doesn't exist now. Every single person involved in Middle Earth media now has dollar signs for eyes. It would be impossible not to. The genie is out of the bottle. The studios know the IP is valuable. Return on investment is the god that's worshipped now.

"So which story do you prefer?"
"The one with the tiger. That's the better story."
"Thank you. And so it goes with God."

Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator

May 9, 7:19pm

Views: 24798

There just isn't much story there to work with.

We've got the barest of bones between Gollum leaving the Misty Mountains and being captured by the Elves and Sauron. And they're telling it over *two* movies?

I'm sceptical. I mean, I'll see the movies, but I honestly don't expect them to be more than OK, if we're lucky.

And yes, I'm concerned about scraping the Middle-earth story over too much bread, too.

Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."

"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.

Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo

My LOTR fan-fiction

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 9, 7:28pm

Views: 24686

Two?

Well, The Hunt for Gollum, itself, seems to be a one-off. We don't know anything about the second film yet; like The War of the Rohirrim, it could be set centuries before the War of the Ring.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on May 9, 7:32pm)

cats16
Half-elven

May 9, 8:04pm

Views: 24252

Don't blame you lol.

It's funny, we're at the point where Viggo could easily shift to play Gandalf himself - honestly I'd watch that just to see what he did with the role, but I'm not sure someone would spend $200 million for me to find out, haha.

I'm curious how the upcoming Furiosa movie is received - I would sort of imagine The Hunt for Gollum living in a similar space: did we need the movie? No, not technically, but if it's going to exist, then what's the best version of it that'll make us erase any doubts.

We'll have a couple of years to speculate either way!

Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!

cats16
Half-elven

May 9, 8:06pm

Views: 24242

Perhaps I misread the announcement

but I took it to mean this is the first of two LOTR-related movies they're making - not that The Hunt for Gollum is a two-parter.

But I'll have to check the various sites as sometimes you get conflicting info between Variety, Deadline, etc.

Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!

Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator

May 9, 8:11pm

Views: 24173

That's fair.

In Reply To

We don't know anything about the second film yet

'The deal covers two films in the franchise' - and as you rightly point out, that line doesn't say that the second film is a sequel to the Gollum movie.

Although between PJ's love of telling a story the long way around and the industry's love of sequels, I reckon it's even money that we get more than one Gollum film.

Annael
Immortal

May 9, 8:46pm

Views: 23732

oh dear.

I've watched over the years as PJ has fallen victim to what I call "George Lucas Syndrome" - becoming more and more prone to overdoing the things he finds fun/interesting without seeking second opinions or hiring people who would bring a critical eye to the work and help him rein himself in. If we go only by how much bigger and grosser the Orcs got with each suceeding LOTR/Hobbit film, they'll probably hit King Kong size in these.

I found The Hobbit films nigh unwatchable, and my first reaction to this news was one of dread. I will wait for reviews but I'm not hopeful.

I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard

* * * * * * * * * *

NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967

CuriousG
Half-elven

May 9, 10:07pm

Views: 23636

The Hunt for Gollum, Part 7: Jar Jar Binks Awakens. //

Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator

May 9, 10:11pm

Views: 23586

If that's not enough to get the trebuchet out, I don't know what is. /

CuriousG
Half-elven

May 9, 10:14pm

Views: 23557

Viggo as Gandalf--I would like to see that!

I guess I wonder also: are they testing the waters with this announcement to gauge fan feedback, or are the scripts set in stone at this point? I'm tempted to stay that a lot could still change, and I'd like to think that maybe they're doing market research by watching reactions.

DGHCaretaker
Rohan

May 9, 10:28pm

Views: 23398

Organic

Very nice reply, thanks.

I should have included 'organic' as a concept and a word in my previous post - a serious omission. Strong women and diversity are great, done organically. Think Ripley, Sarah Connor, so many others, and The Expanse as a recent fantastic example. Let that idea color my post. Corporate policy wagging the story is not organic.

Lissuin
Valinor

May 9, 11:04pm

Views: 22999

My theory:

There are people throughout the entertainment biz who support ongoing Tolkien-based productions because they are afraid that if they stop then TORN might shut up shop completely and disappear from the interwebs! Am I right?! Am I right?!

Think about it: a new film/show appears; Tornfolk go nutso before and during; life feels all juicy. Then, when everything that can be said has been said many many times, it goes unnaturally quiet around here and everyone seems to have taken the last ship into the west (except in the Reading Room where there are very lovely discussions going on about Middle-earth, and in Off Topic where there are lovely discussions going on about real life Smile

).

Noooooooo! Suddenly they realize.........they miss us! When the weight of the Hollyworld is just too much, what better place is there to visit at 2:00 a.m. when yuh just can't sleep and you're wondering if anyone cares anymore whether or not CGI Balrogs have wings, etc, eh? And so, those folks in Miramar and Los Angeles figure we need a new board at TORN. "Thanks!", say I.

So, go for it, Tornadoes! Let's do what we do best - puzzle, ponder, perturb, pester, predict and promulgate!
Don't things suddenly feel a whole lot juicier today?!

Luv,
Liss
Heart

CuriousG
Half-elven

May 10, 12:49am

Views: 22175

I think Ataahua gets credit for setting these new movies into motion

as revealed in her post here about PJ's $2 billion windfall:

Quote

Now if only he'd get going on his outstanding movie projects

Clearly the magic power that gives life to the movies resides in TORN. And Ataahua. Smile

We can only hope that we use our power for good and don't get corrupted by it.

Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator

May 10, 1:57am

Views: 39224

I will gladly take all credit, if the movies are good.

If they're bad, I'll dodge all blame. Tongue

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 10, 2:00am

Views: 39190

I never mentioned Viggo

In Reply To

Um…
I doubt he would want to do it again even with CGI youthening or AI. It should be too active a role.

Somebody should tell Tom Cruise it’s time to give up the mission impossible series.

I tend to agree, but I stated nothing about Viggo. You're thinking of the post that I was responding to.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator

May 10, 2:01am

Views: 39184

What a lovely gesture from PJ

to help us keep ticking over. Very generous of him. Tongue

Patty
Immortal

May 10, 2:18am

Views: 38993

I know you didn’t mention him, I was doing my own musing…

I tend to really like continuity, the same people and everything. But obviously we couldn’t have the same Saruman and I’m thinking that probably Elrond, if he were skirted in there somewhere somehow, wouldn’t be played by Hugo either. I’m sure we will see a whole stretching out of Gollum going up into the trees on a daily basis and then his escape. They could make this into one movie successfully I would think. But I hope not two.

Permanent address: Into the West

Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator

May 10, 2:32am

Views: 38835

Cate Blanchett, however, remains ageless. /

Patty
Immortal

May 10, 2:36am

Views: 38819

So, so true.

I hope there is a way that they can shoehorn her into the story if she’s willing. Perhaps Aragorn passes through Lothlorian on his way to get to Moria to pick up Gollum’s trail.

Permanent address: Into the West

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 10, 2:41am

Views: 38761

Interesting Point

There's no definitive need to include Elrond in the story; however, I could certainly see Aragorn visiting Rivendell--perhaps even recruiting Elladan and Elrohir for his mission (at least for a time). It's possible that Hugo Weaving could reprise the role, but it might be more practical to just recast.

I could also imagine Lee Pace reprising the role of Thranduil. We might also see more of Tauriel, whether or not she is played by Evangeline Lilly.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 10, 2:45am

Views: 38712

Maybe not Moria

In Reply To

I hope there is a way that they can shoehorn her into the story if she’s willing. Perhaps Aragorn passes through Lothlorian on his way to get to Moria to pick up Gollum’s trail.

Would it work to have Aragorn enter Khazad-dum after the failure of Balin's colony? I've always thought that Aragorn must have visited Moria sometime before Balin's expedition, possibly during his time in either Rohan or Gondor. It would not have had anything to do with his search for Gollum.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on May 10, 2:47am)

Patty
Immortal

May 10, 2:45am

Views: 38712

Oh, golly, the whole Tauriel storyline was what I most hated about the Hobbit

So please , no.

The twin elves on the other hand, I think could successfully be put in there. But perhaps it’s because I really enjoyed the fan film Born of Hope that they were in. I think that would be a successful way to pad the stories not some jacked up love story.

Permanent address: Into the West

Patty
Immortal

May 10, 2:49am

Views: 38664

And just like the fan film Born of Hope…

Gandalf could meet with Aragorn in Bree and discuss getting hold of Gollum. Time for me to watch that movie again before they take it off of YouTube.

Permanent address: Into the West

Lissuin
Valinor

May 10, 3:03am

Views: 38504

Indeed. The Elf queen does not age.

So, two down. Just a few more roles to fill!

cats16
Half-elven

May 10, 3:10am

Views: 38420

You're going to be a great studio executive. //

Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!

Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator

May 10, 3:18am

Views: 38346

:D /

AshNazg
Grey Havens

May 10, 1:13pm

Views: 31835

Is this the Bridge movie that del Toro was planning?

They had a draft script and some pre-production work done back when The Hobbit was going to be one movie with a bridge sequel.

I imagine they were sitting on all that hard work for years waiting to release it - they even hint at it with Thranduil's line about Strider in BoFA.

I'm curious if they were planning to release this as a Hobbit sequel but since the trilogy's reception declined with each installment they decided to shelve it until people got hungry again?

Junesong
Rohan

May 10, 2:13pm

Views: 31374

Promising

Now this is a theory that I can get excited about

"So which story do you prefer?"
"The one with the tiger. That's the better story."
"Thank you. And so it goes with God."

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 10, 2:19pm

Views: 31333

Fleshing Out the Hunt

In Reply To

[Oh, golly, the whole Tauriel storyline was what I most hated about the Hobbit] So please , no.

The twin elves on the other hand, I think could successfully be put in there. But perhaps it’s because I really enjoyed the fan film Born of Hope that they were in. I think that would be a successful way to pad the stories not some jacked up love story.

I wan't very happy with the whole Tauriel/Kili subplot, but without that she could have been a pretty interesting character. The hunt for Gollum is not an overly complex story and lacks a cinematically satisfying ending. Maybe bringing back Tauriel and giving her character some closure might be an interesting way to flesh out the film.

What other, canonical, events that take place over the same period would it make sense to include?

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 10, 2:28pm

Views: 31246

Bridge?

The hunt for Gollum almost certainly would have been one of the elements that would have been part of del Toro's bridge film. I imagine that other elements could be used to flesh out this story. Gollum's encounter with Shelob and his captivity and interrogation in Mordor will likely be included. Probably also the doubling of the Rangers' watch on the Shire. Elrond's sons Elladan and Elrohir could join Aragorn in the hunt. Perhaps Aragorn will meet with King Brand in Dale. Lee Pace could return in the role of Thranduil. Tauriel might join in the search or might have some news about Gollum's activities.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on May 10, 2:32pm)

CuriousG
Half-elven

May 10, 2:44pm

Views: 31109

If the movies are bad, we blame evil twin Auhaata //

CuriousG
Half-elven

May 10, 2:54pm

Views: 31036

Speaking of bridges--what if film #2 could be about Balin's attempt to recolonize Moria?

I always loved the story Gandalf read from the chronicle: the ambitious journey to fight and retake the ancestral home, fighting over the Bridge of Khazad-dum, the hard work over 5 years to search for mithril, then the doomed, gradual closing of the net against them until "they are coming." Now THAT is a story I think could be a marvelous, action-oriented and visually stunning movie. I think some of the best cinematography in the FOTR movie was in Moria, and cgi has only gotten better in the 20+ years since. A guy can dream...

Junesong
Rohan

May 10, 3:16pm

Views: 30875

10/10

If any of you have a couple hundred million you could lend me, I'd make this movie right now.

"So which story do you prefer?"
"The one with the tiger. That's the better story."
"Thank you. And so it goes with God."

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 10, 4:25pm

Views: 30400

Hunt for Gollum Fan-film Squashed

And now Warners has suppressed the Hunt for Gollum fan-made film from a few years back. Not really a surprise.

Source: https://www.cbr.com/...quashed-warner-bros/

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

Patty
Immortal

May 10, 5:04pm

Views: 30130

These are good ideas!

And could still not stray too far from the books. The fewer made up characters the better, though. Lose Tauriel completely. If you feel Galadriel, perhaps Arwen in Rivendell (or, I guess Lothlorien) aren’t enough feminine interest (for those who couldn’t love the story without that) ..I don’t know what to say. I guess I am a real enough female, but I loved the books with even less feminine interest.. I think we should be given credit for being able to enjoy the movie without it.

Permanent address: Into the West

Patty
Immortal

May 10, 5:04pm

Views: 30128

These are good ideas!

Permanent address: Into the West

Silvered-glass
Lorien

May 10, 5:30pm

Views: 29919

Not feeling hopeful

I should be excited but I'm feeling dread instead.

The story sounds like it's going to be by necessity 95% original PJ ideas, 5% Tolkien, and based on the Hobbit movies I don't expect for the original PJ ideas to be any good, though maybe he might produce something better with more time to plan things through.

The other issue is that the Tolkien "story" behind the movie is really just a fragment of backstory that I don't think is capable of standing on its own as an independent work and was never meant to do so.

I can see two main ways that the story could be realistically adapted in our situation:
a) A slapstick comedy in which Wile E. Coyote (Aragorn) hunts the roadrunner (Gollum) for three hours and gets him in the end.
b) A very dramatic and serious three-hour epic with kingdoms and armies from all the old fan-favorite countries culminating in an epic battle (more epic and dramatic than any ever filmed by PJ) over who gets to interrogate Gollum and learn about the One Ring. Denethor would probably appear as a side antagonist whose designs for the Ring Aragorn needs to thwart.

It's dismal. I think I would prefer the comedy option. Comedies can withstand plot issues in a way that dramas can't.

AshNazg
Grey Havens

May 10, 6:05pm

Views: 29672

One thing we can guarantee

One thing we can guarantee is Lee Pace coming back for this. He's a key part of Gollum's story and Pace loved playing that role and has barely aged.

I expect we'll see Orlando Bloom again. Aragorn will have to be recast though, right? Who could fill those boots? Barry Keoghan?

(This post was edited by AshNazg on May 10, 6:06pm)

AshNazg
Grey Havens

May 10, 6:07pm

Views: 20447

I wonder what right they have to do this...

Legal grey area, they weren't profiting from it as far as I know?

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 10, 6:16pm

Views: 20386

Barry Keoghan?

Barry Keoghan seems about 10 years too young and doesn't really look the part of Aragprm to me. But maybe that is just my opinion. I wonder what Stewart Townsend is up to these days?

Keoghan:

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on May 10, 6:18pm)

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 10, 6:22pm

Views: 20350

It Stinks, but It's Also Perfectly Legit

Warners is protecting their trademark and legal interests. Yes, they have the right to do this, it's still a crappy action to take.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 10, 6:30pm

Views: 20283

Maybe They'll Have to Backpedal

In Reply To

If PJ and his team can't make a cohesive film out of this that also pays respect to Tolkien then perhaps they'll have to abandon The Hunt for Gollum and branch off in a different direction. This really does feel like it would have been more appropriate for one of those animated, direct-to-video prequels that were fairly common in the 1990s and earl '00s.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

AshNazg
Grey Havens

May 10, 6:52pm

Views: 20099

It was part in jest

He just seems to be in everything lately and I'll bet he'll be involved in these movies somehow. I wouldn't be surprised if it was as Aragorn. Isn't Aragorn supposed to be in his late twenties during these events?

If I had a serious choice I'd probably go with Nicholas Hoult. Although it would be weird after him playing Tolkien.

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 10, 7:12pm

Views: 19946

Later than you think!

The hunt for Gollum began in T.A. 3001, sometime after Bilbo's farewell party. Aragorn was 70 years old then. But the search didn't really take off until the year 3009. Aragorn finally found and captured Gollum in 3017. However, if this movie is to be canonical with the previous films then he timeline would have to be drastically condensed!

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on May 10, 7:14pm)

AshNazg
Grey Havens

May 10, 7:26pm

Views: 19811

We have different ideas of this movies timeframe..

I doubt they will set the movie during the events of FotR. It would be too confusing.

I imagine the events being directly after The Hobbit, Thranduil has just told Legolas to find someone called Strider - Gandalf points him in the right direction and says "bring him to Rivendell"

Legolas looks high and low and finds Aragorn drunk and beaten and disinterested. Legolas convinces him to come to Rivendell.

Aragorn is kinda lost and unmotivated but at Rivendell he meets Arwen for the first time.

She shows him Narsil, and gives him his motivation.

Gandalf sends them to the Misty Mountains to find out more about Gollum, they track him down and find him in Dol Guldur, which is still full of orcs.

They take Gollum to Thranduil and meet Gandalf who is concerned about Dol Guldur and Sauron, so he goes away to tell Galadriel and Elrond to prepare for war.

Meanwhile Dol Guldur attacks Thranduil's halls and Gollum is captured by orcs and taken to be tortured, there's a big battle.

Gandalf and Galadriel show up last minute with an army and win the battle. Galadriel goes to Dol Guldur and crumbles the ruins into dust so they'll never be a problem again.

The End... Kinda thing

We could also see the rebuilding of Barad Dur. The birth of The Eye, the Witch King moving into Minas Morgul. Just all the in-between stuff.

(This post was edited by AshNazg on May 10, 7:28pm)

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 10, 7:34pm

Views: 19769

Legendarium vs. Fan-canon

You asked about the events within the legendarium. But even if the movie starts the search before Bilbo's birthday party, it can't be too early as it wouldn't be before Gandalf was having serious suspicions about Bilbo's "funny, magic ring". And Aragorn still can't succeed in capturing Gollum until not too long before the Council of Elrond. We are still looking at a condensed timeline.

To my mind, Aragorn still first meets Arwen at the beginning of his twentieth year and leaves Rivendell soon after. It just takes place later than in the book continuity--just a few years before the Battle of Five Armies.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on May 10, 7:39pm)

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 10, 7:42pm

Views: 19716

The Hunt for Gollum Fan-film Restored!

Warners has removed their copyright strike against the Hunt for Gollum fan-film. Good for them!

You can watch the short film on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZWuxEwqYzM

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator

May 10, 8:59pm

Views: 19161

snort :D /

Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator

May 10, 9:05pm

Views: 19135

Aragorn options: Theo James or Jai Courtney?

The casting chat over the coming months will be fun. Smile

Patty
Immortal

May 10, 9:50pm

Views: 18844

Well, I know this for a fact. Nobody can bring Middle earth to life like…

Howard Shore. His music was easily a very large portion of why the movies were so great.

Permanent address: Into the West

Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator

May 10, 10:46pm

Views: 18506

Very true. /

CuriousG
Half-elven

May 10, 11:36pm

Views: 18171

Theo James would be my choice between the two

though I've only seen him polished, and he'd need to be able to be a dirty, weather-stained Ranger. Viggo set the gold standard to follow.

Patty
Immortal

May 11, 12:27am

Views: 17814

I have not been paying attention so I had to look it up…

James Galway, though he is 84 is still performing. Bring him back for the flute tones in the music!

Permanent address: Into the West

Ethel Duath
Half-elven

May 11, 3:16am

Views: 16590

He was the flute teacher at my music school for about a year,

and my roommate studied with him during that time (late 70's).
Smile

Intergalactic Lawman
Rohan

May 11, 4:40am

Views: 16287

Perfect.

The questions you pose, are exactly the same concerns I have Cool

(This post was edited by Intergalactic Lawman on May 11, 4:46am)

Yva
Lorien

May 11, 7:53am

Views: 16190

That was my first thought

That was my first thought, that this is basically the bridge movie the idea of which was floating around for quite a long time. Personally I always liked the idea, not least because The Shadow of the Past and Elrond's Council are my favourite chapters, so I say why not! What's interesting and a sign of the times is I'm not particularly worried about it being mediocre or of IP-milking nature (as that won't ruin my enjoyment of Tolkien) but somehow I'm worried about another diversity discussion pandemonium.

Silvered-glass
Lorien

May 11, 10:49am

Views: 16093

So I saw the fan film

I had somehow never seen the fan film before. I was surprised by how good the cinematography in particular was. They had even done all the CGI from the scratch themselves, but it didn't look like that. It looked like they had spliced in moments from the original movies, but no, the look had just been recreated that well.

So if we assume that the official Hunt for Gollum film takes a roughly similar route as the fan film, we can expect some 140 extra minutes of pure filler. The fan film already extended the premise with reasonable levels of easy-to-predict filler such as Orcs attacking and a Nazgûl appearing. The official film would then be expected to have Orcs and Nazgûl attacking even more times in greater numbers and in longer scenes, plus probably other monsters such as Trolls and Wargs. There would also be expected to be more dealings with side characters and their individual plots. Proportionally the official movie would have no realistic way of not ending up much worse than the Hobbit movies in terms of filler.

priell3
Lorien

May 12, 1:37pm

Views: 15215

I watched it too...

I watched THFG when it was released, and just watched it again.

It's a very well produced fan film and PJ and his crew will have a hard time meeting that standard. The Hobbit movies were a let down for me.

I think I made a DVD of The Hunt For Gollum fan film, good to have if it ever gets scrubbed by the studios again. I also have the complete music soundtrack which I enjoy on occasion. The soundtrack ties in well with Shore's music.

MikeP

Lissuin
Valinor

May 12, 9:54pm

Views: 14986

Wellington is pretty excited. The Post:

https://www.thepost.co.nz/...ised_module#cxrecs_s

What we already know plus some local reaction. Yes!

Archestratie
Rohan

May 15, 12:42pm

Views: 13701

Hmmm

I'm thinking back to the early rumors of the Amazon LotR series, and how we heard their first idea was something like a Young Aragorn and Legolas buddy cop show that may have involved the hunting of Gollum. I wonder if it's possible that the Young Aragorn idea truly was Amazon's first choice and when they checked with WB, WB said, "Nah, we might want to do something with that in the future." And then, rather than have to negotiate with WB every time they wanted to write a script for their show, Amazon just chose to set everything in the Second Age instead. This way, there would be no conflict with future productions from New Line. Possible?

My Low-Magic Fantasy Novel on eBook/hardback: The Huntsman and the She-Wolf

The Huntsman and the She-Wolf on audio Book.

AshNazg
Grey Havens

May 17, 11:19pm

Views: 12854

What I suggested isn't is fan canon...

Reading the Tale of Years and Of the Rings of Power, Aragorn meets Arwen very shortly after the Battle of Five Armies, it is said he was out on some errands with Elrond's sons. Well we just replace the sons with Legolas and it all fits. Aragorn would be about 27 when he meets Arwen. Not a big change.

Gandalf already has suspicions about Bilbo's ring at the end of BoFA. He explicitly says so to Bilbo and gives him a dark look. That is enough for Gandalf to wonder "Who was this Gollum chap" and want him hunted down. So he gets Legolas and Aragorn to do so.

The book tells us 2951 - Gollum heads to Mordor and the Nazgul reoccupy Dol Guldur. But why?? What's Gollum doing? Wouldn't he more likely be tracking Bilbo and end up lost in Mirkwood or Dol Guldur?

It says Aragorn later does errantries for Gandalf under the name Thorongil. Well this could be one of his tasks. We then take all of the Hunt for Gollum that was cut from FotR and place it 20 years earlier, tying it with the attack of Dol Guldur on Thranduil's Halls. (There's no way the hunt and questioning etc all took place during Gandalf's short excursion to Minas Tirith, it would be weird to retcon that in now)

There's no reason at all this needs to take place after Bilbo's birthday or before the Council. It's completely arbitrary when it happens, as long as Gandalf has the information that Gollum knows "Shire" and "Baggins" then he can piece it all together after reading Isildur's account.

(This post was edited by AshNazg on May 17, 11:25pm)

AshNazg
Grey Havens

May 17, 11:38pm

Views: 12838

Aragorn can't meet Arwen before BoFA..

Thranduil says Aragorn goes by the name Strider in the wild and "His real name you must discover for yourself"

This means Aragorn is still hiding his true name. He receives his name from Elrond shortly before meeting Arwen. So this must be just after BoFA

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 18, 12:55am

Views: 12804

Um...

If you mean Tolkien's "Tale of Years" (Appendix B), Aragorn is only 10 years old at the time of the Quest of Erebor. How is 2951 "shortly after the Battle of Five Armies"? If you are looking at my version for the films, take it with a grain of salt or two. I'm not going to claim that it's completely accurate. If (film) Aragorn was 87 when Sauron fell then his twentieth birthday was in 2935, fifteen years before PJ's Hobbit films.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on May 18, 1:07am)

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 18, 1:05am

Views: 579

Your Reasoning is Unsound

In Reply To

Let us assume that Aragorn was 87 when the One Ring is destroyed (in book-canon, he was 88, but we'll ignore that). In Peter Jackson's Middle-earth that places Aragorn's year of birth at 2915 (Third Age). That means that if Elrond revealed his true name and ancestry to him on his twentieth birthday, the year was 2935. Aragorn should first meet Arwen in Imladris about that same time, with him setting out into the Wild soon after. So Aragorn is about 25 years old at the time of the Battle of Five Armies. Just because he is not using his real name in the Wild does not mean that he doesn't know it. Aragorn routinely used aliases when he journeyed, he had to as he was being hunted by the Dark Lord.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on May 18, 1:09am)

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 18, 6:31pm

Views: 523

Oops! I Mathed Badly!!!

In Reply To

I replied:

Quote

Sorry, I made a big error there! Film-Aragorn's twentieth birthday would have been five years before the Quest of Erebor (or six years before if he was actually 88 years old when the Ring was destroyed). So Aragorn would have been 25 (or 26) years old at the time of PJ's Battle of Five Armies.

And in case you had not seen it, here is that "Tale of Years" I developed for Peter Jackson's Middle-earth (or an early version of it): http://newboards.theonering.net/...i?post=905150#905150.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on May 18, 6:34pm)

DGHCaretaker
Rohan

May 18, 11:30pm

Views: 498

Fresh Paint

I suppose this might mean the permanent Hobbiton will get a paint job.

Otaku-sempai
Immortal

May 19, 2:05am

Views: 481

Good Poinit!

In Reply To

I suppose this might mean the permanent Hobbiton will get a paint job.

There could be a few Hobbiton scenes, especially a the beginning.

“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella

DGHCaretaker
Rohan

May 19, 3:10am

Views: 476

Hibbiton Tour

Appropriately, I see there's a new topic post by Eruonen in the Main forum about "A Tour of Hobbiton Movie Set | Nerd in New Zealand Nerd of the Ring" that has a link to a 39-minute YouTube video. It looks well-maintained.

(This post was edited by DGHCaretaker on May 19, 3:11am)

Lissuin
Valinor

May 22, 10:55pm

Views: 351

TORN quoted on 2009 'Hunt for Gollum' short-lived takedown: NYTimes article today

Who yuh gonna call/email? Xoanon!
Cheers, mate!

https://www.nytimes.com/...X&smid=url-share

Quote

The removal “was an ‘uh-oh’ moment for the fan base,” Michael Regina, a founder of the popular fan site TheOneRing.net, said in an email. Shortly after the takedown, Bouchard appealed YouTube’s decision and explained his movie’s status as a noncommercial film.

Early on, he had reached an agreement with the Tolkien estate ensuring that his project would respect its intellectual property, and that it would be freely available and noncommercial. “We were lucky that they looked kindly on it as something that was for the fan community,” Bouchard said.