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Junesong
Rohan
May 9, 1:14pm
Post #1 of 80
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Peter Jackson is not done
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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."
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
May 9, 1:37pm
Post #2 of 80
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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
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Junesong
Rohan
May 9, 2:18pm
Post #3 of 80
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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."
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Patty
Immortal
May 9, 2:37pm
Post #4 of 80
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I wonder if they will take the fan film off of YouTube
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This could be an interesting development. Wonder who would play Aragorn and Gandalf
Permanent address: Into the West
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Junesong
Rohan
May 9, 2:52pm
Post #5 of 80
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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."
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
May 9, 3:51pm
Post #6 of 80
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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
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
May 9, 3:54pm
Post #7 of 80
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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.
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
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Junesong
Rohan
May 9, 4:01pm
Post #8 of 80
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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."
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Patty
Immortal
May 9, 4:22pm
Post #9 of 80
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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
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cats16
Half-elven
May 9, 5:21pm
Post #10 of 80
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...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!
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DGHCaretaker
Rohan
May 9, 6:23pm
Post #11 of 80
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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)
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Junesong
Rohan
May 9, 7:06pm
Post #13 of 80
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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."
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
May 9, 7:19pm
Post #14 of 80
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There just isn't much story there to work with.
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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
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
May 9, 7:28pm
Post #15 of 80
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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)
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cats16
Half-elven
May 9, 8:04pm
Post #16 of 80
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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!
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cats16
Half-elven
May 9, 8:06pm
Post #17 of 80
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Perhaps I misread the announcement
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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!
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
May 9, 8:11pm
Post #18 of 80
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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.
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
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Annael
Immortal
May 9, 8:46pm
Post #19 of 80
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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
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CuriousG
Half-elven
May 9, 10:07pm
Post #20 of 80
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The Hunt for Gollum, Part 7: Jar Jar Binks Awakens. //
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
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May 9, 10:11pm
Post #21 of 80
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If that's not enough to get the trebuchet out, I don't know what is. /
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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
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CuriousG
Half-elven
May 9, 10:14pm
Post #22 of 80
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Viggo as Gandalf--I would like to see that!
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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.
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DGHCaretaker
Rohan
May 9, 10:28pm
Post #23 of 80
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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.
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Lissuin
Valinor
May 9, 11:04pm
Post #24 of 80
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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  ).
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
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