Author Archive
July 1, 2013 at 11:09 am by greendragon
Ringer spy Hutt contacted us to tell us about an opportunity he had recently to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey screened in an exciting and appropriate setting – a cave up in the mountains! His original report, in Russian and with photos of the event, can be found here, at Henneth-Annun.ru. Below the break you will find the report in English. Many thanks to Hutt to sending it in.
What’s the most unusual location you’ve been to, on a journey to Middle-earth? Let us know in the comments!
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Posted in Events, Fans, Film Screenings, Hobbit Movie, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
June 29, 2013 at 11:39 am by greendragon
June 26th saw the presentation of the Saturn Awards in Burbank, California. These honours are awarded to movies and television shows by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, and this year Dan Hennah was awarded Best Production Design in the Film Awards for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Many congratulations to him from everyone here at TORn!
You can read the full list of Saturn Awards here.
Posted in Crew News, Dan Hennah, Hobbit Movie, Production, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
June 29, 2013 at 11:14 am by greendragon
Word reached us that Sir Ian McKellen shot his final scene as Gandalf on June 28th in Wellington, goodbye has also been said to Evangeline Lilly’s Tauriel, and now Orlando Bloom has finished his last day as Legolas. Somehow it feels like the end of an era; and of course the cast and crew want to celebrate the journey they’ve been on together. Peter Jackson posted this video – not tears but laughter as Legolas bids farewell! Also there’s some information about what Legolas might be doing in future films – SPOILER below the video!
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Posted in Evangeline Lilly, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Production, The Hobbit
June 26, 2013 at 12:15 pm by greendragon
Following up on their Desolation of Smaug edition (which comes out tomorrow, June 27th), Empire has revealed some juicy information from PJ et al about the upcoming An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition DVD and Blu-ray. We’re promised ‘some serious Dwarvish disrespect’, as well as ’more of Hobbiton … more Goblin Town … [and] things in the extended cut that are going to play straight into the second film … like this character Girion, who is defending Dale using black arrows against Smaug …’
You can read Empire Online’s full article here. Back when TORn interviewed Andy Serkis and James Nesbitt last March, they both had hopes for the Extended Edition. Serkis was hoping to see his children as hobbits in the Shire, while Nesbitt was hoping a song he sings at Bag End would make it in to that cut. Sounds like they just might be in luck – but we’ll have to wait and see!
Meanwhile, in the article in Empire’s Desolation of Smaug edition, TORn gets a mention! Peter Jackson is quoted as saying, ‘This will probably get me struck off The One Ring party list but I am enjoying deviating from the book!’ Rest assured PJ – you’ll always have an open invitation from us…
Posted in Blu-Ray, DVDs, Hobbit Movie, Merchandise, Production, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
June 19, 2013 at 9:27 am by greendragon
Last week we posted about the rating which has been given to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition. (You can read that story here.) As many of our messageboard users have noticed, websites such as Blu-ray.com are now giving November 12th of this year as the release date for this extended cut of the movie. According to Blu-ray.com, the Blu-ray 3D set will consist of seven discs – four Blu-ray and three DVD. However, the run time is listed as 169 minutes – which was the run time for the theatrical cut. Clearly, not all the information is out there yet! As soon as we have any official details to share, we’ll pass them along!
Posted in Blu-Ray, DVDs, Hobbit Movie, Merchandise, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
June 16, 2013 at 11:48 am by greendragon

A chance for Faramir, captain of Gondor, to give me a Father’s Day card…
Just wishing all our readers who are Dads – or who are the sons and daughters of Dads, so basically, everyone! – a Happy Father’s Day! Who’s your favourite father in Middle-earth? Sam Gamgee? Elrond? If only Treebeard hadn’t lost the Entwives, he could have made a great Dad! And who can forget Denethor’s impeccable parenting skills….?
Let us know your favourite parenting moments from Middle-earth in the comments. Hope everyone has a great day!
Posted in Calendar, Miscellaneous
June 14, 2013 at 10:41 am by greendragon

The Hobbit theatrical Blu-ray
We’ve known for a while that there would be an Extended Edition of
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Warner Bros.’ press release back in March, at the time of the release of the Theatrical Edition DVD and Blu-ray, said that the Extended Edition would be ‘available just in time for the holidays’. Now we’ve learned that this extended cut has been given a rating by The Motion Picture Association of America. Their bulletin (seen
here) gives the movie the same rating as it had in theatrical release, PG-13. But here’s the interesting part – in theatres, the PG-13 rating was for ‘intense fantasy action violence and frightening images.’ Here’s what the rating says for the extended version:
‘Rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, frightening images and fleeting nudity.’
‘… and fleeting nudity.’ Now that is something to ponder. A glimpse of the dwarves wrecking Bilbo’s bathroom? A scene where Bilbo leaves his house in such haste, he forgets more than his pocket handkerchief?! Being serious for a moment, what could this be? My best guess is some dwarvish high jinks; what do you think?
Thanks to ringer spies kirkempk and An anonymous Ringer for bringing this to our attention!
TORn Staffer Demosthenes adds:
I think there is one possibility from The Hobbit that could fit the situation of fleeting nudity — when the Company bathe and wash their clothes in the Anduin after the Eagles drop them at the Carrock.
After that they stopped pleading. Then they took off their clothes and bathed in the river, which was shallow and clear and stony at the ford. When they had dried in the sun, which was now strong and warm, they were refreshed, if still sore and a little hungry. Soon they crossed the ford (carrying the hobbit), and then began to march through the long green grass and down the lines of the wide-armed oaks and the tall elms.
Queer Lodgings — The Hobbit.
Posted in Blu-Ray, DVDs, Hobbit Movie, Merchandise, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
June 13, 2013 at 9:59 am by greendragon
If, like us, you have been repeatedly watching the new The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trailer over the last couple of days, you may have noticed something surprising at the end. In the second screen of credits, right after Tolkien’s name, the screenwriters are credited: ‘Screenplay by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson’. That’s it; unlike in the credits for An Unexpected Journey, Guillermo del Toro is not credited as a screenwriter for this second movie. (Not in this trailer, at any rate…)
What this means is anyone’s guess. We know of course that del Toro worked long and hard on the screenplays for the movies when he was in position as the films’ director. At that time the plan was for only two movies; it seems hard to imagine, however, that it would be possible to extricate del Toro’s contributions to the scripts to such an extent that it could safely be said that he had NO hand in the screenplay for Desolation of Smaug. Further, del Toro suggested that he would continue to be a part of the screenwriting even after he had left the movies as director; he wrote on TORn’s messageboards, ‘The writing team of PJ,FW,PB and myself will keep moving the screenplays forward.’ (See his post here.)
Perhaps it is simply that the film makers were only contractually obliged to acknowledge del Toro’s contributions in the credits for one movie; movie studios are sticklers for what’s in the contract! Perhaps del Toro himself asked only to be credited in the first movie - wishing the role he played to be acknowledged but also perhaps wanting to move forward from the project, having made that very difficult decision to leave Middle-earth behind. Perhaps, as for An Unexpected Journey, he will be credited at the end of the movie as ‘Project Consultant’. Perhaps he will again be credited as a writer on the third movie, There and Back Again. We’ll have to wait and see; meanwhile, it’s just one of those things which make you go, ‘Hmmm….’
Posted in Guillermo Del Toro, Hobbit Movie, Production, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Trailer
May 31, 2013 at 2:31 pm by greendragon
We know; the compulsion people feel to compare works of fantasy – and in particular, A Song of Ice and Fire with Tolkien’s Middle-earth tales – can get annoying. As writer Anne Hobson herself admits, ‘comparing the two masterpieces is in many ways “as useless as nipples on a breastplate,” as Tyrion Lannister would say…’ Nonetheless, many readers are fans of both George R R Martin and J R R Tolkien, and as both worlds are being brought to life at the moment - in the realms of television and cinema respectively – it is inevitable that comparisons will be drawn.
Hobson’s blog in ‘The American Spectator’ is an interesting piece, giving the subject careful thought. She suggests that there are core differences between the two writers, both in the origins of their creations and in their perceptions of morality. You can see what she had to say – and perhaps draw your own conclusions – here.
Posted in Hobbit Book, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, LotR Books, Miscellaneous, The Hobbit, Tolkien
May 31, 2013 at 1:57 pm by greendragon
It may only be the end of May, but many of us have already been thinking ahead to the end of the year, as we speculate about The Desolation of Smaug and wonder just how that dragon will look. Publishers HarperCollins are clearly thinking ahead too – it’s already possible to preorder their Tolkien Calendar 2014! This year the calendar features illustrations by British artist Jemima Catlin, and the ‘wicked worm’ himself takes pride of place on the cover. It’s great to see another take on the magnificent fellow!
Catlin is also the artist for a brand new illustrated edition of The Hobbit, which will be released this Fall and will contain 150 new, colour illustrations. More visual goodies from Middle-earth! You can preorder both the book and the calendar at Amazon – click on the links below!
[Pre-order Tolkien Calendar 2014] [Pre-order new Illustrated Hobbit]
Thanks to ringer spy Bomby for the heads up!
Posted in Books, Books Publications, Calendars, Calendars, Hobbit Book, Merchandise, Shop, The Hobbit, Tolkien
May 29, 2013 at 2:47 pm by greendragon
Here at TheOneRing.net we are of course huge Tolkien fans. We’re also fans of FANS – we really enjoy sharing the passion of other Middle-earth lovers! Recently we heard from film fan Brian Callahan, who, at his blog PSH for President, shared his thoughts about (as he puts it), ’Jackson’s role as a cinematic steward of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works.’ Here (after the break) is what he had to say:
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Posted in Creations, Fans, Hobbit Movie, Lord of the Rings, LotR Movies, The Hobbit
May 29, 2013 at 1:07 pm by greendragon
We may be too late for his birthday in New Zealand, but it’s still his day in some parts of the world! Amidst all the hard work going on in New Zealand just now, the Hobbit gang found time to celebrate Ori’s birthday – and co-star Stephen Hunter tweeted this great photo of some of the cast gathered for birthday fun! (After TORn retweeted Stephen’s pic, James Nesbitt and John Callen retweeted us! We’re all connected on one great big web; just like the dwarves in Mirkwood…)
Happy birthday to the dwarf who makes braids and chunky knits look good!
(Photo shows, left to right: Stephen Hunter (Bombur), James Nesbitt (Bofur), Dean O’Gorman (Fili), Mark Hadlow (Dori), Adam Brown (Ori) and Aidan Turner (Kili).)
Posted in Adam Brown, Aidan Turner, Dean O'Gorman, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, James Nesbitt, Mark Hadlow, Stephen Hunter, The Hobbit