  Why Dain and Connolly is good news for ‘Hobbit’ fans
Here in the underground labyrinth that serves as TORn’s offices (with doors leading to L.A., Atlanta, Kenosha and Wellington among other places) a big sigh of relief could audibly heard. Dain II Ironfoot will be included; a talented actor, somebody who already looks like a Middle-earth dwarf, and is a skilled performer will be handling the role. Awesome. We have full confidence in Connolly — who is best known for his comedy — in what might be inspired casting. His credibility comes from small, dramatic roles (The Last Samurai) which he handles just fine but more from independent films, playing larger parts and lead roles, giving him a lot of experience in front of the camera. General audiences may only think of comedy (and there may be plenty of that in The Hobbit anyway) but they should recognize his considerable talent. Much more central the sigh of relief was the clarity that the Dain character is in. The complete absence of this important dwarven hero from news or casting announcement was a genuine concern among those trying to piece everything together. It was a glaring omission.  Discuss »More about Billy Connolly, Casting Rumors, Characters, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit Local News Coverage – Casting UpdateCheck out these two video clips from local coverage of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit casting Billy Connolly as Dain Ironfoot, cousin of Thorin Oakenshield. His character is set to appear in both movies and this casting announcement completes the official cast. [Complete Cast] [Hobbit Section] TV One News Report Billy Connolly Joins The Hobbit Cast! Official Release
In the films, Connolly (“The Last Samurai,” “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”) will play Dain Ironfoot, a great dwarf warrior and cousin of Thorin Oakenshield. Peter Jackson welcomed the news of Connolly to Middle-earth: “We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of Dwarves, than Billy Connelly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of “The Hobbit” is now complete. We can’t wait to see him on the Battlefield!” NUREMBERG 2012: Now Ravensburger signs The Hobbit and Lord of the RingsWarner Bros. Consumer Products has partnered with Ravensburger, for the upcoming films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, productions of New Line Cinema and MGM, as well as The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Under the terms of the agreement, Ravensburger has the rights to produce 2D and 3D puzzles and card games based on the two films being directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, with product on shelves in time for the December 2012 film release and for The Hobbit: There and Back Again that will follow in December 2013. The licence also covers The Lord of the Rings trilogy – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. More.. TV Watch: Bret McKenzie Is An Oscar Nom AND Tolkien Elf!Bret McKenzie is a young man, and his bucket list is almost complete. A speculative look: The end of the first ‘Hobbit’ film?
The production and the team adapting the book can’t be blamed for playing things close to the vest; the book, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, is so well known that they need to keep their secrets so film fans can be surprised by something when they head to the cinema this December for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. With that in mind, there are speculative spoilers ahead and you have been warned. The media, while writing a lot about the films, haven’t looked at the structure of these films too carefully. Today’s digital media environment often gets more clicks from a new still photo than it does from more complex content that requires more patience and so topics at the very core of these two films often get glossed over and ignored. But not here in The Hobbit countdown! Here we skip past the catch phrase and empty headlines and peer a little deeper into news, rumors, lore and subterfuge to dredge up the best speculation and theory about just where the two films might break, a question that comes up in nearly any Hobbit conversation. Here are five of the most common and best-defended theories: Read the rest at Movies.com Discuss »More about Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, Locations Sets, Peter Jackson, Rumors Spy News, The Hobbit Official ‘You Shall Not Pass’ T-Shirt at WBShop.com
TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – February 5, 2012
Hobbit in 5 – Evangeline Lilly talks Tauriel, Peter Jackson and “West of Memphis”Discuss »More about Evangeline Lilly, Hobbit Movie, New Zealand, Peter Jackson, PJ's Other Films, The Hobbit, TORN TV Sylvester McCoy Talks HobbitMartin writes: Sylvester McCoy talks The Hobbit in new interview. More.. TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – January 29, 2012
New Hobbit Photo: Bifur, Dwalin, Bilbo, Bofur, Oin
Thanks to Ringer Wanderer for sending in this link! MovieTalk at Yahoo! Movies has an exclusive new photo from ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,’ hidden in an article discussing Evangeline Lilly’s role as Tauriel. Enjoy! [Yahoo!] |
 
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Los Angeles, CA—February 8, 2012—Billy Connolly is joining the cast of Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic “The Hobbit.” The announcement was made today by Jackson, who directed all three “The Lord of the Rings” films and is currently in production on “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” with the films shooting back-to-back in New Zealand.
