   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!” Don’t forget – TORn Tuesday hosts Sean Astin LIVE Tonight!
Sean will be talking about his latest projects — including his special endurance/fitness project Run3rd to promote the sport of running as he gears up to run his third LA Marathon. (If you’re already curious, hit up his official Twitter account!) Plus, he’ll be answering your questions! If you’re wondering how it all works, and how to submit a question for Sean, please read on below! TORn Tuesday hosts Sean Astin this week!
Astin — actor, director, voice artist and producer — is, of course, best known to Tolkien fans as Sam Gamgee in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, but has also made his mark in a career spanning more than 70 films roles, including The Goonies, Toy Soldiers, 50 First Dates and as the indomitable, never-say-die working class hero of Rudy. He’s played a recurring guest role in the TV series 24 and has written and directed two short films — the academy award nominated Kangaroo Court and The Long And the Short Of It. And at this week’s TORn Tuesday, he’ll be talking about his latest projects — including his special endurance/fitness project Run3rd to promote the sport of running as he gears up to run his third LA Marathon. (If you’re already curious, hit up his official Twitter account!) Plus, he’ll be answering your questions! If you’re wondering how it all works, and how to submit a question for Sean, please read on below! LA Times: New Pic of Martin Freeman as Bilbo Surfaces – The naming of Sting?
*SPOILERS* The LA Times Hero Complex column has a new pic of Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.’ And while the pic is amazing…it seems to capture almost exactly the following moment from The Hobbit book: (Chapter 8 : Flies and Spiders)
The naming of Sting!! Can’t wait to see more images. For the full LA Times article, please follow the link. And thanks to Ringer John for sending us the heads up. [Read more] [Full Res Image] TheOneRing.net Top 20 Stories of 2011
Why the Hobbit trailer is a test of character
There’s some justification for that: Jackson and his minions need to introduce a core cast of 15. That’s a lot of different people that the audience has to invest in… and differentiate between. (Before you read on, I must warn you: this is inevitably a spoiler-filled discussion) Nine ultra-cool tidbits we were denied in the teaser trailerWe all know lists are ridiculously subjective. Ever tried to come up with your top four-and-a-half music albums of all time? Or your three favourite sightings of the Yeti? I bet they have no resemblance to mine. So, in the spirit of that sort of subjectivity, here are nine things we were denied in the trailer that I reckon would have been really cool to see. Have a “Hobbity” Holiday!Yes, it’s a bit odd, but we find it jolly! From TheOneRing.net to you, we wish you the very best of holidays. Enjoy! First Hobbit trailer: TORn’s frame-by-frame analysis
Find the trailer online at Apple.com and TheHobbit.com. The following screen caps and commentary are not confirmed and only speculation by the staff at TheOneRing.net. And a special note: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! And Click the images to see larger versions  Discuss »More about Adam Brown, Aidan Turner, Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett, Creations, Fans, Headlines, Hobbit Movie, Ian McKellen, James Nesbitt, John Callen, Ken Stott, Luke Evans, Make the Hobbit Happen, Mark Hadlow, Martin Freeman, Peter Hambleton, Peter Jackson, Richard Armitage, Rumors Spy News, Stephen Fry, Stephen Hunter, The Hobbit Revealing Tweets peg John Bell as Bain, Bard’s sonThanks to Ringer Gaer Carreg for doing some digging and sending in this Oct 6th exchange between the official twitter accounts of actor John Bell and Luke Evans.:
Of course nothing is official until Peter Jackson updates us on his Facebook, but I think its safe to call this one: John Bell will play Bain, Son of Bard. [View Exchange] [Full Cast Listing] [Official John Bell Twitter] [Official Luke Evans Twitter] The New York Times is also listing John as Bain in their official cast listing here. Discuss »More about Casting Rumors, Headlines, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, Luke Evans, Production, The Hobbit LEGO Lands ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’
LEGO fans rejoice! LEGO has secured the rights to develop build-and-play construction sets based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit! Check out the release below. They’ve even set up an official site for the line at TheLordoftheRings.LEGO.com! (Thanks to Ringer Dayhiker for the heads up!) BURBANK, Calif., Dec. 16, 2011 — Warner Bros. Consumer Products and The LEGO Group announced today a partnership that awards the world’s leading construction toy brand exclusive rights to develop build-and-play construction sets based on THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ trilogy and the two films based on THE HOBBIT™. The multi-year licensing agreement grants access to the library of characters, settings, and stories for THE LORD OF THE RINGS property, as well as films The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. LEGO® THE LORD OF THE RINGS construction sets are slated for a rolling global launch beginning in June 2012 in the United States, with LEGO THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY scheduled for later in the year. Discuss »More about Collectibles, Fans, Headlines, Hobbit Movie, Lord of the Rings, LotR Movies, Merchandise, Studios, The Hobbit, Tolkien, Warner Bros. |
 
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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.
It is time to say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012 – a year in which we will not only see the first installment of The Hobbit, but also a year of some huge announcements from us here at TheOneRing.net! Below you will find links to the top 20 TheOneRing.net stories of 2011 based on popularity, visits and shares. We can’t say we are surprised to find that nearly all of the stories relate directly to Peter Jackson’s upcoming ‘The Hobbit‘ films, but a few LOTR specific stories manage to sneak in. Our resolution to you this year: Provide unique, relevant and exciting content inspired by the words and world of JRR Tolkien. Wishing you and years a very Happy New Year! Reminisce and enjoy!
There are many cool things and great moments in the teaser trailer that finally came out just a week and half ago. But, 
On December 20th 2011 at approximately 10pm ET/7pm PT, Warner Brothers released the first official trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. What followed was a world of fans exploding in joy. We here at TheOneRing.net were equally giddy and now, after some time digesting, we offer our complete and detailed frame-by-frame look at the trailer.
