Confirmed: ‘Hobbit’ filming resumes Monday
Peter Jackson talks to Graham McTavish while Martin Freeman, dressed as Bilbo Baggins, looks on.
Benedict Cumberbatch in the Star Trek franchise.
Archive for the ‘Benedict Cumberbatch’ Category
WSJ: Enter the Dragon, Tolkien-Style
Mention Smaug, the classic storybook dragon of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” and a ray of delight flickers across Benedict Cumberbatch’s pale eyes.
Smaug, “a most specially greedy, strong and wicked worm” of Tolkien lore, is for many children their first encounter with fire-breathing, scaly dragons. “First one for me,” Cumberbatch is quick to add. “My dad read the book to me and it was a bedtime treat if I had done well. If I had been a good boy, I’d get two chapters as opposed to maybe one or none if I had been really bad.”
As his father, actor Timothy Carlton, brought the colorful characters of “The Hobbit” to life, a film played out in young Cumberbatch’s mind – decades before he would be cast as Smaug in Peter Jackson’s own film “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” [Read More]
Posted in Benedict Cumberbatch, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, The HobbitPopcorn Taxis Hobbit Q&A with Richard Armitage
To celebrate the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Australia on May 1st, Popcorn Taxi had a special showing of the film with a Q&A session with Richard Armitage. RingerSpy and long time message board member, Deleece Cook aka Elven, was lucky enough to attend and sent us the following report on the night.
Posted in Benedict Cumberbatch, Cast Q&A, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Director news, DVD/Blu-Ray, Elijah Wood, Events, Fans, Film Screenings, Graham McTavish, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, Ian McKellen, John Howe, Martin Freeman, Mikael Persbrandt, Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Press Conferences, Richard Armitage, Shop, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyTORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – April 22, 2013
Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!
Crave Online talks with Martin Freeman
Australian DVD and Blu-ray retailer Crave Online chats with Martin Freeman about his personal history with J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy series, how the ending of An Unexpected Journey changed when the film split from two films into three, and Andy Serkis’s first turn behind the camera as Peter Jackson’s 2nd Unit Director.
On the script: “[Jackson] knows this world — as far as a filmmaker is concerned — better than anybody else in the world. I knew it would be good… and then I got the script and it was good. But we didn’t get the second script until way into shooting. Because they like to work on it and work on it. There’s no way they’re going to show you anything… I mean Like most writers, actually, they don’t want to show you their baby until they’re really, really happy with it. They’re no exception.”
On the original final scene of An Unexpected Journey: “The ending visual was the same. Smaug’s eye opening — it was the same. I loved that ending as a visual thing. But more had happened up to that point.”
On the casting of “Sherlock” co-star, Benedict Cumberbatch: “I saw his picture in the production office, and was, like ” yeah, that would really, really work”. And I knew he really wanted to do it. Because when we went up for it, we both went on tape for The Hobbit at the same time while we were shooting the first series of Sherlock. He read for Smaug. and that was Benedict’s childhood book, so he was delighted.”
Posted in Andy Serkis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Hobbit Movie, Martin Freeman, The HobbitTotal Film interviews Benedict Cumberbatch re: Smaug
Our friends at Total Film have interviewed Benedict Cumberbatch regarding doing motion capture for his role as Smaug in the Hobbit movies. From the interview: ““It’s very freeing, once you put the suit on and the sensors. I’ve never felt less encumbered, actually. And you have to be. You have to be free.” Just how does one move like a dragon? There certainly aren’t many real life examples one can observe. (Here’s putting in an early vote for a Benedict/Smaug mocap extra on the DVD set). Benedict also revealed to Total Film that: “I think my eye will open at the end of the first film, and then you’ll get the rest of me in the second.” Read more…
Benedict Cumberbatch drops more Hobbit hints
Benedict Cumberbatch who plays Smaug and the voice of the necromancer seems to be doing the interviews rounds and dropping some Hobbit spoilers this time to Anne Richardson from CumberbatchWeb: highlight text below for spoilers:
There has been a lot of debate of when “An Unexpected Journey” will split for film two “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” Cumberbatch teased with this hinter on when to expect to see Smaug it appears that it could be as early as the end of the first film:
“I think my eye might open at the end of the first film and then you’ll get the rest of me in the second,” he said.
This would lead credence to the fact the second film could be called The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug. The quote however was revealed before it was announced before the announcement of the third Hobbit movie. [Read more]
Posted in Benedict Cumberbatch, Casting Rumors, Characters, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, The HobbitThe Telegraph speaks with Benedict Cumberbatch
Benjamin Secher of The Telegraph recently interviewed Benedict Cumberbatch. In today’s online edition, the Tele published a wide-ranging story where Cumberbatch speaks at length about his career to date, and his latest effort as a “repressed civil servant” in Parade’s End.
We get a bit more information on Smaug in The Hobbit, and how Cumberbatch played the role. For those just keen on reading Hobbit spoilers, highlight the bit just below!
“Filming The Hobbit brought challenges of a different kind. Although he plays two roles, a necromancer and Smaug (a fantastical villain he describes with undisguised glee as ‘a 400-year-old fire-breathing worm who lives in the middle of a mountain on top of a pile of gold, who is three or four times bigger than the Empire State Building and can fly’), he barely encountered any other members of the cast. He worked on his scenes with the director, Peter Jackson, shooting against a green screen while wearing a motion-capture suit. ‘It’s sort of a grey all-in-one jumpsuit, with a skullcap, a Madonna headset and Aboriginal-like face paint,’ he explains. ‘You feel like a tit in all that gear but Peter is so lovely you soon forget.’ ”
[More]
Posted in Benedict Cumberbatch, Hobbit Movie, Rumors Spy NewsCumberbatch narrates 2012 Olympics BBC feature
Benedict Cumbatch the voice of Smaug and staring as the Necromancer in The Hobbit films, helps kick-off the BBC‘s coverage off the 2012 Olympic Games in this short feature.
Posted in Benedict Cumberbatch, Events, Other EventsStorytime with Peter Jackson reassures and puzzles!
In December last year, I declared the first trailer a study in character.
Introducing and differentiating thirteen different dwarves to a wider audience most likely unfamiliar with the Hobbit and its ultra-beardy cast was critical for Peter Jackson. So Jackson used an entire trailer for the task.
But, because that trailer was so light on plot, we’ve been wondering ever since what degree of fidelity the story will possess and exactly how it might unfold.
The EW storybook addresses this at a single stroke. EW isn’t calling it a storybook, but that’s what Jackson has created. A gorgeously illustrated storybook that guides us through the key points of The Hobbit.
Read on for a spoiler-filled scene-by-scene review of The Hobbit — storytime with Peter Jackson! (more…)
Posted in Adam Brown, Aidan Turner, Andy Serkis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Graham McTavish, Headlines, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, Hobbit Movie Rumors, Ian McKellen, James Nesbitt, Luke Evans, Mark Hadlow, Martin Freeman, Mikael Persbrandt, Peter Hambleton, Peter Jackson, Richard ArmitageBenedict Cumberbatch visits the zoo for inspiration
In an recent interview with InStyle magazine, Benedict Cumberbatch said he visited
the London Zoo to study the reptiles in preparation for his role as Smaug the dragon.
“It’s an extrapolation of a performance into something other than an actor. But essentially, you’re still doing a scene.”
Cumberbatch who also stars in the up-coming Star Trek 2 and plays Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock says that his acting parents helped him learn the importance of professionalism.
In other Cumberbatch news, apparently he’s also landed a small guest spot on the Simpsons. Its been recorded, but no word yet on when it might air, or what the part involved.
[The zoo visit] | [The Simpson's spot]
Posted in Benedict Cumberbatch, Casting Rumors, Characters, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, Miscellaneous, The Hobbit
Total Film Reveals Hobbit Romance Spoiler in their Summer 2012 Future 100
‘Hobbit Romance.’ Yup! We knew it was going to show up somewhere.
Before we get to the spoiler fun, Total Film has named six ‘Hobbit‘ actors as part of their Summer 2012 Future 100: Aidan Turner (Kili), Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel), Martin Freeman (Bilbo), Richard Armitage (Thorin), Luke Evans (Bard) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug/Necromancer).
We’ve attached a scan from the magazine for your viewing pleasure. (Courtesy of richardarmitagenet.com)
So now for the spoiler…highlight the text to read the details: (or if for some reason you can see text below, stop reading!)
“Kili’s part has been expanded from the novel; as well as chasing treasure, he’s also pursuing female elf Tauriel. But is he setting his sights too high? ‘I guess he knows nothing can ever happen,’ he explains. ‘She’s about 20ft tall and he’s only two!’”
So there you have it – at least one hint at how romance may play a part in The Hobbit! [TotalFilm]
Posted in Aidan Turner, Benedict Cumberbatch, Casting Rumors, Evangeline Lilly, Headlines, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, Luke Evans, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, The Hobbit, TheOneRing.net Community