Today we’re taking a look at three young actors who are all from New Zealand, and for whom this project with Amazon could prove the magic touch, to get their careers off to a flying start.

Leon Wadham, Ian Blackburn, Anthony Crum are cast in The Lord of the Rings Series from Amazon
Leon Wadham, Ian Blackburn, Anthony Crum are cast in The Lord of the Rings Series from Amazon
Continue reading “Amazon Casting: Ian Blackburn, Anthony Crum, Leon Wadham”

Cliff and Justin are welcoming a very special guest to TORn Tuesday today – and they’re going live at an earlier time than usual, so they can have Dwalin himself, aka Graham McTavish, join them at the Scum and Villainy Cantina!

Amongst the many topics the conversation will undoubtedly cover, McTavish will be revealing more about his upcoming directorial debut, horror comedy This Guest of Summer. McTavish has described the film as ‘The Wicker Man meets Withnail & I’, in the style of some of the more camp 1970s Hammer Horror films! Part of the funding for the movie is being raise by crowdfunder, and there are some amazing Hobbit related perks on the Indiegogo campaign. Weta artist Daniel Falconer is creating a new, original illustration of McTavish as Dwalin, which will be mounted and framed along with a golden coin from Smaug’s lair – taken from the set of the movie! This extraordinary, unique piece – which will of course be signed by Falconer and McTavish – could be yours, to hang on your wall and be the envy of your fellow fans!

There are also hardback editions of The Hobbit to be had – signed by McTavish, Adam Brown, Aidan Turner and Ian McKellen! Plus other items signed by Hobbit actors. The campaign only has FOUR days left to run, so head over there now and grab yourself an incredible collectible!

And tune in at 12noon PT today to see McTavish chatting with Cliff and Justin!

I feel it in the water… I smell it in the air. The beast has emerged from its lair, and DragonCon is here again! Here’s what you can expect from Middle-earth fandom, and from TheOneRing.net, this weekend:

We’ll have our usual ‘fan table’ in our normal spot, in the Hyatt hotel opposite the entrance to the Art Show. There we’ll have buttons and shirts for sale; here’s a glimpse of our merchandise for this year:

 

We’ll also have other goodies for you to look at, maybe a few giveaways, and we’ll be happy as ever to chat with our fellow fans!

The High Fantasy track will be in L401-403 in the Marriott, and there are various panels which will be of interest to Tolkien fans; such as a discussion about The Inklings (Saturday 2.30pm), ‘Valar-ous Women of Middle-earth’ (Sunday 5.30pm), and TORn’s own ‘They’re taking the Hobbits to Amazon!’ panel (Sunday 4pm, in a bigger room – Marriott A601-602).

Then of course Friday night is the EVENING AT BREE! From 8.30pm in the Grand Salon West (Hilton), join us for music and revelry! Bands Toucan Dubh and Landloch’d will play, the Elf Choir will sing, and we’ll have the ever popular costume contest – possibly with a celebrity host or two…

(Don’t forget, if you want to sign up for the costume contest, you need to do it IN ADVANCE of the ‘Evening at Bree’. Go to the High Fantasy Track Room (Marriott L401-403) or visit the TORn fan table before 6pm on Friday to sign up to participate.)

Middle-earth celebrity guests this year are Graham McTavish (Dwalin), John Noble (Denethor), Dean O’Gorman (Fili), and Craig Parker (Haldir). On Sunday morning, 11.30am in the Marriott Imperial Ballroom, TORn staffer greendragon will be hosting these gentlemen in the ‘Heroes of Middle-earth’ session.

In addition to all that, there will be lots of Tolkien characters marching in the Parade on Saturday morning, and there will be all the usual opportunities to spend far too short a time among such excellent and admirable fans! Hope to see you there – let the fun begin!

A week or so ago, we reported that Graham McTavish (aka Dwalin) is going to be directing his first movie, a horror comedy called This Guest of Summer. He’ll be joined in it by fellow dwarf actors Adam Brown (Ori) and Dean O’Gorman (Fili), along with Graham’s Outlander chums Stephen Walters (Angus) and Duncan Lacroix (Murtagh).

Having promised to keep TORn in the loop (and let us have behind the scenes access when filming gets going!), Graham has been in touch to let us know the crowdfunder has passed the halfway mark!  They’ve also been adding many cool ‘perks’ along the way. For example, you (well, your photo!) could appear as part of the set dressing of the film. Or you could have a unique piece of art work created specially for you by a cast member (imagine if Dean O’Gorman wrote you a poem…!)  Or – in the ‘Grand Perk package’ – you could have a special guided tour of Hobbiton in New Zealand with Graham himself!

Here’s Graham to tell you a bit more about the film:

And this is what Dean O’Gorman has to say:

Check out the Indiegogo campaign here, show the lads your support, and see what goodies you might like to claim! And watch TORn for news as filming gets underway.

 

Exciting news for dwarf lovers! Graham McTavish, better known to Hobbit fans as Dwalin, is directing his first movie. McTavish will also appear in the film, and is joined by fellow dwarf actors Adam Brown (Ori) and Dean O’Gorman (Fili). Their director is roping in a few of his Outlander co-stars too, for good measure – actors Stephen Walters (Angus) and Duncan Lacroix (Murtagh) will also be along for the ride.

The film is called This Guest of Summer, and promises to be a very funny but dark horror-comedy. Here at TORn we’re especially pleased, as we’ve been promised behind the scenes access and info; and you too could be involved in this new project!  Whilst the independent film does have backing, McTavish and his team have taken it upon themselves to raise some of the budget – so they are crowd funding.

For as little as $10, you could be part of the effort to make this movie happen – and there are some VERY cool perks to be had! For $150, you could have one of the cast record your answer phone greeting for you – stun your friends when Dwalin answers their calls! Other perks include a chance to interview a cast member, or you could claim a piece of treasure from Smaug’s lair! A gold coin from the set of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit films could be yours – along with a photo of the three dwarves with said coin, which they will then send to you (if they can be persuaded to part with it…)

Check out the Indiegogo campaign here, and see what goodies you might like to claim! And watch TORn for news as this film gets underway.

 

dragoncon logoIt’s that time of year again, when about half a million people converge on downtown Atlanta for the geekfest that is DragonCon. And TheOneRing.net will of course be there! We can’t wait to see all our friends and to enjoy Middle-earth fun together.

Some of the things which will be happening:

TheOneRing will have a ‘fan table’, as ever, where staffers deej and greendragon will be hard at work! We’ll be in our usual location in the Hyatt hotel, opposite the entrance to the Art Show. Come by and check out the new buttons and two new tshirt designs we’ll be unveiling this year!

Continue reading “DragonCon is almost upon us! Sept 2-5, Atlanta GA”