Our message board members were quick to pick up on this very cool scrolling montage of pictures from the upcoming Hobbit movie over at Entertainment Weekly.com. What’s cool is there are new scenes we’ve never seen before. What’s even cooler is you can scroll over the pictures to get a closer look. Check it out and let us know what details *you* pick out on the very active thread in progress on our Hobbit discussion board! Read More…
Anton S. alerted us to an interview with Mikael Persbrandt in Swedish site MovieZine.se where he talks a little bit about his role as Beorn in The Hobbit.
Here’s the translation of the relevant bits that Anton sent along.
Posted in Characters, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, Mikael Persbrandt, The HobbitMovieZine: Are you finished filming the Hobbit?
Mikael P.: No, absolutely not. I’m going back there in February.MovieZine: Do you have a part in both films?
Mikael P.: Yes I have. The role is more or less what it is in the book. I’m not going to talk much more about it because they’ll get angry at me, but read the book and you see… and then maybe there is a little more.MovieZine: How is your character Beorn created? Make-up or some kind of motion-capture?
Mikael P.: As I said before I intended to survive the night. Otherwise I guess I’ll get a missile after me. It’s exciting to be a part of it. You’ll see later, its barley a year left until the premier in December.
The New Zealand Herald has written this
nice piece on ‘The Hobbit’ actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Mikael Persbrandt:
They might be leading men in their respective countries but it’s not their famous faces which have got them heading to New Zealand to join the cast of The Hobbit.
English actor Benedict Cumberbatch – best known as the latest television incarnation of Sherlock Holmes – will be motion captured as dragon Smaug as well as delivering the voice of Necromancer (later known as Sauron in The Lord of the Rings trilogy). The other, Swedish star Mikael Persbrandt, is already in the South Island playing Beorn, a shapeshifting mountain man who is sometimes a bear. While The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a career launchpad for many actors, both Cumberbatch and Persbrandt come to The Hobbit with established profiles. Read More…
Posted in Benedict Cumberbatch, Casting Rumors, Characters, Hobbit Movie, Mikael Persbrandt, Miscellaneous, The Hobbit
Anton writes: I have just read an older interview with actor Mikael Persbrandt, back from September 1, in the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter where they, among other things, asked him about his role as Beorn in the upcoming The Hobbit-films. I know that the interview isn’t up-to-date, but I still imagine that it’s a good read for Lotr-fans excepting the films. Once again I restrict myself to the things relating to the Hobbit and try to translate it all to the best of my ability. Now lets get on with it…
-“I try to act as him as if it all is a small drama; especially given the suit I’m going to wear.” Persbrandt replied on the question on how he’s going to act as Beorn, and he also apparently laughed after saying the thing about the suit. (more…)
Posted in Hobbit Movie, Mikael Persbrandt, The Hobbit
The Swedish Hobbit Blogger writes: Recently I noticed that the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet had conducted a long interview with Mikael Persbrandt, who will be portraying Beorn in The Hobbit, and, in this interview, they asked him about his current career in big budget productions like the upcoming The Hobbit-films and a film based on the fictional spy-character of Carl Hamilton. And this is what he said about The Hobbit and New Zealand, translated to the best of my ability of course.
”When I, during the first day, is hoisted up to the ceiling in the west King Kong Studio in Wellington I know what to do, even if it is a bit awkward and difficult to begin with a difficult torture scene. I knew and could even suggest things.” (more…)
Posted in Characters, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, Mikael Persbrandt, New Zealand, Peter Jackson, The HobbitOn this episode of Hobbit in 5, we talk about Peter Jackson’s latest production diary videos, show off the new trailer for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, introduce pictures for The Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard, look for crew accommodations in Piopio, NZ, and find out what Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis think about Mikael Persbrandt. We’ll also cover Thrain in our character study!
Thanks to our executive producers: Henry Tobin and Danielle Logan
Visit our new website – Rebekah has her own Facebook page now! Go check it out and “like” her! – Go like theOneRing.net on Facebook as well! – Peter Jackson’s Facebook Page – LOTR: War in the North – LOTRO: Rise of Isengard – Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis Swedish Interview
Posted in Andy Serkis, Characters, ComicCon, Conventions, Events, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, Mikael Persbrandt, New Zealand, Peter JacksonThe Swedish Hobbit Blogger writes: I read an article in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. the article was an interview with Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis in which they were asked what their opinions on the performance of Mikael Persbrandt had been so far. Roughly translated Peter Jackson said that “He has been amazing.” and that they will do more scenes when the current break is over. Serkis opinion, who also said that he; thus far, have only directed Persbrandt in was scene, was that the Swedish actor “Is Impressive.” Here is a link leading to the article I’m referring to.
Mikael Persbrandt is playing Beorn in both films.
Posted in Andy Serkis, Mikael Persbrandt, Peter JacksonIn a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit…
Wellington, NZ, March 21, 2011—Production has commenced in Wellington, New Zealand, on “The Hobbit,” filmmaker Peter Jackson’s two film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s widely read masterpiece.
“The Hobbit” is set in Middle-earth 60 years before Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”
The two films, with screenplays by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson, will be shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming will take place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.
“The Hobbit” follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. (more…)
Posted in Adam Brown, Aidan Turner, Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Elijah Wood, Events, Graham McTavish, Headlines, Hobbit Movie, Ian McKellen, James Nesbitt, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Martin Freeman, MGM, Mikael Persbrandt, New Line Cinema, New Zealand, Peter Hambleton, Peter Jackson, Production, Richard Armitage, Rob Kazinsky, Saoirse Ronan, Stephen Hunter, Sylvester McCoy, The Hobbit, Warner Bros., WETA Digital, WETA WorkshopOn this week’s episode of Hobbit in 5 we look at more ways to help New Zealand earthquake victims, Mikael Persbrandt wins and Oscar, more character studies, and Ringer Spy HobbitWatch gives us a glimpse of a very special Hobbit action sequence with Bilbo and the Dwarves. Hobbit in 5
Posted in Characters, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, Mark Hadlow, Mikael Persbrandt, New Zealand, Rumours Spy News, The Hobbit, TORN TV
You may have noticed in last night’s Oscar broadcast that the actor who will play Beorn in the upcoming ‘The Hobbit’ films, was the lead actor in ‘In a Better World,’ the film which one The Best Foreign Language Award. In the film, Mikael Persbrandt (who plays Anton) is a doctor who commutes between his home in an idyllic town in Denmark, and his work in a Sudanese refugee camp. Congrats to Mikael and the entire team involved with the film!
Our geeky Swedish message board member “macfalk” has pointed us to a couple of interviews with Mikael Persbrandt over at SVD.se concerning his role of Beorn in the upcoming Hobbit films.
A rough translation as provided by “macfalk” on our dedicated Hobbit Movie message board follows:
Posted in Characters, Director news, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Movie, Mikael Persbrandt, Peter Jackson, Production, The Hobbit, TolkienIn Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, Mikael Persbrandt plays Beorn, who has the ability of transforming himself into a bear. It was revealed that Tolkien was a childhood hero for Persbrandt.
“I read all the [Tolkien] books. I went to second-hand bookshops searching for the first “Bilbo books”. I was a fantasy geek. Jackson’s Tolkien-movies are absolutely magnificent. He’s the man. The whole project will be so exciting. It is about 700 people in the crew, I am to stand in a corner and try to be pliable.”
Persbrandt compares his role in The Hobbit to his first job as an extra for Ingemar Bergman, and the performance anxiety that occurs.
“I think I share that sense with many of the people in my profession, we never allow ourselves to be truly happy – instead, we begin thinking about the impacts. How am I as a bear? One start thinking about stuff like that instead of thinking that this could be damn fun.”
Photo by Craig Simcox for Dominion Post
Posted in Adam Brown, Aidan Turner, Graham McTavish, Hobbit Movie, James Nesbitt, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Martin Freeman, Mikael Persbrandt, New Zealand, Peter Hambleton, Richard Armitage, Rob Kazinsky, Stephen Hunter, The Hobbit
