If, like us, you have been repeatedly watching the new The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trailer over the last couple of days, you may have noticed something surprising at the end. In the second screen of credits, right after Tolkien’s name, the screenwriters are credited: ‘Screenplay by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson’. That’s it; unlike in the credits for An Unexpected Journey, Guillermo del Toro is not credited as a screenwriter for this second movie. (Not in this trailer, at any rate…)
What this means is anyone’s guess. We know of course that del Toro worked long and hard on the screenplays for the movies when he was in position as the films’ director. At that time the plan was for only two movies; it seems hard to imagine, however, that it would be possible to extricate del Toro’s contributions to the scripts to such an extent that it could safely be said that he had NO hand in the screenplay for Desolation of Smaug. Further, del Toro suggested that he would continue to be a part of the screenwriting even after he had left the movies as director; he wrote on TORn’s messageboards, ‘The writing team of PJ,FW,PB and myself will keep moving the screenplays forward.’ (See his post here.)
Perhaps it is simply that the film makers were only contractually obliged to acknowledge del Toro’s contributions in the credits for one movie; movie studios are sticklers for what’s in the contract! Perhaps del Toro himself asked only to be credited in the first movie - wishing the role he played to be acknowledged but also perhaps wanting to move forward from the project, having made that very difficult decision to leave Middle-earth behind. Perhaps, as for An Unexpected Journey, he will be credited at the end of the movie as ‘Project Consultant’. Perhaps he will again be credited as a writer on the third movie, There and Back Again. We’ll have to wait and see; meanwhile, it’s just one of those things which make you go, ‘Hmmm….’
In the wake of the release of the Desolation of Smaug trailer last night (if you haven’t seen it yet, you can check it out here, read the reactions of our staff here, and see some new high-resolution stills here), here’s a few snippets of interesting news for everyone!
Some you might have already read, some may be an eye opener. (more…)
Coinciding with the release of the teaser for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Warner Bros. has released eight high-resolution stills taken from the trailer.
The choices seem to provide a bit of direction as to the key protagonists and antagonists for the forthcoming film, although one notes in passing that some of the trailer’s key characters (Thranduil and Smaug) don’t get a look in. Food for thought. Check the photos below and click for full-resolution versions. (more…)
The Desolation of Smaug trailer is here. And if you haven’t caught it already, head here right now to see all two minutes and nine seconds full of elves, dwarves, wizards, goblins and, of course, one pesky dragon. What do we think? Well, read on to find out what our staff think of this first trailer for Desolation of Smaug — the good, the bad and the dragon-y.
Click the image to check out a few quick screencaps
Deej
I was amazed they showed as much of Smaug as they did; was thinking we might just see a shadow or an eye again. The line “Was that an earthquake?” “That, my lad, was a dragon.” gave me CHILLS. I loved seeing Lake Town, although was hoping we’d see the Mayor. In short: Loved, loved, LOVED this trailer. I think I’m actually more excited for this film than I was for the first, if that’s possible!
Magpie
I loved the butterflies, I was hoping we’d see them. I loved the scale, especially that shot where they’re climbing up a huge statue. I loved Balin’s line, ‘that, my lad, is a dragon’.
Like many trailers, this was was cut into awfully fast edits and I have trouble tracking and processing the visuals. At a few points, things looked a little on the cartoonish side of CG animation. That might be ironed out by time the film hits the theaters.
I’m not hating Tauriel. I like a kick ass, opinionated woman and I think I can bump out a spot in my brain for her character. I *am* having a hard time not seeing her as Kate Austen from LOST and I got pretty annoyed with LOST so I have to fight that tendency to associate her with the tv show. I’ll work on it.
Garfeimao
We see the Dwarves rolled out of the Elven hall in barrels (tops off, landing sideways in the water, yipes) and head down the river, and then we see several Elves chasing them from the treetops. So it seems their escape is not quote so mysterious. Ginormous bear (Beorn?) trying to get into the wooden hall belonging to Beorn was cool.
What on Earth is Bilbo doing walking around on clinking gold coins while Smaug is still at home? While we see him, I’m wondering if that is a dramatic device so we know where he is, with the understanding he is invisible to Smaug. Either way, loose gold coins are noisy, so he loses the advantage there. Tis a mystery to me. BTW, Smaug’s head searching for him is rather cool, and very unexpected.
Entmaiden
I love the feeling of dread at the beginning. Bilbo’s adventure is about to get a lot darker, and Thorin will realize that he’s taken on a huge task, one that affects not just the dwarves but the people of Laketown. Love the butterflies, and the barrels. Was that Beorn???? Smaug is going to be AMAZING.
Justin
UGH. they showed the dragon. Now we get to judge it. Looks like a raptor. No thrill in its reveal. It’s Gandalf the White’s reveal all over again.
Elessar
It looks like Azog and his Orcs attack the same place Tauriel is at in one sequence. I wonder if we will see one of them take the other one out?
Sarumann
First of all, I loved that we got to see such a clear shot of Smaug (well, his head at least). It does feel like a lot of gravity is being put on the dwarves’ quest, and that other characters are reading a lot more into returning to Erebor than was ever said in the book. I love the look of Mirkwood, and Bilbo poking his head out of the trees is beautiful. I’m more curious than ever to see Gandalf and Radagast investigating the Necromancer and Dol Guldur. Can’t wait for December!
ImladrisRose
I loved the trailer except for the fact that we saw SMAUG. I agree with Justin, Smaug looks like a raptor and now everyone can pick it apart. I LOVED seeing Bard! Although I have been annoyed with the idea of Legolas being in these movies I got all sorts of excited seeing his character in the trailer and am now really looking forward to seeing some elven/dwarven friction on the big screen again in the form of some Legolas/Gimli-esque banter. Loved Balin’s line at the end!! I cringed at the sight of the Pale Orc.. Hopefully they end his story line early on because he annoys me so… Barrels out of Bond!! Loved seeing a few clips of that, as well as Bilbo with the butterflies!!
Happy dancing all day now after this!
Elessar
I loved the trailer! It gave me goosebumps for sure. I loved seeing Mirkwood and Thranduil halls that was some great looking stuff. I was curious to see some action of Legolas and Tauriel. You get plenty of that here in this and I think both are going to be excellent additions to the movie. I loved the scene of Tauriel urging Legolas that they need to get involved in things. I think helps make why Legolas ends up in The Fellowship even more powerful and as Deej mentioned its a bit like the Merry/Pipping moment. Balin’s line about it being a dragon and not an earthquake was great. I actually was glad to see a bit more of Smaug to be honest. His head looks great but what I want to know is Bilbo wearing the ring or not.
Demosthenes
Dear Peter
Trailer very underwhelming. What was that awful lizard at the end? Think John Howe may have been ripping off his old Glaurung sketches (not his best work, tbh) a bit much. Some nice bits, mostly the scenery. Still, if I wanted scenery porn I’d go watch Samsara.
Also, WTH with massive extended close-up of Lee Pace’s eyebrows? I didn’t realise this was a fetish film. Now understand I was analysing everything wrongly and respectfully request more lingering closeups on the redhead.
Regards and etc.
The resident crank.
Quickbeam
This teaser has a HEAVY emphasis on Elves, Elves, Elves! True, we had nothing but wall-to-wall Dwarves in the first film; and now the filmmakers are seemingly delighted to show us a rich, rewarding glimpse into another culture. Lee Pace’s Elvenking delivers fantastic narration (perhaps another reason we don’t hear Benedict Cumberbatch’s voice as the fire-drake) and his son Legolas brings all the Orly fans back into full Bloom.
Quite EXCITING to see all those grand purple butterflies, the snout of Beorn bursting through, the barrel-riding escape on white-water rapids (with Elves chasing & shooting!), Dol Guldur revisited, and a last, lingering shot of *Smaug* turning that corner just like the Cave Troll did in the Chamber of Mazarbul…. Bard has an ominous line but I was also expecting at least one ominous line from no-show Galadriel. Overall a very successful teaser!
Much too hasty, Quickbeam
ButtonLady
I loved seeing the dragon, yet I still wonder if I *should* have seen it. Sooo glad the bit with the butterflies is in there, but a little sad about NOT seeing the thrush – which signifies so much. When Legolas gets the drop of the spider-webbed dwarves, doesn’t Mirkwood look a little…bright? Didn’t recognize Beorn the Bear at first – thought he was a dog. I think Tauriel will be the words of wisdom in Legolas’s head that will help him GROW into a person who can disagree with his father.
At 1:25 – why is Thorin so mad at the camerman?
Linuxelf
The trailer is awesome. Regarding the the white knives, Legolas had those in LOTR too. Interesting to see Legolas and Tauriel together and alone. Trailer is definitely focused on the elves this time around. Seeing Smaug was cool thankfully not too much of a reveal.
The dwarves must be at the hidden door because they are walking on the statues outside Erebor. Not happy seeing the pale orc again this time attacking the elves. The hand which we’ve seen holding family portrait previously could be Legolas.
No necromancer footage, could the pale orc be the main bad guy again? Also we don’t see Smaug attacking Lake-town. Fighting orcs while in barrels is interesting, could the orcs and the elves be hunting them?
Grammaboodawg
I love how they ended the DOS trailer the same way they ended the AUJ trailer. AUG with Bilbo looking up at Gollum hovering overhead, and here with Smaug moving in on him. I think they’ve left Smaug’s full appearance for the film’s release. Here we have a shadow of him… like we had when Gollum was first spotted in the FotR trailer in Moria 12 years ago!
AinuLaire
Who’s that speaking, who is that speaking– oh hey, that’s Thranduil, he sounds pretty cool… oh hey look, Elves, elves, more elves… oh, Tauriel, she’s not kissing anyone, that’s good… are the Elves shooting at the Dwarves? SPIDER. Oh hey Bard sounds a bit like Legolas… oh my goodness that’s a dragon’s head, I cannot believe that’s a dragon’s head.
Calisuri
Enjoyed it a lot – and very much looking forward to a scene stealing performance from Lee Pace! Smaug looks insanely large and love the line from Balin at the secret door. I very much like how BIG Beorn in Bear form is as well. That will be critical in the final film. Let’s just hope his human counterpart is done as well!
Kili and Fili
Get the TORn Peter’s Dragon t-shirt!
Now that you’ve seen his version of the dragon get the official TheOneRing Peter’s Dragon t-shirt!
And remember: TORn is entirely volunteer run (none of us get paid!). When you buy a t-shirt, all the profits go to help TORn pay for equipment upgrades and hosting costs.
Now this is some proper poster art. Fresh off the presses, enjoy this great teaser poster for The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug.
One observation, could Bilbo be on the Ravenhill? Though, perhaps it’s too close for that.
Plus now we know for certain, the teaser trailer will debut on Tuesday, June 11th, at 10am PDT (1pm EDT)! (Editor’s note: it does say PST in the original post, but I am going to assume that is a typo.)
If you’re not sure what time that is in your area, we’ve done up this little Event Announcer so you can look it up!
A first-time anonymous source informs TheOneRing.net that the Hobbit trailer will debut on Youtube on June 12.
Our anonymous tipster’s news seems to be reinforced by this story that popped up just a couple hours earlier on The Lebanese Cinema Movie Guide. (more…)
We’ve been waiting and waiting for some official word on the first trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Rumours have persistently indicated it would debut on around June 14, potentially attached to Man of Steel.
Now, finally, the British Board of Film Classification has given its stamp of approval for the next Hobbit trailer. (more…)
Spanish Tolkien website El Anillo Único is reporting that a teaser for The Desolation of Smaug will begin showing in theatres in Spain from January 4.
UPDATE: A few readers have informed us that December 28 is a traditional day of pranks (Called inocentadas) and jests in Spain in a similar way to April Fool’s Day. So best to take a huge grain of salt with this one. Well, that’s a bit of a pity.
To try and make up for the disappointment, here’s an animated GIF of Smaug’s eye. (more…)
For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, Warner Bros. made TV spot #12 available on their facebook page today. This spot is mostly a re-shuffling of previously seen footage, but we do catch a glimpse of wargs being ridden and Gandalf striking the ground with his glowing staff. The length of this TV spot is similar to most of the others, weighing in at 34 seconds. This is just the thing to get you through to the movie openings which start in less than 48 hours! Have a look.
Another TV spot for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey just became available on the Warner Bros. Hobbit facebook page. TV Spot #11, is 34 seconds long and includes even more new Riddles in the Dark footage at the beginning, plus Andy Serkis’ chilling delivery of the the line “Time’s up,” at the end. More dwarf vs. Goblin footage can also be seen in this action packed TV commercial. Enjoy!
TV spot no. 10 has now officially been made available on Warner Bros. facebook page. For those of you (like me) who may have lost track of which spot number 10 is, exactly, it has a bit of new footage of the Riddles in the Dark scene between Bilbo and Gollum in the middle, and new footage of Galadriel and Gandalf towards the end. The total length of this spot is 34 seconds. Enjoy!
Ringer Shemril is responsible for this tantalising fan-made compilation of all The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey trailers and TV spots re-ordered to present a possible (and undoubtedly debatable) running sequence.
Shemril compiled the seven-and-a-half-minute sequence from the Announcement trailer, Announcement trailer (G), Trailer 1, TV Spot 1 – 7, UK 1 minute TV spot, Japanese 1 minute TV Spot. He notes that the audio can be choppy in places as original trailer background music overlaps much of the dialogue. (more…)
What this means is anyone’s guess. We know of course that del Toro worked long and hard on the screenplays for the movies when he was in position as the films’ director. At that time the plan was for only two movies; it seems hard to imagine, however, that it would be possible to extricate del Toro’s contributions to the scripts to such an extent that it could safely be said that he had NO hand in the screenplay for Desolation of Smaug. Further, del Toro suggested that he would continue to be a part of the screenwriting even after he had left the movies as director; he wrote on TORn’s messageboards, ‘The writing team of PJ,FW,PB and myself will keep moving the screenplays forward.’ (See his post here.)
In the wake of the release of the Desolation of Smaug trailer last night (if you haven’t seen it yet, you can check it out 
A first-time anonymous source informs TheOneRing.net that the Hobbit trailer will debut on Youtube on June 12.
