Thorin_Oakenshield Fairfax entertainment reporter Giles Hardie visited the set of The Hobbit on the same two-day press junket that Dark Horizons, IGN and other media outlets went on.

His article is a bit of a fluff piece, and probably doesn’t divulge much that’s new to regular TORn readers, but the bit about McKellen preferring to not reprise his roles is certainly interesting.


Benedict Cumberbatch has had a bad week as The Fifth Estate bombed at the US and UK box offices, but his next film is as close to a guaranteed box office winner as they come. In fact, it might be said he will set the box office ablaze, as Cumberbatch voices the dragon Smaug in the forthcoming second Hobbit movie. Continue reading “Five Hobbit films that did not get made”

Barliman's Chat This Saturday at 6pm EDT, Hall of Fire journeys to the hidden Gondorian fastness of Henneth Annûn with Frodo and Sam as we resume our Lord of the Rings chapter chats.

There, safe from the forces The Dark Lord, Captain Faramir tries to untangle the riddle of the strange halflings that have chanced into his territory, while Frodo and Sam attempt to keep their mission, and the true nature of Isildur’s Bane, secret.

Faramir smiled grimly. `Then you would grieve to learn that Boromir is dead? ‘
‘I would grieve indeed,’ said Frodo. Then catching the look in Faramir’s eyes, he faltered. ‘Dead?’ he said. ‘Do you mean that he is dead, and that you knew it? You have been trying to trap me in words, playing with me? Or are you now trying to snare me with a falsehood?’

Continue reading “Hall of Fire chat today: the Window on the West”

Glaurung the dragon, one of the chief weapons Morogth used to defeat the Eldar in Beleriand. Artwork: John Howe.
Glaurung the dragon, one of the chief weapons Morogth used to defeat the Eldar in Beleriand. Artwork: John Howe.
In this new TORn library piece, guest writer Dr Timothy Furnish explores dragons and dragon-slaying in the Tolkien-verse. Are there reasons why only Men slay dragons in the world of Arda, and not elves or dwarves? Read on and find out!


Why did Tolkien imagine only men killing dragons?

by Dr Timothy Furnish, PhD.

Dragons were very important to J.R.R. Tolkien, who acknowledged that his very first attempt at fiction-writing, when he was seven, centered around a “great green dragon.”[1]

In his seminal work Beowulf: the Monster and the Critics, Tolkien noted that in myth “there are… many heroes but very few good dragons.”[2] And in On Fairy Stories he confessed that he “desired dragons with a profound desire.”[3] Continue reading “Why did Tolkien imagine only Men killing dragons?”

If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.

300512id1_TheHobbit_TDOS_INTL_Tapestry_Keyart_7inH_x_38inW.indd You’ve undoubtedly heard that that Peter Jackson will be hosting a simultaneous world-wide LIVE Fan Event in a eleven different cities to celebrate the forthcoming release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Everyone around the world will be able to watch the LIVE stream of the Q&A on the web at The Hobbit on Youtube. So don’t panic!

However, if you live close enough, you may be able to attend an event at your local theater!

That’s because four cities — New York, Los Angeles, London and Wellington — will feature guests from The Hobbit’s cast and crew LIVE and in-person taking questions! Continue reading “Here’s how to grab your tickets for The Desolation of Smaug LIVE Fan Event happening on November 4!”

Can’t wait until The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition is released on DVD and Blu-ray November 4th?  Can’t download it on iTunes?  Want to know exactly what those 13 minutes of extra footage are going to reveal?  Well, wait no more!  We have a detailed list of each extended scene, as well as a few screencaps for good measure.  Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD!

 

04:10:  Additional footage of Thranduil at Erebor.  (Bilbo’s voiceover): “All would pay homage to him, even the great elven King Thranduil… (new) As the great wealth of the dwarves grew, their store of good will ran thin.  No one knows exactly what began the rift.  The elves say the dwarves stole their treasure. The dwarves tell another tale.  They say the Elven king refused to give them their rightful pay.  It is sad, Frodo, how old alliances can be broken, how friendships between peoples can be lost.  And for what?” Continue reading “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition Scene Guide”

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Time is running out to submit your story for this months Rewrite Tolkien contest, featuring characters from The Hobbit in the style of Edgar Allan Poe.  Contest deadline is Monday, October 28th at 12:00pm (noon), Eastern Standard Time.  The winner will have their story read live on the first TORn Tuesday of November.  Please read the submission guidelines here and good luck!