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.

MovieZine: 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.

Bret McKenzie, who unofficially played “Figwit” the Elf in The Lord of the Rings, spoke with ComingSoon.net about his role as Lindir in The Hobbit.

“I’ve got a cameo as an elf. Or another cameo. My character is called Lindir. I hang out with Elrond… I’ve got a few lines in Elvish.”

In answer to the question about whether Figwit and Lindir are one and the same, here’s what Bret had to say:

“You’ll probably see, I’ve got slightly different ears. That’s how I differentiate my elf characters. The big difference for this character is that he’s in 3D. He’s a character that’s a lot more three dimensional.”

ComingSoon.net promises the full interview will be available soon.

Thanks to Ringer spy Daniel J. for the heads-up.

Digitalspy.co.uk has just this morning put up a video interview with Stephen Fry discussing his role as the Master of Laketown in The Hobbit.

Besides descriptions of the look of the Master, there’s also mention of Bard the Bowman being a horserider, and hints to the design of Laketown itself, a “smelly city that’s on stilts in the lake below the mountain where Smaug the Dragon lives”.

We wonder if the geography has been changed for dramatic effect. What do you make of that!?

Watch the video HERE.

By the way, our message board members are discussing this video even as you watch it. Feel free to join in!

Otaku-sempai writes: It seems that Bain, the son of Bard, will be included in the films. Actor Michael Fowler has allegedly been cast as the Tall Scale Double for the character. Michael Fowler on starnow.co.uk

Son and heir of Bard the Bowman who.. Spoilers!!! highlight to read! killed the dragon Smaug, and a king of Dale. He was succeeded by his son Brand.

As we excitedly reported last week, HarperCollins Publishers have released an Enhanced eBook version of ‘The Hobbit.’ Today, for your viewing pleasure, we have the full press release about this new digital release. You can read it below. As before, if you’d like to download your own copy it is available from their Facebook Tolkien eBook Store, Apple’s iBookstore, Kindle and Nook. Enjoy!

HarperCollins Publishers Releases Enhanced eBook of The Hobbit

David Brawn, Publisher of Estates at HarperCollins, said: “It is customary for publishers to release new editions of books to commemorate milestone anniversaries, and as we entered The Hobbit’s 75th year, we felt we should acknowledge its success not only in print but also in the eBook world. Many thousands of readers have embraced The Hobbit in the two years since it was first released as an eBook, and with the growing availability of color-enabled devices, we felt it was time to offer an alternative edition, complete with Tolkien’s color pictures from our popular Deluxe edition. Together with J.R.R. Tolkien’s now famous half-hour recording of Bilbo’s encounter with Gollum, the recent discovery of three further unreleased extracts – one long and two short – meant we have been able to enhance the eBook even further. At a time when there is so much speculation about how others are visualizing The Hobbit, it is rather special to be able to read the novel with Tolkien’s own pictures and with parts of it read in his own voice, for a truly authentic experience.”
Continue reading “Official Release: HarperCollins Publishers Releases Enhanced eBook of The Hobbit”

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…