Staffer MrCere called it last Thursday when the first images of The Hobbit were released by EW.com. He said, in this industry, it is highly unusual for just one single media outlet to get photos. Expect a few similar, but slightly different publicity shots to make the rounds with other publications in the next few weeks. Well, here we are, a few days later, and EMPIRE magazine is sharing their new cover featuring Gandalf and Bilbo! Again, it looks like Bilbo is pouring over some ‘Terms’…which may be a revelation into a small, possibly humorous change in the opening sequence. More on that later! So check your local newsstands for the August 2011 edition of EMPIRE magazine and the June 24th issue of Entertainment Weekly to start your The Hobbit collection! Of course we will alert you when other publications are printed with The Hobbit imagery. And who knows, maybe we’ll even get a few pics! *wink* *wink* *hint* *hint* [Empire]
Category: Martin Freeman
How great is it to see the first official pic from The Hobbit so soon?
We’ll all have to wait until Dec. 14, 2012, for the full fruits of director Peter Jackson’s labors on his two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbit. But, to tide us over, Jackson has shared the first images from his Lord of the Rings prequels with EW — and talked to us about how the fantasy epic is shaping up so far. (For the full story, pick up the issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands June 24.)
Jump over to EW.com and see the other image featuring Gandalf! [EW.com]
Peter Jackson has always understood how the popularization of the internet changed film. Since the beginning of his pre-production on The Lord of the Rings he was available to fans, sometimes against the wishes of studios, as he included potential ticket buyers into the process of film production.
With Facebook covering all of web land and growing into every demographic possible, Jackson has seized that new platform to remove the big and sometimes slow publicity machine studios have in place and instead speaks right at fans. To see more visit Movies.com
Thanks to Ringer Irfon for sending in this link to a BBC interview with actor Stephen Fry who will be playing the Master of Laketown in ‘The Hobbit‘ films. In the audio interview, Stephen speaks of his role, Martin Freeman’s schedule, and other various topics. In a humorous tidbit, he describes his role as the Master of Laketown as ‘a mixture of Mayor Quimby in The Simpsons, obviously without that accent, and Adam West in Family Guy.‘ For the full audio, jump over to the BBC website for a listen! [BBC]
Sir Ian McKellen has earlier today put up a new blog post titled “Congratulations, dear Watson” on his personal blog “Notes From Imladris” chronicling his journey filming The Hobbit.
Those following TORn will recall our coverage from last week of Martin Freeman letting slip the news that Benedict Cumberbatch has landed a role in the films.
McKellen’s post today confirms Freeman’s statement, and also goes a bit further with a little teaser of the potential role Cumberbatch has been cast in.
Now, what can he [Benedict Cumberbatch] be playing in The Hobbit?
Philippa Boyens showed me a snippet of his screen-test, played in close-up into the camera. It was electrifying, vocally and facially. Yes, what can he be playing?
So for now the question remains… what role has Cumberbatch been cast in? As always, our message boards are rife with speculation, and you’re welcome to join in.
Just down the board from this post is a report originating from a New Zealand television station about Benedict Cumberbatch joining ‘The Hobbit’ cast. The non-by-lined article (from the TV station, not the one here) suggests from “early reports” that Cuberbatch might be in line to voice the dragon Smaug. We don’t know if “early reports” means the writer asked somebody at a desk nearby who was left to be cast, but this seems, at best, suspicious. That isn’t to say that the reporter doesn’t have some good information, but if they do they sure don’t sound confident about it. It wasn’t even written with the journalism phrase “unnamed sources” or “a source close to the production” but rather went with something that seems to actually mean, “I might be making this up and using the name Smaug will get a lot of attention.” The author, besides not having a name, cites no source and doesn’t link to any of the “early reports” referenced.
A far more likely choice and a character that Cumberbatch looks something like: Bard the Bowman. He possesses a bit of menace and is taller and robust, much that a way the leader of men might be. He might be believable as an excellent archer as well. The actor has had a good year, playing with Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins) in the BBC’s “Sherlock,” and also landing a spot in Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” a World War I drama. So, he might make an excellent Bard but, this is also speculation so until we hear from director Peter Jackson on Facebook or hear from WB in an official press release, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Meanwhile, be sure to check out our page of “Hobbit” characters right here.