Chris Hicks writes: Lord Of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen has spoken to totalfilm.com about The Hobbit, addressing speculation as to whether he’ll reprise his role as Aragorn. “I’d rather finish the job myself than have another actor do it,” says Mortensen. “I’m interested in principle, but I’d want to see it done in the right spirit of Tolkien.” Viggo gave a nod of approval to new director Guillermo del Toro, saying, “He’s strongminded, intelligent and probably just as stubborn [as Jackson]. “I don’t know if it’ll be as big a circus [as the Trilogy] in terms of several people writing changes at the last minute. Viggo Mortensen talks The Hobbit
Category: Casting Rumors
Our very own MrCere, Larry Curtis, was a guest on last Sunday’s broadcast of ‘Fictional Frontiers with Sohaib,’ on WNJC 1360 AM, Philadelphia at 11AM ET. As always, it was broadcast live via the internet via the WNJC website. A full transcript of the radio segment can be found below (thanks to Deleece Cook!). TheOneRing.net is featured every other week on Fictional Frontiers. Continue reading “Fictional Frontiers Radio Transcript”
PARK CITY, UT. – Dominic Monaghan while promoting his Slamdance Film Festival opening feature, “I Sell The Dead,” told TheOneRing.net that he would be interested in being involved in “The Hobbit” films if it made sense creatively. Continue reading “TORn exclusive: Monaghan is interested in ‘The Hobbit’ film”
Jonathan Dean from independent.co.uk writes: Eleven hours and 38 minutes. That’s how much of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings is available for anyone smitten by elves, dwarves and small things with hairy feet. It’s the same time it takes to fly halfway round the world. It’s a heck of a stretch to spend in Middle Earth. But if said land – where JRR Tolkien’s books are set – sounds a little like purgatory, here’s some hellish news for anyone immune to the charms of Gollum, Frodo, Gandalf and co: the fantasy is back. It will be the biggest film story from now until the end of 2012. You have been warned.
The addition to the yarn is a two-part imagining of The Hobbit – a prequel to the most successful film trilogy of all time that began with The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001 and wrapped up with The Return of the King two years later, nabbing 17 Oscars and $2.91bn in takings. Such figures turned the decision to film Tolkien’s much-loved introductory novel into a no-brainer. But what has shocked fans is that Jackson – godlike in Ring circles – only executive produces this time, handing directing responsibilities over to Guillermo del Toro of Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy fame. Perhaps the creator has tired of the world he so meticulously made. It wouldn’t be surprising. Ever since the curtain rose on the trilogy, the franchise has been milked. Online shops stock 20-plus DVD spin-offs (Special Extended Editions, Box Sets, Special Limited Editions, a Trivial Pursuit game), with Blu-Rays to come. On the official site, 18-carat gold “One Ring To Rule Them All” gift boxes are being bought at £380 a pop. Such marketing clout greatly excites the studio moneymen. In short, no fantasy novel has been safe from being filmed. The battle for Middle Earth
Heidi from Bloomberg Television sends this in: Friday on the BLOOMBERG TELEVISION® program “Night Talk,” host Mike Schneider talks to Actor Viggo Mortensen about his latest film “Good.”
He talks about the success of The Lord of the Rings. “I think that anybody that was involved in that project, or any fan even, that says ‘I knew it was going to be huge box office success,’ I don’t think they’re being honest. I think its revisionist thinking. Because when we were shooting that movie…it just wasn’t a known thing, and it wasn’t really noticed that we were down there shooting this all that time. It wasn’t in the papers here. It was only when they showed 20 minutes of it at the Cannes film festival in 2001 that the journalist started talking.” Continue reading “TV Watch: Viggo Mortensen on ‘Night Talk’”
From The Sunday Times: He has portrayed some of the most extraordinary characters on screen, from King Kong to Gollum. Now Andy Serkis is emerging from behind the disguises and gaining recognition as a fine actor. Andy Serkis with one of his film characters Gollum on his shoulder. Andy Serkis has made a living out of playing nutters, freaks and psychopaths. So it is more than a little worrying when he tells me that “It’s really hard to come out of character.” He is the Boris Karloff of the 21st century, the actor the top casting directors call for when they want a monster to scare the audience witless. He played the titular 25ft-tall gorilla in the 2005 remake of King Kong, and the loathsome Gollum in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. In the television play Longford, last year, he became the Moors murderer Ian Brady. And we have just seen him in BBC1’s Little Dorrit as the murderous Rigaud, a character he himself has called “a thoroughly nasty piece of work”. Even when Serkis played Einstein — in the BBC film Einstein and Eddington — he brought out the darkness in the Nobel laureate. “It was a dream role,” he says, eyes blazing, hands clasped. “Apart from the great things we know about him, Einstein could be pretty ruthless, manipulative and dark. Ninety per cent of his time and energy was focused on work, and this was one of the biggest regrets of his life He just felt really guilty for screwing up his children, who were part of the sacrifice.” Andy Serkis comes out from behind Gollum and King Kong