The MTV Movie Blog is back at it with more ‘Hobbit’ rumors, this time picking up on a suggestion started right here at TheOneRing.net’s very own message boards.
“…But one actor we wouldn’t want to see return is actually the actor when it comes to a Hobbit movie. While wizards and elves and part elf-men all age slowly (or not at all), hobbits get old quick, and we can’t imagine a 51-year-old Bilbo played by the same actor who brought him to life on his eleventy-first birthday.
But if not Ian, than who? How about “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” star Martin Freeman? Internet scuttlebutt has him front and center as a replacement candidate, and no one can argue that he doesn’t looks the part. So when we caught up with “The Office” alum while he was promoting his new film “The Good Night,” we asked him to address the hubbub…’
Granted Martin gets Hobbits and Goblins mixed up, we still think he looks pretty darn good for the role. Jump over the MTV for the Q/A and then rant and rave on the TORn boards.
MTV Movie Blog Discuss
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TORn’s panel, “Making The Hobbit Happen,” presented by staffer Larry Curtis and co-founders Chris Pirotta (Calisuri) and Bill Thomas (Corvar) was a centerpiece of Tolkien Track programming, given on Saturday and again on Monday in the Hilton’s International Ballroom.
They took us through the Power Point presentation now posted here, which reviews the complicated publication and film rights history of Tolkien’s works, especially as they relate to “The Hobbit.” Critical dates in this history to keep in mind are:
1969: Tolkien sells the film rights to his works to United Artists/MGM.
1970: UA/MGM sells the film rights to Saul Zaentz for $10,000.
1997: Saul Zaentz sells the film rights to Miramax (Harvey and Weinstein).
1998: New Line purchases rights from Miramax.
2004: In its annual April Fool’s Day parody article, TORn announced that Paul Anderson (director of “Alien Versus Predator” and “Resident Evil,” among others) was set to direct “The Hobbit,” generating lots of attention from fans, studios, and attorneys alike.
TORn also launched the Help the Hobbit Happen web site in support of the film.
A petition signature campaign was led by Lynn Machie (LithQ) to rally fan support. (See this site) On September 22, 2006 the petition, over 2000 pages containing over 62,000 signatures, was delivered to MGM and New Line Cinema.
March 2005: Peter Jackson initiates suit against New Line, requesting a audit of the books of The Fellowship of the Ring. Often, this type of court is settled out of court, but Peter felt strongly, and continues to feel, that there were important underlying issues which needed to be brought to light about film production and revenue accounting.
November 2006: In an open letter to TORn, Peter Jackson releases the project, providing background on his reasons why. (Read the letter here) In the same month, Saul Zaentz reaffirms his support of Peter Jackson as director of The Hobbit.
January 2007: Bob Shaye essentially blacklists Peter Jackson from his studio, and Peter responds on Aint It Cool News.
July 2007: Bob Shaye begins to soften his stance. While Sam Raimi continues to be mentioned as director, discussions suggest that Peter Jackson could exec produce, thereby able to bring his vision for “The Hobbit” to the screen while remaining free to develop other projects.
Discussion at the panel was very lively. The TORn presenters outlined the possibility of “The Hobbit” as two films: one a straightforward adaptation of “The Hobbit” and the second a bridge film that would carry the story over to “The Fellowship of the Ring.” There is material in Tolkien’s works that could be developed in a second film, remaining true to the characters and the spirit of the books. For example, the death of Frodo’s parents and the development of his relationship with Bilbo, the White Council, Gandalf’s earlier activities in Middle Earth, Gollum’s earlier life and history, back story on other members of the fellowship, on the relationship of Aragorn and Arwen, on Aragorn’s personal history, travels and time spent in Gondor and Rohan, and much more.
Presenters and audience had a great deal of fun speculating about characters, cast, and locations for “The Hobbit.” For example:
Bilbo: probably not Ian Holm due to age/infirmity, nor Elijah Wood.
Gandalf and Gollum: No reason Ian McKellan could not return to play Gandalf and Andy Serkis to play Gollum, dates and contracts permitting.
Gloin: John Rhys Davies could play Gloin, father of Gimli, though he’s expressed a strong desire not to wear the makeup and prostheses for the dwarf costume again.
Dwarfs: Some of the dwarfs would be fully developed as characters, like Thorin and Balin, but most would remain unnamed, or at least undeveloped, in the film.
Elrond: Hugo Weaving could reprise his role as Elrond. Another suggestion offered was David Bowie.
Bard: Bard will be the high profile hunk of “The Hobbit.” Who should play him? Clive Owen? Gerald Butler? Hugh Jackman?
Smaug: Smaug the dragon will most likely be a WETAhttp://www.wetanz.com Digital creation, but as with Gollum, the voice of the actor playing him is critical to establishing character. Alan Rickman? Jeremy Irons? Morgan Freeman? Edward James Olmos? Michael Clarke Duncan?
Locations: The New Zealand public park used for Rivendell and the private land used for Hobbiton could be most likely be used again.
Props and Sets: A great many of the props and set materials still exist, though they are the property of New Line Cinema.
There was discussion consensus at the panel that “The Hobbit” will be made, as one or two films, simply because of the huge revenue potential from theatrical release, DVD sales and rentals, and associated merchandising/licensing. “Star Wars” (6 films) and “Harry Potter” (5 so far, 2 more to come) are only two franchises that demonstrate fans aren’t satisfied with just three films. The financial potential is big enough to bring together industry people to get the project funded, produced, and distributed, regardless of personal feelings or history. Even the rights issues can be resolved with the promise of a big enough financial pie to split.
At the end of the session, various prizes were given away, including a copy of Kristen Thompson’s “The Frodo Franchise: The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood.” Larry, Chris, and Bill also encouraged fans to stay active in the fan community and to let Dragon*Con organizers know how important, valuable, and enjoyable the Tolkien Track is. (Staff and email links here)
A Google search of “The Hobbit + Movie” yields over 1.1 million results, with only some relating to the 1977 Rankin-Bass film. Studios, licensors, suppliers and manufacturers, producers and directors, cast, crew, the nation of New Zealand, and especially fans worldwide stand to win if the film/s come about. So let’s “Make the Hobbit Happen!”
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Celebriel forwards a new Wired Magazine interview with fan favorite Andy Serkis, discussing his work in the PlayStation 3 title Heavenly Sword and upcoming films Freezing Time, about Victorian photographer Eadweard Muybridge, and Inkheart, about an antiquarian bookbinder who, when he reads aloud, can bring characters from books into the real world.
WIRED Q&A with Andy Serkis
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In the U.S., most people know Ian McKellen as the villainous Magneto in the X-Men movies — and of course as the wizard Gandalf, in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But long before he became an international superstar, McKellen was known as the finest Shakespearean actor of his generation. He’s played Romeo, Macbeth, Iago, and Richard III (on stage and on film) and now he’s touring the United States with one of the greatest Shakespeare roles of all time: King Lear.
McKellen Takes On Another Dark Mountain: ‘Lear’
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Celebriel reports, According to an article on the MTV Movie Blog, Viggo Mortensen is open reprising his role as Aragorn in “The Hobbit.” And according to Viggo, one thing’s for certain: Whether he’s in it or not, he thinks there’s only one man that could possibly bring the story to the big screen. “It seems pretty obvious that Peter Jackson would be the person to direct it,” he said. Read the full report from MTV.
MTV Movie Blog Discuss
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If you missed attending DragonCon, then you missed TheOneRing.net’s wrap-up of what is happening with the live-action film version of ‘The Hobbit.’ We’ve gone ahead and exported our presentation into a web format so you can take a look at what we showed the audience in Atlanta, GA last weekend. Please note, there is no commentary accompanying this presentation (which is semi-critical at times) and there are definitely some hiccups with how the presentation exported – but you’ll get the hang of it! If you would like to discuss the presentation with fellow Tolkien fans, jump on over to our brand new forums or online chat! [View the Presentation] [Discuss in our Forum] [Discuss in Java Chat]
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