A first-time anonymous source informs TheOneRing.net that the Hobbit trailer will debut on Youtube on June 12. Our…
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A first-time anonymous source informs TheOneRing.net that the Hobbit trailer will debut on Youtube on June 12.
Our anonymous tipster’s news seems to be reinforced by this story that popped up just a couple hours earlier on The Lebanese Cinema Movie Guide. Continue reading “Updated: Desolation of Smaug trailer Youtube debut on June 12?”
With The Hobbit back in production this month, a couple of new sets are up at Mt Crawford in Wellington for a 10 week stint of new and pickup shots:
Fairfax NZ news spoke to to Sir Peter Jackson’s spokesman, Matt Dravitzki, said the site on Miramar Peninsula was being prepared for a few days’ filming as part of 10 weeks of final-cut shooting for the last two installments of the trilogy.
“We’re back filming in Miramar for 10 weeks, here till early July. We will be filming on Mt Crawford for a few days.”
In-case you haven’t noticed, the writer of the article did accidentally type the second movie title as ‘The Demolition of Smaug.’ Mistakes happen! Follow the link for the full article and some new SPOILER imagery. [Click Here]
We’ve been waiting and waiting for some official word on the first trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Rumours have persistently indicated it would debut on around June 14, potentially attached to Man of Steel.
Now, finally, the British Board of Film Classification has given its stamp of approval for the next Hobbit trailer. Continue reading “BBFC approves The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trailer”
Welcome to our weekly live webcast — TORn TUESDAY — concluding our popular two month long specials on the History of the Dwarves who undertake the Quest of Erebor. Today we wrap up with the big bang theory of Dwarven tragedy and honor: it’s all about THORIN OAKENSHIELD (played with great swagger by our very own Richard Armitage). Bring your questions and join us LIVE for a fascinating chat about how this major character brought the story of THE HOBBIT to where it is in the Tolkien universe.
Join us for TORn TUESDAY every week at 5:00PM Pacific: brought to you by host Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway and producer Justin “I Love Ham” Sewell — as we learn how this magnificent Dwarf suffered and struggled to change his family’s future — and what Peter Jackson & WETA did to help us distinguish his rough and tumble companions from each other (using more than just colored hoods). Our innovative live show includes worldwide fans who join us on the Live Event page with a built-in IRC chat (affectionately known as Barliman’s Chat room). Be part of the fun and mischief every week as we broadcast *live* from Meltdown Comics in the heart of Hollywood, U.S.A.!
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Follow Cliff ‘Quickbeam’ Broadway on Twitter: @quickbeam2000
When Configura Equipos, a Spanish-language website featuring technology and gaming reviews and forums, posted this video last week it seemed like we were seeing something new. A preview for Google Chrome’s upcoming “A Journey Through Middle-earth” interactive map featured clips from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as well as the brief shots from Google’s own preview for the the new app.
But in the midst of these familiar images was what looked like a brand new scene of an army of orcs laying siege to a castle with very striking dragon-shaped prominences on the ramparts. Could this be something we hadn’t yet seen from The Desolation of Smaug? Were we getting a sneak peek at some flashback to Carn Dûm or Minas Ithil?
Nope. It turns out it’s a scene from the 2011 film Sucker Punch from director Zach Snyder.
Keen detective and TORn staffer Magpie matched up the images and found the scene, one of several in Sucker Punch that are overt homages to other genre films. So, alas, as TORn staffer Justin said, “These aren’t the orcs you’re looking for. Move along.”
Misleading clips aside, we’re still looking forward to Google’s “Chrome Experiment,” which will “bring Middle-earth to life in the browser with 3D Trolls, interactive musical experiences, and more.” It’s currently in beta testing to be released to the public later this year. And as for Configura Equipos… ¡Estamos vigilando!
Watch the misleading video here.
Read about Google Chrome’s “A Journey Through Middle-earth” here.
RingerSpy Bruta from The Netherlands shares with us his theory on the appearance of Smaug.
Just like everyone else I’ve been wondering what Peter Jackson’s version of Smaug will look like. There have been a couple of interesting articles by TORn about the appearance and size of the dragon. In TORn’s article ‘Analysis: just how big is Jackson’s Smaug?‘, Demosthenes calculated the size of the drake and Smaug appears to be immense. This is a compelling fact few can deny. Further evidence can be found in the following image of the gate of Erebor .
In comparison with Smaug’s tail, the dwarves are about the size of ants. From this it isn’t surprising that in the movie the dwarves are being crushed when Smaug enters through the front gate. In the second TORn article; “Could this be Smaug?!”, Smaug’s head is shown, but to me this is definitely not Smaug, I’ll explain why below.
The Kite theory
In my kite theory, Smaug will have some basic attributes in common with the dragonkite we see the children of Dale flying in the Prologue .
The evidence
If we look at the image, where Smaug pulverizes the dwarves, you can clearly see Smaug’s head. Under the nose and on the sides of his head, you can see his horns. At least, I assume they are horns because that would be the most satisfying explanation for these ‘sticks’. The stick on his nose could also be a tooth, or maybe the end of his kitedragon-like nose. But this isn’t the best picture in which we can see his horned head. When Smaug is swimming in Thror’s gold he dives up, at that moment, in a brief second, the other horns on the top of his head are visible.
According to my kite theory, Smaug will look something like the kite dragon. When Smaug’s eye is shown we can see some small horns on his head. Based on the picture above we can estimate how many horns this magnificent dragon has. The number of big horns on his head could vary from 5 to 8 or something like that. With this information I searched the web to get the most accurate and satisfying picture of Smaug’s head, as it would look in accordance with my kitedragon theory.
Peter Jackson’s first hint of the dragon?
I think there are similarities between the dragon and the kite, mainly because they came from the same people or group, with the same style, who are creating the look of this creature. So, working on this theory, it can’t be a coincidence that the dragon and the kite would be similar. Alongside of this, the kite may have been made as some sort of illustration of the real dragon as a “visual backstory”, to show that its existence has been handed down in legend amongst the people of Dale and as such would be another reason why there are so many similarities between the two.
The kite can, in this way, serve as a hint for the viewer because they do not get to see the real dragon yet. The audience only gets quick glimpses of the dragon, small signs of the creature, like wings, claws, feet and then at the end of the movie a potentially large spoiler: Smaug’s eye. From this perspective it isn’t unreasonable to surmise that Peter Jackson chose to show the kite in the Prologue of the movie as another type of teaser/spoiler. Because in the Prologue, we haven’t really seen anything of the dragon yet! It could be the first sign.
Of course, until the release of Desolation of Smaug, this will only be a theory, time will tell. One thing is certain though, Smaug is going to be awesome!
Bruta is a psychology student from The Netherlands, who first discovered Tolkien in 2000 and has been hooked ever since. The views in this article are his own, and do not necessarily represent those of TheOneRing.net or its staff.
