Fans of the Lord of the Rings film know that of the three screenwriters, Fran Walsh is the one who avoids interviews and other sorts of publicity. When I was doing my research for The Frodo Franchise, I managed to talk with Peter and Philippa, but not Fran, who sent word that she was too wrapped up in working on King Kong to think back to her previous project. Fair enough, as Bilbo says in agreeing to a certain riddling game. Still, fans of the trilogy can’t help but be intrigued by this talented lady. After all, she not only helped write the LOTR scripts, but she did some directing and came up with the idea for the famous “Gollum talks to himself” scene.
But yesterday the New York Times published a substantial piece on Ms Walsh, written by Brooks Barnes, who is obviously a lucky fellow. Last summer, he says, he “largely roamed without supervision” during a two-day visit to the Hobbit set–spotting, among other things, Ian McKellen in full Gandalf mode catching a snooze between scenes.
Even so, his eventual interview with Fran had to be done via long-distance telephone. Philippa chimed in as well, which makes sense, given how closely these two collaborate on the scripts. Very closely, in fact, since they reveal that they often work in bed together in their pajamas, surrounded by dogs! (When I interviewed Philippa, she was living next door to Fran and Peter, and I suppose she still does.) It saves the trouble of commuting the short distance to the Miramar filmmaking facilities.
A Fiordland peak could be named Mt Tolkien, after the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, if a Manapouri man’s proposal is accepted by the New Zealand Geographic Board. Aaron Nicholson has applied to name the peak, near Gunns Lake on the Milford Rd, Mt Tolkien, after J R R Tolkien. The 1757-metre unnamed peak is 1.8 kilometres from Consolation Peak, which is 1851 metres. Both lie at the northern end of the Earl Mountains. For the naming to go ahead, Mr Nicholson would have to get enough public support. “It’s got to be wanted. If I just show up saying, ‘Can we do this?’ and nobody else is interested, they’ll just pass on it.” Read more…
Hobbit cast and crew have been arriving in Tokyo for the Japan premiere of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” According to Warner Bros., the premiere in Japan will be attended by Peter Jackson, Martin Freeman (Bilbo), Andy Serkis (Gollum), Richard Armitage (Thorin), Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Hugo Weaving (Elrond). The premiere is being held at the TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills and will be preceded by a red carpet event similar to the one held as part of the world premiere this week in Wellington, NZ. Live streaming will be available here.
A cute little article about some of the people on the Red Carpet tour. You’ll see their faces and costumes on just about every pic of the party, the red carpet and general fan madness in Wellington. I’d like to give a big shout-out to all the people who have visited NZ for the premiere due to TORN and Red Carpet (amounts to the same thing, with most Red Carpet clients discovering the tours through TORN. Their costumes and enthusiasm added hugely to the atmosphere of the Premiere week in Wellington.
In Imagining Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, guest writer Eric M. Van draws together the threads of known facts, and add a dash of logic to speculate on how Peter Jackson and his crew may have imagined their version of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
This second part of the series examines the unique adaptation challenges for Jackson and his fellow screenwriters that come from a sequel that’s a prequel — and whether they’ve had a six-movie Ultimate Edition in mind from the very start. Continue reading “Imagining Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: Part Two”
If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.
Ringer Mr BBi managed to record cast interviews from yesterday off the satellite for channels 7 & 9 in Australia. Cast members interviewed include Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood, Sir Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens. Most of the interviews are a respectable 4-5 minutes each. Check them out!
Fans of the Lord of the Rings film know that of the three screenwriters, Fran Walsh is the one who avoids interviews and other sorts of publicity. When I was doing my research for The Frodo Franchise, I managed to talk with Peter and Philippa, but not Fran, who sent word that she was too wrapped up in working on King Kong to think back to her previous project. Fair enough, as Bilbo says in agreeing to a certain riddling game. Still, fans of the trilogy can’t help but be intrigued by this talented lady. After all, she not only helped write the LOTR scripts, but she did some directing and came up with the idea for the famous “Gollum talks to himself” scene.
