Bilbo set against Smaug by Ringer Skaan.
Bilbo set against Smaug by Ringer Skaan.
Last night I stumbled on this very clever post on TheOneRing.net’s boards. In it, user Skaan suggested that the promotional picture of Bilbo sprawled atop Smaug’s hoard could offer a guide to the size of Jackson’s version of Smaug (the Magnificent).

How?

Well, we also saw Smaug’s head buried in that selfsame pile. So the size of the coins gives us a basis for comparison. Continue reading “Analysis: just how big is Jackson’s Smaug?”

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Jane and the Dragon_ Royal Archives

Update 1: According to some sources, this is a sculptural representation of the Dragon from the cgi animated show ‘Jane and the Dragon.’ The show, co-produced and created by WETA Workshop is a likely candidate for something to appear in the Roxy, but upon further review of the Dragon from the show, it looks nothing like this particular sculpture. [seen here]

Update 2: The ‘beak’ of this Dragon does not seem to resemble the very brief ‘nose’ we see at the end of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. [Seen Here]

Update 3: The largest piece of evidence that this is NOT Smaug is the fact that our phones are not ringing off the hook from official entities. That is a pretty clear indicator that we are not shedding light on something that is ‘top secret.’ They are all probably sitting back and having a good chuckle as our fan community goes a little crazy for a few hours 🙂

Potential Spoilers Ahead! We cannot imagine a scenario in which the production would release an image, or in this case, a sculpture of Smaug prematurely. Yet here we are with an image from a theater in Wellington of a large dragon statue. Here’s the full report from the Ringer Arowin:

So, we went to the new Star Trek movie last night at Roxy Cinema here in Miramar, Wellington and when we came out a statue was sitting in the middle of the foyer which either we missed or was put there during the movie.
Not saying it’s Smaug or anything, but I took a picture for you to make your own mind up about it!

The statue placement is usually reserved for statues of characters from PJ films. THey’ve had TinTin, Gandalf, Gollum etc

We are including the image after the break in case you don’t want to be spoiled and this is actually Smaug from “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”!

Do we think this is Smaug? If you look closely at the eye in the picture and compare it to the eye from the end of “An Unexpected Journey” there could be similarities, but ultimately the fact that this statue is existing for all of the public to see right now in Wellington, makes it highly unlikely this is the real thing. That would just be crazy!

If you are in The Roxy soon, snag some more pics and send them our way!

Continue reading “Could this be Smaug?!? – Updated”

Speaking with MTV at the Golden Globes the other night, Andy Serkis played typically coy about the appearance of Smaug in the forthcoming films. “I can’t give any secrets away, none of those trade secrets,” Serkis said. “I can’t say that because actually it’s still under wraps.” However, he did seem to imply that they’re still refining how it will look in the films. Ta to Irfon for the heads-up.

Read more at MTV

Benedict Cumberbatch’s inadvertent slip (or was it?) of the tongue back in August is suddenly receiving a lot of attention. Was it a hint of things to come, or is he just plain confused? Ben Child at The Guardian weighs in with some interesting thoughts on the matter. If you choose to read this article, you should expect SPOILERS.

More at The Guardian

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.

Helmets off to Michael Noer at Forbes. He has written a tremendously funny and intelligent piece for Forbes as part of its “Fictional 15” look at fictionally rich characters, including everybody’s favorite worm of Middle-earth. He walks us through Smaug’s net worth:

We know from the novel that Smaug’s wealth comes down to three primary components, the mound of silver and gold that he sleeps on, the diamonds and other precious gemstones encrusted in his underbelly, and the “Arkenstone of Thrain,” which is depicted as something like the Hope Diamond on steroids.

Smaug The Unassessably Wealthy and 14 other fictional characters can be found here whiile the bit focusing on Tolkien’s creation can be found right here. Can two films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” (featuring Smaug) earn a sum equal to a dragon’s hoard? Enjoy and discuss!