The release and news arrived yesterday that Billy Connolly will play Dain II Ironfoot in the two forthcoming Hobbit movies, directed by Peter Jackson, and with that, all the pieces of the films are in place.
Here in the underground labyrinth that serves as TORn’s offices (with doors leading to L.A., Atlanta, Kenosha and Wellington among other places) a big sigh of relief could audibly heard. Dain II Ironfoot will be included; a talented actor, somebody who already looks like a Middle-earth dwarf, and is a skilled performer will be handling the role. Awesome.
We have full confidence in Connolly — who is best known for his comedy — in what might be inspired casting. His credibility comes from small, dramatic roles (The Last Samurai) which he handles just fine but more from independent films, playing larger parts and lead roles, giving him a lot of experience in front of the camera. General audiences may only think of comedy (and there may be plenty of that in The Hobbit anyway) but they should recognize his considerable talent.
Much more central the sigh of relief was the clarity that the Dain character is in. The complete absence of this important dwarven hero from news or casting announcement was a genuine concern among those trying to piece everything together. It was a glaring omission. Continue reading “Why Dain and Connolly is good news for ‘Hobbit’ fans”
Where will The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey end? One of our own takes a speculative look for Movies.com:
Face-to-face conversations about The Hobbit with fans across the U.S. and New Zealand, and online from around the world, often lead to the same place: Where will the films break? Despite being on the minds and spilling out of the mouths of real people in real conversations, little has been written about it.
The production and the team adapting the book can’t be blamed for playing things close to the vest; the book, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, is so well known that they need to keep their secrets so film fans can be surprised by something when they head to the cinema this December for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. With that in mind, there are speculative spoilers ahead and you have been warned.
The media, while writing a lot about the films, haven’t looked at the structure of these films too carefully. Today’s digital media environment often gets more clicks from a new still photo than it does from more complex content that requires more patience and so topics at the very core of these two films often get glossed over and ignored.
But not here in The Hobbit countdown! Here we skip past the catch phrase and empty headlines and peer a little deeper into news, rumors, lore and subterfuge to dredge up the best speculation and theory about just where the two films might break, a question that comes up in nearly any Hobbit conversation.
Here are five of the most common and best-defended theories: Read the rest at Movies.com
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.
Sunset near Twizel, New Zealand on the day of our story.TWIZEL, NEW ZEALAND — Not every conversation I had in New Zealand is fair game for publication at TheOneRing.net. If they all were, people would have spoken with me a lot less and a lot less openly or maybe just have not spoken with me at all.
During one such private meeting, a shared photo led to a side conversation that led to a revelation about an act of kindness that hit me, and still hits me, in my core. Somebody I knew, not in New Zealand, had heroically withstood some of life’s trials and others, in New Zealand, had selflessly performed a service for them. I can’t relate the story here because it was unmistakably not an interview situation and even the people on the receiving end of the generosity have kept it to themselves.
I was amazed by the revelation at the time and I was on the road much of the next 24 hours, meaning I was alone with my thoughts; Despite having a lot to ponder, this bit of unselfishness stayed with me for the entire drive when I wasn’t distracted by things like getting lost or finding a place to stay. Continue reading “Unreported acts of kindness from New Zealand”
A big thanks to everybody who sent in theater information about The Hobbit trailer. While we are sorry you didn’t get to see it on the big screen, we are glad you wrote in to help out. We are no longer updating the page, so while your emails are appreciated, no further action will be taken.
We recommend calling your local theater to see if they have attached the trailer. The trailers have been sent out to local cinemas but it is up to individual cinemas when and where they use them. Be a proactive consumer. We did hear back from Warner Bros. on this issue and are pleased to share their statement with Hobbit fans.
Warner Bros. appreciates the interest in the trailer for THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, and has let us know that it is in approximately 90% of the theaters playing TINTIN. The studio understands if any fans were disappointed not to see it in their local theater, and they suggest that everyone looking for the trailer check with the theater first to make sure it’s playing on that screen.
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND — In what may be a first, I am sitting in the Weta Cave next to TORn co-founder Erica / Tehanu, and we can confirm absolutely that the rumor of a delay of the first Hobbit film until 2013 is complete, uh, shall we say, balderdash. It is interesting to imagine where the rumor came from but the source here is beyond question. While I hate to drive traffic to the start of the confusion, here it is just in case. In case it wasn’t clear, this is completely untrue. UPDATE: Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures has also given a definitive statement on the matter as well:
“Contrary to inaccurate reports – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is being released on December 14, 2012.
The release and news arrived yesterday that Billy Connolly will play Dain II Ironfoot in the two forthcoming Hobbit movies, directed by Peter Jackson, and with that, all the pieces of the films are in place.
