The Hobbit - Start of production video blog!

[Cortexian]

FfesknLk5uI

OMFG! It's really crazy how much Peter Jackson has changed physically, and I'm just so happy that this kind of video was released.

[ThePlague]

So you finally watched the video I linked you to this morning? :3

[TVTyrant]

Everytime they played the opening theme from The Fellowship (I guess its the Shire's theme) I started crying. Like for reals. That song has done that to me for like 3 years now.

I thought that Peter Jackson had given the directing job over to the guy who did Hellboy? Or is he still producing?

I was excited to see the original Gandalf return. Who is going to play Bilbo in this one? They can't use the guy who played Frodo. Kind of wondering if anyone has some information on this. I'll probably just wiki it.

[thehoodedsmack]

Very cool. Can't wait to see more of these.

[Cortexian]

I think Jackson is one of the producers, but he's not the director.

[Amit]

I think Jackson is one of the producers, but he's not the director.

From facebook:

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/217218_10150222902311558_141884481557_8844825_1863 776_n.jpg

He's both.

[Kornman00]

The same guy who played Arthur Dent (in THG) will play that Bilbo dude.

[Amit]

Aw, I was hoping Ian Holm would play Bilbo again. Well there are rumors that he will play the older Bilbo, but I don't see why putting some make up on Martin Freeman wouldn't work too.

Most of the original cast is in the Hobbit: Part 1. Elijah Wood, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett...no Viggo Mortensen? I'll have to read the Hobbit and see if Aragorn is even mentioned.

[Cortexian]

Using the same cast works for the Elven cast because they never age. Well, from my understanding the Eldar in LotR can basically choose where they stop "growing up". They can then continue their physical aging at a later point if they want to be seen as an elder or something IIRC.

Not sure how the Hobbit cast from LotR would appear, maybe as extras in non-critical roles, they obviously can't play their old characters because they'd be to old looking.

[Amit]

Makeup could help fix that. Ian Holm is rather old, though, so you may be right.

[Warsaw]

I remember when there was talk of David Tennant playing Bilbo...

[TVTyrant]

No Aragorn was not in the Hobbit. He would have been like 2 months old bro. LOTR trilogy is like 60 years later or something.

[Cortexian]

Aragorn was 10 years old when the events in The Hobbit take place. Remember that he's not a man, but a descendant of Númenóreans which were basically super-human in nature. They were stronger, faster, and lived longer than normal humans but less so than Elves. Aragorn lives to be 210 years old, that's 122 years of reign over the Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor. Interestingly enough Arwen decides to give up the remainder of her life one year after Aragorn dies, therefore she lived to be 2,901.

2890 - Bilbo Baggins is born.
2931 - Birth of Aragorn, son of Arathorn II and Gilraen.
2941, March 15 - Thorin Oakenshield meets with Gandalf the Grey at the Prancing Pony in Bree, the Quest of Erebor (The Hobbit) begins.
2941, July - Bilbo Baggins obtains the One Ring; the White Council drives Sauron out of Dol Guldur.
2942, June 22 - Bilbo Baggins returns to Bag End (end of The Hobbit).
2968, September 22 - Frodo Baggins is born.
3001 - Bilbo Baggins turns 111, passes the One Ring on to Frodo Baggins, and leaves the Shire (The Lord of the Rings Begins).

Reference your appendices, or if you want a compilation of them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda

[TVTyrant]

Eh. Still a pretty young age to be involved in such a quest.

[n00b1n8R]

Well, from my understanding the Eldar in LotR can basically choose where they stop "growing up".
Wrong elves.


Not sure how the Hobbit cast from LotR would appear, maybe as extras in non-critical roles, they obviously can't play their old characters because they'd be to old looking.
Bilbo is the only hobbit who was alive for The Hobbit who wouldn't have turned to dust (except the turbo old guy? but I'm p sure he'd be so ancient in LoTR they'd have to recast him anyway) by the time of LOTR so I don't think any of them will be re-occurring.

How many parts is this being broken up into? The hobbit wasn't even half the size of 1 LOTR book >_>

[TVTyrant]

2 movies. apparently they are going to use Peter Jackson's fan fic of the events in Murkwood where Gandalf battles the Necromancer (i.e. the events that set off the LoTR trilogy). I'm honestly completely unsure whether I am going to enjoy that or revile it, since it is going to ruin the mystery of the Necromancer and Murkwood forest.

[Cortexian]

Wrong elves.
Nope, it's used by Tolkien in the books and is even in the movies when Elrond tells Arwen "Your hands are cold. The life of the Eldar is leaving you".


2 movies. apparently they are going to use Peter Jackson's fan fic of the events in Murkwood where Gandalf battles the Necromancer (i.e. the events that set off the LoTR trilogy). I'm honestly completely unsure whether I am going to enjoy that or revile it, since it is going to ruin the mystery of the Necromancer and Murkwood forest.
Mirkwood*

[Siliconmaster]

How many parts is this being broken up into? The hobbit wasn't even half the size of 1 LOTR book >_>

The Hobbit is going to be split into 2 movies.


2 movies. apparently they are going to use Peter Jackson's fan fic of the events in Murkwood where Gandalf battles the Necromancer (i.e. the events that set off the LoTR trilogy). I'm honestly completely unsure whether I am going to enjoy that or revile it, since it is going to ruin the mystery of the Necromancer and Murkwood forest.

The Hobbit was told from the point of view of Bilbo, meaning that many battles were truncated, detail was left out, and anything that happened that wasn't directly in front of Bilbo was barely mentioned at all. Peter Jackson is looking at all the stuff from the Appendices and the Fellowship of the Ring, where those events are fairly well explained. I think calling it a "fanfic" is a bit dramatic- you could say the same thing about Arwen in the LotR- she was only mentioned in the actual books once or twice- her entire story with Aragorn is a single chapter in the back of the appendices. However, I lived how Jackson brought it into the main plot. Since he's doing the same thing with the White Council and the Necromancer, I fully expect it to be awesome.


No Aragorn was not in the Hobbit. He would have been like 2 months old bro. LOTR trilogy is like 60 years later or something.


Aragorn was 10 years old when the events in The Hobbit take place.[/URL]

In addition, depending on how far Jackson takes the movies, we might see some of the Hunt for Gollum, in which Aragorn and Gandalf pursue him to try to find out what he knows. This was hinted at in Fellowship, and there has been a fan movie based on it. However, Jackson may choose to end the second movie where the book ends.

[Hotrod]

I remember when there was talk of David Tennant playing Bilbo...
That would have been so awesome. Then again, I wouldn't be able to take him seriously as Bilbo since I'd just keep thinking of Doctor Who throughout the whole movie.

[Limited]

I remember when there was talk of David Tennant playing Bilbo...
Thank god the caster had some sense though :) Hes way too overrated.

Am I the only one that cant really remember the plot of LoTR? Apart from it basically being about some special ring, side plots I have NO clue, cant even rememeber character names.

[Siliconmaster]

...go watch the Extended versions, come back in 12 hours.

Or even better, read the books, THEN watch the Extendeds, THEN come back :D

[Limited]

Meh, I'm not into all the elfs and stuff. Plus I am terrified of knights in armour (the bad dudes in black armour).

[Kornman00]

I the only one that cant really remember the plot of LoTR? Apart from it basically being about some special ring, side plots I have NO clue, cant even rememeber character names.


Same, but the movies didn't really entertain me all that much. Fantasy isn't exactly high on my "zomg" list.

[TVTyrant]

Thank god the caster had some sense though :) Hes way too overrated.

Am I the only one that cant really remember the plot of LoTR? Apart from it basically being about some special ring, side plots I have NO clue, cant even rememeber character names.
SHUN THE NON BELIEVER! SHUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

In all seriousness I am not surprised. I mean, there had to be some people who didn't think it was that amazing. It goes to Korn's post about how some people just don't like Fantasy that much.

[Amit]

In addition, depending on how far Jackson takes the movies, we might see some of the Hunt for Gollum, in which Aragorn and Gandalf pursue him to try to find out what he knows. This was hinted at in Fellowship, and there has been a fan movie based on it. However, Jackson may choose to end the second movie where the book ends.

This. Aragorn would have been hunting Gollum a decade after the Lord of the Rings started, but it would be interesting if Jackson decides to include that. I don't really think there's much to be seen there. However, Aragorn was fighting great battles from 2956 to the start of the Lord of the Rings so I was hoping to see some of that. Maybe in Part I where it is more relevant.

[Warsaw]

Thank god the caster had some sense though :) Hes way too overrated.

Am I the only one that cant really remember the plot of LoTR? Apart from it basically being about some special ring, side plots I have NO clue, cant even rememeber character names.

He's great at roles which require layers of emotion and/or spontaneity. Bilbo Baggins is not an appropriate role for him.

[Cortexian]

Or even better, read the books, THEN watch the Extendeds, THEN come back :D
In which case, see you in two months!

[sleepy1212]

read the books

just watch the movies. the books are poorly written.

[Siliconmaster]

just watch the movies. the books are poorly written.

I give up.

[MXC]

I give up.


Come on man, there's practically an entire chapter dedicated to grass.I tried to read the books once, made it to the Council of Elrond where every statement was followed by a page and a half of people shifting in their seats and I just had to put it back in the shelf.

[Amit]

People who don't have patience for a book without constant action will say that.


just watch the movies. the books are poorly written.

The novels are better written then many hundreds of books written today. Remember, the writing style is no longer the same as it was over 50 years ago. The same goes for fashion.

[MXC]

People who don't have patience for a book without constant action will say that.

I'm never going to ask for constant action; I just want the story to progress.

Example:

Character 1:
"I think we should do this."

Narrator:
Character 7 felt uneasy on this because he was born from the blah place into the blah family and this would be intruding on his third cousins' land. Character 5 thought that this was a great idea because instead of character 6's idea, character 1's ides was much more direct. An air of silence crossed over the meeting lowering the temperature gauge 1.82 degrees Celsius. Character 2 got goosebumps as a result, who proceeded to cross his arms and wish he had planned the meeting inside. As this was going on, one of the guards outside cut one, much to the dismay of his partner on the hinge side of the door, and covered his nose. Character 4 played Tetris with the tiles on the ground because he wasn't paying much attention to what character 1 was saying because of one time when he stole a piece of bread from his knappsack and didn't admit it until that night. Character 3 came back from taking a pee.

Character 3:
"What did I miss?"

Narrator:
Character 4 was startled by the sudden entrance by character 3 and blinked. Character 7 thought nothing of it, and shifted his toes on either of his feet inward.


^That's what I'm talking about. No plot progression, just pointless filler.

[Bodzilla]

you know why LOTR is considered the greatest fiction ever written?

Depth.


it makes Mass effect look like a kiddie pool.
And thats because of the detail and backstory thats written into the book. It's not for 13 yr old kids, it's for adults so if you've relatively competent at reading you'll actually really enjoy it.

it's not some poorly written trash like the Halo books or goosebumps, which is just throw away literature.

[sleepy1212]

hey now, i didn't say LoTR was bad, just the writing of the books. The story and the depth of the world in it are great. That's what I've always loved about it. It's just that reading the books themselves is boring. It's very dry and bland in many places. Many of the descriptive paragraphs are weak and for the most part it boils down to "A did X, then B did Y, but then there was Z so C did it, etc...". It felt like reading the minutes of a city council meeting. I found it hard to become immersed in the story. It's one of the few stories I felt was actually better as a movie.

[Warsaw]

you know why LOTR is considered the greatest fiction ever written?

Depth.


it makes Mass effect look like a kiddie pool.
And thats because of the detail and backstory thats written into the book. It's not for 13 yr old kids, it's for adults so if you've relatively competent at reading you'll actually really enjoy it.

it's not some poorly written trash like the Halo books or goosebumps, which is just throw away literature.

Mass Effect is a kiddie pool. Even Halo has more depth. If you really want depth, also try books in Asimov's "Foundation" universe. That shit is for real, man.

[n00b1n8R]

I didn't read LOTR because I got up to Tom Bombadil.

[Siliconmaster]

Hahaha Bombadil is awesome, just strange and a major detour from the main plot. Plus it's from his encounter that the Hobbits get their enchanted blades, one of which Pippin uses to stab the leg of the Witch-King of Angmar in RotK.

[Warsaw]

Which is awesome because converging/intersecting plot-lines are awesome.

[Bodzilla]

Mass Effect is a kiddie pool. Even Halo has more depth. If you really want depth, also try books in Asimov's "Foundation" universe. That shit is for real, man.
are you seriously suggesting that the halo books have alot of depth to them?

nigga u so Cray cray.

[Warsaw]

I didn't say the books. The universe certainly does, though (as long as you don't count Cryptum in any way, shape, or form). It's at least equal, but I feel like it has more to it than Mass Effect does. All Mass Effect has is "hurr durr Humans are special" and "Hurr durr Reaper cycle."

[=sw=warlord]

you know why LOTR is considered the greatest fiction ever written?
Second only to hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy.


Fixed.

[TVTyrant]

WarLord I am choosing to discount that. Thems fightin words.

As far as "poorly written" goes, I would say that, much like Dickens, its actually too well written. The amount of depth that goes into any part of the story is pretty damn amazing, and I found it hard to be bored while reading the books (except the second half of Towers. That was awful). You have to remember that British literature was written to appeal to the upper classes of an incredibly wealthy society. Tolkien was a massive influence in the literature world at the time (he did a lot of things in the realm of preserving records of Greek, Norse, and Celtic mythologies) and he intended the books to be read by his peers. So yes, the story IS rather long winded. But, if you level with it and go through the appendices and everything else, I think its an incredibly enjoyable story that jas stood the test of generations.

Again though, this is coming from the guy who cries during the Shire theme ;_;

Also, I demand Tom Bambadil. The man was a fucking boss, and didn't afraid of anything.

[Amit]

Hahaha Bombadil is awesome, just strange and a major detour from the main plot. Plus it's from his encounter that the Hobbits get their enchanted blades, one of which Pippin uses to stab the leg of the Witch-King of Angmar in RotK.

Bombadil is fucking wheelz man. He's got that bitch Goldberry hanging onto his arm. /disrespect to Goldberry (<3)

And it was Merry who stabbed the Witch King, not Pippin. Pippin is a guard of the citadel and was in Minas Tirith at the time.

[Siliconmaster]

And it was Merry who stabbed the Witch King, not Pippin. Pippin is a guard of the citadel and was in Minas Tirith at the time.

Damn, you're right- I should have remembered that >_<

[Amit]

Damn, you're right- I should have remembered that >_<

Time gets the best of us, sometimes.

[Cortexian]

I'm of the complete opposite when it comes to the books being written "poorly". As a matter of fact, I was so immersed in the LotR universe on my second read-through (I was to young to understand it all the first time) that I wanted MORE gritty detail than what Tolkien produced. In my opinion, the appendices, Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales aren't nearly enough to come close to satisfying my hunger for more Middle-Earth. This is the primary reason I started playing LotRO, Turbine has done a fantastic job at creating fitting environments and events that just add more depth to the entire universe.

[Bodzilla]

one of the phrazes i've heard when describing it over and over Is exactly that freelancer.

no matter how many times you read it you'll figure more out

[Pooky]

I'm re-reading The Hobbit again right now, it's amazing how well this book draws me in and makes me feel like I'm actually there.

[Amit]

I'm of the complete opposite when it comes to the books being written "poorly". As a matter of fact, I was so immersed in the LotR universe on my second read-through (I was to young to understand it all the first time) that I wanted MORE gritty detail than what Tolkien produced. In my opinion, the appendices, Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales aren't nearly enough to come close to satisfying my hunger for more Middle-Earth. This is the primary reason I started playing LotRO, Turbine has done a fantastic job at creating fitting environments and events that just add more depth to the entire universe.

This. When I started playing LOTRO, I went back and read the books again and picked up more things I didn't understand in the books. Can you believe it? A game teaching me about stuff that really happened in the books?


one of the phrazes i've heard when describing it over and over Is exactly that freelancer.

no matter how many times you read it you'll figure more out

I've read the three LOTR books three times, but I have reread certain chapters of the RotK at least 10 times (mostly Scouring of the Shire). Love it. I plan to start the whole trilogy over again and hopefully I'll learn something else. Maybe I should start with the hobbit this time around.

[Warsaw]

I'd say start with the Silmarillion first, so you can use and apply what you learned in it to the four main series books.

[Amit]

Alright next time I hit up the library I'll grab both.

[TVTyrant]

The Silmarillion takes forever. Feels like your reading a freaking textbook.

[Warsaw]

It is a textbook. But it's a jackpot of information that makes everything in The Lord of the Rings click together. It also makes you think "huh...Sauron was just a pussy...all that trouble for a simple lieutenant?"

[TVTyrant]

Yeah the men of Neumanor and the original Elves make the of characters from Middle Earth look like a bunch of pussies. Also the fact that their used to be hundreds of Baulrogs and Dragons really does make you think about how lucky the main characters are.

[Amit]

Yeah the men of Numenor and the original Elves make the of characters from Middle Earth look like a bunch of pussies. Also the fact that their used to be hundreds of Baulrogs and Dragons really does make you think about how lucky the main characters are.

ftfy :)

Whoa now, don't giving spoilers away. I did read about Sauron's origin and the fall of Numenor, but still I don't like where that was headed lol. When I read the appendices at the back of Rotk, I was thoroughly engrossed. There is no such thing as boring with Tolkien's work on Midde Earth and what happened before the Second Age (or even the 3rd age and beyond).

[Dwood]

Gonna read Children of Hurin one of these days. I have the book, but I need more effort...

[Cortexian]

Heh, Dorfs.