# Hobbit: Radagast the Brown getting a bigger storyline **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2012, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119 "2012-09-18T23:57:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/41 "2012-09-20T01:11:44Z")
Huh, I expected there to be a link to [the new trailer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYz0JWJioOM). ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/42 "2012-09-20T03:06:44Z")
I’m in the deeply skeptical camp. I found the additions added to the \*Lord of the Rings \* by Jackson and Boyens ranged from ‘tolerable, but mediocre’ (elves at Helms Deep), to cartoonish (dwarf tossing and Oliphant surfing), to bewildering pointless (more Liv Tyler!, Aragorn falls off a cliff and floats down a river). The films would have been far better without them. Frankly, I fear we’ll find the added Radagast material to be a little bit shit and utterly pointless. Of course I hope I’ll be proved wrong but I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/43 "2012-09-20T03:37:13Z")
There are certainly worse hands than Peter Jacksons when it comes to adapting Tolkien, and in fact, there might not be better. The man has a deep passion for the world of Middle Earth, and I trust him to show us his vision, and I trust him to take risks to do so. And, if it turns out badly, well, he still directed what is unquestionably one of the greatest adaptations of all time, and those movies will always be with us. But I don’t think it will turn out badly. I barely remember Radagast from The Hobbit - it must have been ten years since I’ve read it. I have very little opinion on him as a character, or a wizard. But I happen to be a very big fan of Sylvester McCoy from this other little sci fi show he was on some years back, so the geek in me is doing cartwheels at this news. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/44 "2012-09-20T03:55:06Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > But I happen to be a very big fan of Sylvester McCoy from this other little sci fi show he was on some years back, so the geek in me is doing cartwheels at this news. He was the backwards universe guy from _Vision On_. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/45 "2012-09-20T04:40:15Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > I barely remember Radagast from The Hobbit - it must have been ten years since I’ve read it. I have very little opinion on him as a character, or a wizard. But I happen to be a very big fan of Sylvester McCoy from this other little sci fi show he was on some years back, so the geek in me is doing cartwheels at this news. You barely remember him from the Hobbit because he was mentioned exactly once: _“I am a wizard,” continued Gandalf. “I have heard of you, if you have not heard of me; but perhaps you have heard of my good cousin Radagast who lives near the Southern borders of Mirkwood?”_ Not really much to go on there… ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/46 "2012-09-20T05:00:02Z")
Huh, interesting stuff in that trailer. Re: Radagast, one scene apparently depicts Radagast mind-reading a squirrel to get the first news of the presence of the Necromancer/Sauron. And riding a sled pulled by bunnies or something. Very strange. Hmm, I also see a thunder giant, or whatever it was called in the book, flinging boulders in the misty mountain scenes. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/47 "2012-09-20T06:41:46Z")
And from the trailer it appears Galadriel has been shoe-horned in to add to the padding as well… ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/48 "2012-09-20T07:00:15Z")
Do Americans not know what a hedgehog is? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/49 "2012-09-20T08:05:23Z")
Hedgehogs are not in North America, if that’s what you mean, except imported for pets in the few places that allow them. And how common are they down in the antipodes, considering they never got down there? The spines aren’t immediately noticeable, but now that you mention it, yeah, I see it. Thorin reminds me of a vampire. And Gollum is in full cute blue eyed Sméagol mode. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/50 "2012-09-20T08:42:21Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > And how common are they down in the antipodes, considering they never got down there? The spines aren’t immediately noticeable, but now that you mention it, yeah, I see it. They were really common in NZ, so presumably they were introduced by the British immigrants for some misguided reason. Not sure about here in Australia, though, I haven’t seen any. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/51 "2012-09-20T09:48:54Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Huh, interesting stuff in that trailer. Re: Radagast, one scene apparently depicts Radagast mind-reading a squirrel to get the first news of the presence of the Necromancer/Sauron. And riding a sled pulled by bunnies or something. Very strange. It appears that Jackson and company have confused Middle-earth with Narnia. Oh dear. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/52 "2012-09-20T11:34:58Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > I found the additions added to the \*Lord of the Rings \* by Jackson and Boyens ranged from ‘tolerable, but mediocre’ (elves at Helms Deep), to cartoonish (dwarf tossing and Oliphant surfing), to bewildering pointless (more Liv Tyler!, Aragorn falls off a cliff and floats down a river). The films would have been far better without them. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/53 "2012-09-20T12:07:08Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Huh, interesting stuff in that trailer. Re: Radagast, one scene apparently depicts Radagast mind-reading a squirrel to get the first news of the presence of the Necromancer/Sauron. And riding a sled pulled by bunnies or something. Very strange. > > Hmm, I also see a thunder giant, or whatever it was called in the book, flinging boulders in the misty mountain scenes. > [@Steophan](#): > > It appears that Jackson and company have confused Middle-earth with Narnia. Oh dear. That, or Lower-Middle Earth. > [@Bored of the Rings](#): > > The Sty itself was divided into farthings, half-farthings, and Indian-head nickels ruled by a mayor who was elected in a flurry of ballot-box stuffing every Arbor Day. To assist him in his duties there was a rather large police force which did nothing but extract confessions, mostly from squirrels. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/54 "2012-09-20T13:18:05Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > And from the trailer it appears Galadriel has been shoe-horned in to add to the padding as well… Not shoe-horned at all; a significant part of the film will concern the White Council’s dealings with “The Necromancer”. While this was all done “off screen” in _The Hobbit_, it’s described in the appendices to _The Lord of the Rings_, and was contemporaneous with the events of _The Hobbit_; it’s why Gandalf left before the company entered Mirkwood. Galadriel was a significant player in the White Council, so there’s every reason to expect her to play a role in the film. It’s the same reason we’ll see Saruman again. There’s a difference between forcing a character into a story just because they’re popular/cool/whatever, and using a character who, while not explicitly mentioned or described, has every reason to be present (like Legolas and Galadriel). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/55 "2012-09-20T13:44:52Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > And Gollum is in full cute blue eyed Sméagol mode. Not the whole time: here’s a [compilation of alternate endings](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qxSpGd5OUsg) to the latest trailer. I must admit, if those are the kind of additions we’ll see (none of those are from the book, IIRC) then I’m good with it. Nothing there sets off my Aragorning-off-a-cliff vibes. Good humour with the Gandalf wagering and “more of a letter opener, really” line, and a bit of very Freeman slapstick. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/56 "2012-09-20T13:47:45Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Was there singing in The Hobbit? Sure there was! _The journey before you May be long and filled with woe But you must escape the gay man’s ass Or your tale can’t be told…_ ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/57 "2012-09-20T13:53:56Z")
Oh, forgot to add - loved, loved, loved Gandalf’s use of the same lines as Pippin’s song (in the actual trailer) And of course there was singing - does _Tril-lil-lil-lolly The valley is jolly_ not ring a bell? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/58 "2012-09-20T14:17:35Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Oh, forgot to add - loved, loved, loved Gandalf’s use of the same lines as Pippin’s song (in the actual trailer) > > And of course there was singing - does > _Tril-lil-lil-lolly > The valley is jolly_ > not ring a bell? 🙂 No… > [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Sure there was! > > _The journey before you > May be long and filled with woe > But you must escape the gay man’s ass > Or your tale can’t be told…_ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/59 "2012-09-20T14:17:37Z")
Just from the trailers, I suspect it will be impossible to re-read the book without picturing Martin Freeman as Bilbo… ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119/60 "2012-09-20T14:24:19Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Hmm, I also see a thunder giant, or whatever it was called in the book, flinging boulders in the misty mountain scenes. Stone-giants - they only came out to play when it was thundery up in the mountains. They’re not mentioned otherwise, though Gandalf talks later on of seeing if he can find a “more or less decent giant” to block up the cave the goblins used to ambush Thorin’s company. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hobbit-radagast-the-brown-getting-a-bigger-storyline/635119.md?page=4)