It must be at least a week since we’ve had a Tolkien Thread. Time to Make the Hobbit

Cafe Society
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I think it is time to get going on making the Hobbit. It should be a lot easier than LotR and a 3 hour movie wouldn’t have to leave much out.
I think the Hobbiton set is still available, I thought I read that NZ kept it as a park.
We need a younger Bilbo and I would like to get Ian McKellen back as Gandalf.

Should we try casting this?
We need 13 dwarves, Elrond, Beorn, Thranduil and Bard.
I would nominate Alan Rickman as the voice of Smaug.

Let me know if I left out a major role. I think these would be the principles.

Jim

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Well, they may have already got a Gloin; he was in the Council scene in the Fellowship, looking old and with Gimli.

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I read that PJ was gonna do it after Kong. But he may just have been humoring an interviewer.

Jeff Goldblum for Bard ! ! ! !

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I believe that Jackson has the rights to make the movie. I do hope Sir Ian comes back, and Hugo Weaving to play Elrond.

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And of course Andy Serkis reprises Gollum!

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I started a thread about this back during one of the LotR movie releases and I’m pretty sure everyone agreed that a 3-hour movie would have to leave a lot out. I’ll try to search for it later, as the boards are running slow right now.

For casting: Ian McKellen is an absolute must. He IS Gandalf now, as far as I’m concerned. It’d also be nice to have Hugo Weaving back. Other than that, I’d like to see a bunch of unknowns or semi-unknowns. Nothing can ruin a fantasy movie like a bunch of big-name actors tripping all over each other’s egos.

Clive Owen might be good for Bard, as long as he stays where he’s at (ever so slightly below the mainstream’s radar) between now and the release.

It might be neat to see Orlando Bloom play Thranduil with the right make-up and costume designers and as long as he is talented enough to not just reprise Legolas. He might be too big a star now, though.

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Sorry, last night got busy.
I would never object to a pair of 3 hour movies for the Hobbit. I was one of the ones who think the LotR movies were too short and too inaccurate overall. Still the best fantasy movie ever made, but it could have been better.
As a 2 part movie, I see Bag End to Bilbo escaping the Goblins while loosing a few buttons. That allows the next movie to almost start with the escape by Eagles.
Alternately let the first movie end with them floating downstream in the barrels.

The dwarves should be fun. The names don’t need to be big, but that doesn’t stop us from conjecturing.
It was fun to think Connery may have been Theoden.
Coming up with Bard and Beorn should be fun. The casting call for the last 3 movies generated more buzz than any movie I have ever seen. Does anyone remember the rumors that Keanu wanted to be Aragorn? There was outcry from over a million die-hard middle-earth fans and Jackson on the website promised that Keanu would not be Aragorn. There was almost a years worth of casting buzz last time.

Jim