It has been well documented that Guillermo del Toro will approach the original The Lord of the Rings cast to reprise their roles in Middle-earth should the script call for it. News comes today from the MTV Movie Blog that one such actor, John Noble, won’t be available:
“If they said, ‘Would you come and play Denethor again,’” Noble said, “I would have to say, ‘No, I’m doing [new J.J. Abrams television series] ‘Fringe’! And I certainly couldn’t play a younger Denethor or even Ecthelion now that I’m an older John. Not even with makeup.”
For the full story, jump on over to the MTV Movie Blog. [Read More]
TheOneRing.net’s Larry Curtis recently chatted with our pal Sohaib on ‘Fictional Frontiers with Sohaib,’ on WNJC 1360 AM, Philadelphia. Take a gander at the transcript below (thoughtfully written down by Elven once again), Larry and Sohaib chat about the DragonCon 2008 Hobbit panel and much more! Read the rest of this entry »
The phone rang early Friday morning, informing TheOneRing.net founder and Webmaster Calisuri that there was a line of around 150 people waiting to get into the 10 a.m. speculative panel on ‘The Hobbit’. Lines at the convention, which expects over 130,000 visitors each day of the event, are not uncommon. What was unusual Friday morning was that the San Diego Convention Center hadn’t even opened yet and there shouldn’t have a been a way for the people to get there at all, much less in line. Read the rest of this entry »
July 22nd, 2008 by Compa_Mighty
| Source: Empire
| Discuss
Forummer diedye posted this piece of news from Empire:
Speaking at a special screening of The Dark Knight at London’s Imax cinema on Monday night, he [Ian McKellen] said: “Well, I haven’t had the contract yet but it’s everyone’s intention that I play Gandalf so yes, I will be returning to the role. Although it’s not until 2010, I’m very much excited about returning.
When asked about del Toro and the look of the movie, Sir Ian answered:
Well, if you’re not going to have Peter Jackson, who else can handle the job? To get an international film-maker of his standing who adores the original trilogy, well I don’t think you could possibly find a better replacement, I think the look will be very much as it was, Weta is still involved, it’s still the same workshops, the same designers, I’ll be there, Andy Serkis (now confirmed to return as Gollum) will be there and Peter Jackson will still be around - not that he’ll interfere too much - so it’ll seem like the old family is getting back together again.
So there you go, further confirmation of several things: no one has been officially cast yet (nothing is signed), Sir Ian and Andy Serkis are to return, everyone’s on board with Guillermo del Toro and the look of the movie is expected to be relatively similar to that of the trilogy. [Empire]
After many years, TheOneRing.net is returning to Comic-Con! This year we are honored to be presenting a panel of ‘The Hobbit’ films:
Friday, July 25th 10:00-11:00 TheOneRing.net: The Hobbit— Middle Earth returns with the announcement that The Hobbit will be developed into a feature film directed by Guillermo del Toro and produced by Peter Jackson. The world’s largest Tolkien community, TheOneRing.net, takes you behind the scenes of the latest news, announcements, and rumors pertaining to the production of the new film. Chris Pirrotta (TheOneRing.net), Larry Curtis (TheOneRing.net), Cliff Broadway (TheOneRing.net), Kristin Thompson (The Frodo Franchise), and possible special guests present this early look at making The Hobbit happen! Room 32AB
We hope you can join us for our first panel in over 5 years! [Comic-Con]
In a bittersweet note, forummer DiveTwin reports this note that appeared in Cinematical:
Lee isn’t interested in filming in New Zealand again because it is simply too far away, for too long of a time. You can hear the tiredness in his voice — and perhaps a bit of regret too.
That doesn’t mean Lee isn’t interested in being in The Hobbit at all, however! He’ll appear in the film as long as he can stay in London, and there’s a character he’s quite keen to play. Or rather, voice.
Cinematical gives a link to the original Rushprint.no video interview in which Mr. Lee talks about Return of the King, Saruman not appearing in The Hobbit, him not returning to New Zealand and his offer to voice Smaug. [Cinematical] [Rushprint.no]
Message board member Dive Twin found an interesting article from Kent News in which Andy Serkis said he’s very keen to reprise his role as Gollum:
“Nothing is signed and sealed,” he said. “Gollum and Gandalf are in The Hobbit and whoever says I am in it for sure is assuming it has all been done and dusted. “But you never know in this industry. It would be fantastic to play Gollum again. He is a wonderful character and I enjoyed playing him in the Lord of the Rings. There’s more to be got out of him and more fun to be had.”
We think it would be fantastic for you to play Gollum again too, Andy! Read More
TheOneRing.net will be providing a segment on this Sunday’s broadcast of ‘Fictional Frontiers with Sohaib,’ on WNJC 1360 AM, Philadelphia at 11AM ET. This week, Sohaib will be speaking with Xoanon about the latest news and rumors concerning ‘The Hobbit’ movies. And of course, we’ll be taking your calls and giving away some gift cards from Sideshow Collectibles. As always, the show is broadcast live via the internet via the WNJC website. Hope you can join us! [Fictional Frontiers] [Netcast] Join us in chat while the show goes on! [Live Chat]
As predicted by GDT last week, a ton of interviews and buzz about the Hobbit will precede the release of ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’ this coming Friday. To start off the week, Premiere magazine has just posted their interview with Guillermo del Toro for your reading pleasure. While the majority of the interview covers ‘Hellboy,’ GDT talks about his visual plan for ‘The Hobbit’ and the second film (F2), among other topics. Check it out! (adult language warning) [Check it out!]
So you want to be in the ‘Hobbit’ films? You want to be an extra? Well, besides the answers we provide for you in our Hobbit Movie FAQ, it looks like director Guillermo del Toro is planning some other way for fans to find themselves on the big screen next to Bilbo and company.
“We will set some rules and some contests and some fans will definitely get the chance of being extras. Go and apply for those roles!”
MTV has posted the transcript as well as the video on the topic - check it out! [MTV Movie Blog] [Video Link]