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Friday, November 6
In an in-depth interview with Total Film, Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro lays out his vision for The Hobbit in detail and talks about how he plans to take creature design out of the shadow of The Lord of the Rings. In conceiving these creatures, he says he will "keep the DNA in the same gene pool as the Rings trilogy," but with some critical differences.
...in the trilogy most of the creatures are brutish or inarticulate. In The Hobbit, the creatures speak: Smaug has beautiful lines of dialogue; the Great Goblin has beautiful lines of dialogue; many creatures do. So we had to design them with a different approach because you are not just designing things that are scary.
I also wanted some of the monsters in The Hobbit to be majestic.
I wanted the Wargs to have a certain beauty so that you don't have a massively clear definition: what is beautiful is good and what is ugly is not. Some of the monsters are absolutely gorgeous.
Of course, the most anticipated of these creatures is the dragon Smaug. It's something that del Toro has been working especially hard on, and he promises something really unique here.
...we're finishing his colour palette and a little bit of the texture. But the bulk of the design took about a year, solid. It's because of the unique features of the dragon.
Early in production I came up with a very strong idea that would separate Smaug from every other dragon ever made. The problem was implementing that idea. But I think we've nailed it.
And then there are the spiders of Mirkwood.
Well, they are the progeny of Shelob, but Shelob was quite a promiscuous girl [laughs]. She mated with many partners. And insects and spiders are incredibly adaptable creatures. There will be spiders.... They are more creatures of the shadow, more creatures of the deep forest. They are not earth nesting. They are nesting in the canopies so physically they have adapted to that environment.... With Shelob, she was quite low to the ground so she moved like a tank. Our spiders have to feel massive but be very nimble.
What comes through most in this interview — which is well worth reading in full — is just how much fun making this movie is for him. And from all the hints he drops, it looks to be massively fun for the audience as well.
Posted 11/6/2009 by Bill
Related: Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit
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Tuesday, November 3
Talking to Sci Fi Wire, Ian McKellen (Gandalf) says that he has finally had a chance to read the script for Guillermo del Toro's live-action adaptation of The Hobbit ... and he "couldn't be happier" with it. And why shouldn't he be, since the part was written specifically with him in mind:
As Peter has said, they loved writing Gandalf [for The Hobbit] because they knew who they were writing him for. ... There are a lot of characters in The Hobbit, including, crucially, Bilbo, and they don't know who's going to play Bilbo. So it's extremely attractive that this part has been written for me. The other Gandalf was written for, well, just as Gandalf. There's lots for me to enjoy, in all sorts of ways. And I couldn't be happier. But I'm sworn to secrecy. I'm not to say anything at all about the script.
McKellen goes on to offer some reassurance about the continuity between The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings now that it is being helmed by del Toro, rather than Peter Jackson:
They are the same person. ... They were separated at birth. They're twins. They have the same attitude. Neither likes working in Hollywood. They're both fascinated by fantasy and violence on the screen, and gore, and things that frighten you. They like going into the psyche. They're both brilliant storytellers in very much the same way. And I think the script, because I have read it, plays very much to Guillermo's strengths, as I've seen them. I have seen his other movies, and people act very well in them. So I think it's all fine. And Peter will always be there.
Hopefully, this is all a signal that casting can now begin in earnest. Who's going to play Bilbo? Inquiring minds want to know.
Posted 11/3/2009 by Bill
Related: Ian McKellen | Peter Jackson | Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit
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Sunday, November 1
With all of the legal troubles MGM has been going through, it was beginning to look like The Hobbit, the prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, would never get made. However, in early October, MGM announced that it had secured funds from "key lenders" to move forward with the production and that filming would begin in Spring 2010.
Sir Ian McKellen has confirmed that the production is on track and that he will be returning as Gandalf, but said that "there won't be many of the actors going back." Now, at least one of those actors in question has said that he isn't interested in returning to Middle Earth. John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli the dwarf, told Empire that he was asked about the possibility of playing Gimli's father, Gloin, but that he has "completely ruled it out."
There's a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment anymore.
Rhys-Davies' character was the only starring dwarf featured in the LOTR trilogy, but The Hobbit will have 13 dwarves, a fact that weighed on his mind when deciding not to play Gloin.
Why would you want to do it if it was just a couple of shots? When you've been one of one, why would you want to be one of 13?
Posted 11/1/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Ian McKellen | John Rhys-Davies | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | The Hobbit
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Tuesday, October 13
In an interview with Empire, Gandalf — Ian McKellan, that is — provided an update on the status of The Hobbit and suggested that, despite all the recent threats to the project, everything is proceeding on schedule. On schedule for a slow-moving ent that is. Even McKellan seems amazed at the drawn-out production schedule:
The scripts for the two [Hobbit] films will be delivered very soon. Then they'll be budgeted, and then they'll be cast. And they'll be going when they've always said they would be, which is next spring — March or April.
Guillermo even told me at one point, "We're going to film for 383 days." He's got that artistic autism! Jackson's the same; they're very, very, very alike. They're also very different, but they've so much in common. They both can't stand Hollywood and have wonderful imaginations, and they're both obsessed with gore and fantasy. Both of them laugh a great deal. Guillermo's one of the most brilliant men I've ever met. His English vocabulary is way superior to mine.
As far as casting goes, he warned fans not to expect too many familiar faces:
Unfortunately, there won't be many of the actors going back, unless they're going to put masks on and be disguised as dwarves! Andy Serkis [Gollum] is, at the moment, I think, the only other actor who's doing this film.
Of course, everyone is also expecting Hugo Weaving to reprise his role as Elrond, but still no word on that or who will play Bilbo yet.
Posted 10/13/2009 by Bill
Related: Ian McKellen | The Hobbit | Andy Serkis
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Tuesday, October 6
Less than a week ago, MGM received a deferment on their outstanding loans to allow them to continue with plans for producing a Guillermo del Toro-led production of The Hobbit. At the time of the announcement, nothing was said about the other properties under MGM's umbrella, such as the 007 franchise, the most valuable one in its library.
Now, it appears that MGM may be forced to sell off the rights to future James Bond movies to generate some much-needed cash. According to We Are Movie Geeks, a "source close to the dealings" claims that MGM has already sold the marketing and distribution rights to 20th Century Fox and that the official announcement will "come out any day now."
Sony, who acquired MGM in 2004, has used Sony Pictures to market and distribute the last two movies, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Prior to this, MGM partnered with Fox on all home video and international marketing.
Posted 10/6/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Quantum of Solace | The Hobbit
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Friday, October 2
Cash-strapped MGM announced that it has secured funds from "key lenders" who will allow the studio to move forward with its Guillermo del Toro-led production of The Hobbit, the prequel to Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. An approved interest deferment plan will allow MGM to retain co-ownership of the rights to the lucrative Hobbit property, which it shares with Warner Bros.' New Line Cinema.
Jackson, del Toro, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens are all currently working on scripts for the two movies, with the first screenplay due by the end of November. Shooting is expected to begin as early as spring 2010, with an intended release date for the first feature in 2011.
Posted 10/2/2009 by BrentJS
Related: The Hobbit
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Thursday, October 1
Having just fought off a long-running lawsuit, The Hobbit now faces another peril not born of Middle Earth. Deadline Hollywood is reporting that the financial situation at MGM has become so dire that bondholders are considering the idea of just letting the studio go bankrupt.
At issue is a $3.5 billion dollar debt. Not exactly small change, and the studio is having trouble making the interest payments. Without some form of relief, the company says there won't be enough cash to keep funding current projects or to start production on Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of The Hobbit. At least one other big-name franchise is in danger as well. The studio owns the rights to James Bond, which is supposed to be heading toward its 23rd and, as yet, untitled installment.
No word yet from the creditors as to which way this is going to turn out. Still, the gold in The Hobbit is not limited to what can be picked up in Smaug's cave, and it is hard to believe that, even if the studio were to go bankrupt, so much potential profit would just be left lying around for too long with no one to claim it.
Posted 10/1/2009 by Bill
Related: Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit
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Thursday, September 10
Several sources are noting that Viggo Mortenson has hinted in an interview with Men's Journal that he plans on taking an indefinite break from acting. Some are going so far as to say that he's permanently throwing in the towel, although that seems like a far-fetched conclusion. Nevertheless, Mortenson definitely indicated that he's burned out and needs to go on a temporary hiatus.
I have no plans to do another movie. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm open to seeing how I feel in a while, but right now I'm not saying yes to anything. My agent is like, "Well, if you don't do anything, people will forget about you ..." I just feel like I've taken on too much for a while.
This means that The Road might be Mortenson's last movie for a while. Cinema Blend points out that this could be bad news for Lord of the Rings fans, who were expecting to see Mortenson reprise his role as Aragorn for the second of Guillermo del Toro's Hobbit movies. Although the character isn't featured in Tolkien's novel, the second movie promises to go beyond The Hobbit and create a sort of bridge to Lord of the Rings, which follows The Hobbit chronologically.
Regarding Mortenson's agent's claim, this obviously isn't the first time an actor has decided to take a sudden leave from his career, and it's not impossible to recover from a protracted period away. Since starring in The Boxer (1997), Daniel Day-Lewis has done only three movies: Gangs of New York, The Ballad of Jack and Rose (which his wife directed), and There Will Be Blood. While we're not saying that Mortenson necessarily has the same clout, Day-Lewis's case shows that some time away won't necessarily ruin a person's career. Either way, we'll have to wait and see what Mortenson decides.
Posted 9/10/2009 by Rich Z
Related: Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit | The Road | Viggo Mortensen
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Tuesday, September 8
Although everyone had long been proceeding under the assumption that Guillermo del Toro's two-part adaptation of The Hobbit was a go, there was always one thing looming in the background that threatened to derail the project — the Tolkien family lawsuit. The family (and Harper Collins Publishers) claimed that royalty payments that New Line owed them for the Lord of the Rings movies — which raked in nearly $6 billion worldwide — were never paid. The suit sought to block production of The Hobbit until a settlement was reached.
Today it was announced that the suit has finally been settled out of court. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed, but we're going to safely assume it was for a ton. The really important news, though, is that one of the last obstacles for making The Hobbit into a movie has been cleared. Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.
The next question to be settled: Who's going to play Bilbo? At this rate, we should be getting an answer very soon.
Posted 9/8/2009 by Bill
Related: Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit
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Saturday, September 5
Actor Elijah Wood is the rare example of a child actor who's made the transition into adulthood relatively unscathed by the ravages of Hollywood. After a part in Back to the Future Part II at the tender young age of eight, Wood went on to star in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy, forever becoming identified with Hobbits. Wood is still questioned about the role, even more so now that production on Guillermo del Toro's LOTR prequel, The Hobbit, is underway.
In a recent interview to promote his new movie, 9, Wood was asked who he thinks would make a great choice to play Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit.
That's a tough one. I think Ian Holm really set a high bar for that performance. He really did an extraordinary job, and he really made it his own. There's a lot of quirkiness to that character. It's not the easiest character to play. One couldn't really do it straightforward — there's some odd quirks to him. So it'll be interesting to see who they get. Nobody really comes to mind. They've mentioned a few people so far. James McAvoy is great. I think he could be interesting.
Wood is no stranger to voice acting, having lent his pipes to Mumble in the smash animated feature Happy Feet, so he was right at home in the sound booth for 9, in which he plays the lead role of #9. Interestingly, there are superficial similarities between 9 and The Lord of the Rings that have not escaped Wood's notice.
I just loved that world that [director Shane Acker] created, and I loved the idea of being a part of it and then ultimately the idea of being a part of something that would flesh that out. Taking into consideration the journey that they all took, certainly there were similarities [between 9 and LOTR], but I definitely liked the characters and I think the character of 9 was interesting. They've already established a community, and he comes in with all these questions about who they are and what they are and that we need to get to the bottom of what these machines are about and what does this talisman do. They've all stopped asking those questions. I really liked that about him — that he shakes them loose a little bit to get at who they are and get at solving the dangers that face them.
Of course, one would naturally assume that Wood's favorite role would be portraying the Hobbit that made him a mega-star, but Wood admits to favoring the dark character of Kevin from Frank Miller's Sin City.
Sin City was a pretty awesome role to play. Getting a chance to play a character like [Kevin], and also being a fan of the graphic novel, it was a real treat — not something that comes around often. So that's definitely one of my favorites.
9 also features the voice talents of Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, and Jennifer Connelly.
Next Showing: 9 opens September 9
Posted 9/5/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Sin City | Elijah Wood | The Hobbit | 9 | Shane Acker