YES! Jackson to make Hobbit film

[David Howery]

*does happy dance*
PJ is making "The Hobbit"!! PJ is making "The Hobbit"!

but...

two films? I dunno... I'd rather see one long movie on The Hobbit. If they really want to do a second film.... why not one on the events around the Lonely Mountain during the War of the Ring, when Sauron's forces invaded... the battle of the Lonely Mountain, the fall of Dain and the human king whose name I can't remember... that'd be pretty neat....

 

[horacethegrey]

A little late on the bandwagon here, but here's one Tolkien fan who's glad to hear this news.

I'm only sorry The Golden Compass had to bomb in order for it to happen, but that's life for you.

Now that PJ's involved, we all know the visuals, production designs and everything will be visually consistent with that of LOTR. My only concern is for certain actors to return to their respective roles. Most importantly Ian Mckellen as Gandalf, I doubt the fans would settle for anything less than a return from him. But please, enough of the talk that Ian Holm should reprise his role as Bilbo. The Hobbit is the story of young Bilbo Baggin's journey into heroic lore, and having an elderly Holm play the character would be laughable at best.

 

[Aus_Snow]

w00t!

I hope they are epic marathon-types again. But I hope more strongly that they are immensely popular, so if A precludes B, I'll settle for B.

And it would be great if the first movie is 'The Hobbit' proper, and the next covers some of the 'tween events. But again, I'm not going to be overly fussy, as I'm just so damn pleased it's being done, finally!

 

[Plane Sailing]

With two films, I certainly hope Beorn gets some screen time. The Battle of the Five Armies is probably going to be great the way it is given the PJ has already proven how well he can handle the epic battles, but it won't be the same without a massive CG Beorn in bear shape smacking down goblins left and right. The audience will likely cheer when he shows up and saves the day.

You mean you don't think it will be like the book? y'know, Bilbo gets bonked on the head and falls unconscious and wakes up when it is all over? It would sure cut down the CGI costs

 

[messy]

But please, enough of the talk that Ian Holm should reprise his role as Bilbo. The Hobbit is the story of young Bilbo Baggin's journey into heroic lore, and having an elderly Holm play the character would be laughable at best.

i disagree. ian holm was so good as bilbo in "lord of the rings," i think he should definitely play the role in "the hobbit." with modern makeup, they can certainly make him look younger.

messy

 

[Traycor]

I'm interested to see if he opens up the first movie with Smaug blasting all the dwarves from their home in the Lonely Mountain.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

But the length of a book and a movie aren't all that closely connected, and from the filmmaker's point of view are almost inverses. What takes a lot of page space to describe in a book, such as detailed setting or character details, is conveyed quickly visually. By the same token, things that typically take little space in a book, such a an epic battle (because "he swings, she swings, they swing" makes for boring reading in general) are much more interesting visually and stretch on a good deal longer.

So what you're really saying is... they balance each other out.

No, I see what you're saying. You're right of course. I have not read the book in a loooooong time (20 years) so I may be misremembering quite a bit, but I still think two movies could be a bit much.

 

[horacethegrey]

i disagree. ian holm was so good as bilbo in "lord of the rings," i think he should definitely play the role in "the hobbit." with modern makeup, they can certainly make him look younger.

You mean like that fake and plastic finish they gave Patrick Stewart and Mckellen when they played the younger Xavier and Magneto in X-Men III respectively? Please. That makeup was laughable and quite distracting, and I'd hate to see Holm acting under that stuff.

I'm not hating on Ian Holm, far from it. But the Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit was a young and active character, and it calls for a young actor to play that role. I'm pretty sure Jackson knows this. Hell, he had the sense to replace a younger actor for an older one when casting the role of Aragorn. Why should the reverse be any different?

 

[Brown Jenkin]

i disagree. ian holm was so good as bilbo in "lord of the rings," i think he should definitely play the role in "the hobbit." with modern makeup, they can certainly make him look younger.

messy

They don't have to make him look look much younger. All he really needs is a wig, his face has held up pretty well. Remember Bilbo was not a young man on this adventure, he was 50 years old and a respectable hobbit. I would really like for everyone to come back that can, I like continuity.

 

[Darkwolf71]

You realize Ian Holm is... 76 years old?

Honestly it was pushing it to cast him as Bilbo for LotR. Don't get me wrong, he did a great job and is a darn fine actor, but the reason he got the part in the first place was a nod to his playing Frodo in the BBC radio drama. At this point he's just to old for the part.