Add me to the thrilled list. I'm extremely excited about seeing the White Council taking on Sauron at Dol Guldur. Shame they couldn't have fit the elves of Lorien marching on Dol Guldur and Galadriel destroying the walls into the LotR movies, but this will help to make up for it.

Bookwyrm, certainly! I thought it would have been cool to see Galadriel doing that Considering that she's such a fascinating, mysterious character (At least to me, that's why I use her name! ) I would have liked to have seen it.

You know the weird thing.... Is the Hobbit supposed to come out in 2010? Because how can it if they haven't started filming yet? (Because VDT is coming in December of 2010!) I'm sorry if the answer is really obvious or something.

Ditto Booky, and that's good to hear about Christopher Lee still having potential to play Saruman.

Lady Galadriel, the plan is to release Hobbit movie #1 in December 2011 and Hobbit movie #2 in December 2012.

EDIT: There have been a number of names cast around for the coveted Bilbo role: James McAvoy, David Tennant, Daniel Radcliffe amongst others.

I read that article (about it being in 2010) on the Council of Elrond website today. It must be out of date!

Waaaay out of date . Unfortunately, McAvoy was the first to squash the story that he would be the one. Tennant is wild speculation based on an appearance at the same convention of a Del Toro appearance. And Radcliffe laughed it off as some kind of joke, saying he wants to do something non-fantasy before he gets typecast .

GB

Also Radcliffe said he wouldn't be in a movie with another wizard any time soon. Can't really blame him.

Here is the link to TORn's FAQ page, Lady Galadriel. #1.3 is the confirmation of the release dates. I'd advise CoE to update their Hobbit movie page as soon as they can: this news has been out for awhile now.

EDIT: Breakpoint (Chuck Colson) had a cool talk on The LotR today.

EDIT 2: The movie website has a bit on Del Toro's thoughts on Smaug and the wolves. The more I read the more I really appreciate his vision: yep, I must say that so far I do like where he's heading.

I dearly appreciate the BBC Narnia films because they stay so close to the books and I much prefer them to the two recent Disney movies.

I’m glad that’s what you meant. I love the BBC versions. I definitely prefer the BBC’s PC to Walden’s (although they didn’t have Edmund siding with Lucy ). I can’t decide between the two LWWs.

EDIT 2: The movie website has a bit on Del Toro's thoughts on Smaug and the wolves. The more I read the more I really appreciate his vision: yep, I must say that so far I do like where he's heading.

It does sound good. I’m glad the wolves will look more like wolves than those creatures in TTT, that really didn’t belong in the movie, at least not at that particular time, especially since that particular time did belong in the movie either. In other words, in the book, the people from Edoras did not go to Helm’s Deep and the riders heading in the direction did not encounter Warg riders. (I think there might have been some around the Fords of the Isen at some point though.)

Given the debate "raging" at The Hobbit Movie forum, I have to ask how folk here feel about the inclusion of Gandalf's adventures, i.e. The White Council and Dol Guldur etc. Personally I am thrilled. I have always thought Gandalf's story should have been included since I was a kid. But many "purists" do not.

I don’t mind as long as it is based on something in a book. (Yes, you read it correctly. I did say that I don't mind a change from the book (of course I did qualify it with having it be in a book. )) I would really like it if they would include some of the stuff from Unfinished Tales about how Gandalf got involved with the dwarfs to begin with and the fast talking he had to do to get Thorin to agree to take Bilbo with. How much is known about what Gandalf / White Council did?

Shame they couldn't have fit the elves of Lorien marching on Dol Guldur and Galadriel destroying the walls into the LotR movies, but this will help to make up for it.

Is that in a book somewhere? It doesn’t sound familiar to me.

I’m really glad that the same actors are playing Gandalf and Gollum. Why aren’t they using the same actor for Bilbo?

I’m not sure how to phrase this, but I’ll do the best I can. The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings seem so different in tone from each other. I don’t just mean the books themselves, but the characters as well. The elves, in particular, seem very different from the ones in LotR. In the Hobbit they seem carefree and a little silly but in LotR, I remember them as being much more regal and solemn. (I could be remembering wrong about the LotR books. I’m reading the Hobbit right now so I hope I’m remembering that right). I’m wondering if that is going to pose any problems/require them to make changes. Gandalf seems a little different too. There is one part in the Hobbit where it says something about Gandalf’s never minding to tell about his brilliance more than once or something along those lines (I’m too lazy to go upstairs and get my book and find the quote (it is when Bilbo gets back to the dwarves and the wizard after escaping from the goblins)). Gandalf (as I remember him in LotR) didn’t like talking all that much and didn’t hold that high of an opinion of himself. Anyway, I’m wondering what other people think. (i.e. Is there a difference between the characters in Hobbit and LotR? If yes, will it pose problems, etc.)

You prefer a one hour version of PC to Walden's? Okay.
If you ask me they had the key scenes in there but the spirit of the book wasn't anywhere to be found.

Bookwyrm wrote:Shame they couldn't have fit the elves of Lorien marching on Dol Guldur and Galadriel destroying the walls into the LotR movies, but this will help to make up for it.

Is that in a book somewhere? It doesn’t sound familiar to me.

It's in the Appendix. I don't remember which one, but it's in the time line. There's also a bit in one of the Appendixes about what happens right before Hobbit when Thorin meets Gandalf, which I think would be cool to include.

How much is known about what Gandalf / White Council did?

Again, check the Appendixes. It's in there somewhere.

Is there a difference between the characters in Hobbit and LotR? If yes, will it pose problems, etc.

There most certainly is a difference in the characters, especially the elves. The only big problem this would cause that comes to mind is when Bilbo gets the Dwarves out of the dungeon in Mirkwood. In the book, Bilbo waits until the Elves downstairs are drunk. But in the movie Legolas and Gimli have a drinking contest and at the end Legolas says he feels a slight tingling sensation in his fingers and that's all. I can see it now: the Elves drink so much that they start to feel tingly and while they have an intellectual conversation about what could have caused this Bilbo sneaks the keys off one of their belts, frees the Dwarves, and stuffs them all into barrels and then they take a grand ride down the river and the Elves notice nothing. Right. I don't know how they'll work around that one. Unless they choose to ignore the drinking contest which only appears in the extended anyway.

The White Council and the booting of the Necromancer from Dol Guldur is definitely in a book, either in the appendices or the Silmarillion or both.

I don't think there are really too many continuity issues with the Elves. They have their own Elf-Made Wine which no doubt has a far higher alcohol content than the Ale Legolas and Gimli were drinking . And the Mirkwood Elves are a little more inclined to Mirth and Merriment than the normally Vulcan-like Elves of other communities .

GB

I’m really glad that the same actors are playing Gandalf and Gollum. Why aren’t they using the same actor for Bilbo?

Isn't he too old for the part now?

Ironic. There's an advertisement on the side of the screen saying "War has come to Middle-Earth! Lord of the Rings online."

Here's a brain teaser for you. Since a significant portion of the action in the Hobbit takes place in Mirkwood, and a good fraction of that in the realm of the Elves, do ya' think we might be seeing a little cameo from Legolas since he's one of the Mirkwood Elven clan?

Many of us at the Hobbit Forum are expecting some sort of cameo from Legolas (though some are not so pleased about this ). But as the son of Thranduil, King of the Mirkwood Elves, Legolas really ought to have a cameo.

GB

If anyone had a good reason for a cameo, it would be Legolas. He is the only one I can sensibly see having a well, sensible cameo.

oh, I hope they don't pick James Mcavoy for Bilbo! he doesn't look antthing like Ian Holm! and not Daniel Radcliffe either! both of them are good actors, but they are not Bilbo!