I can see how either of those might work, fantasia, though I know more of Butler than I do of Stevenson. When our daughter and I were discussing Beorn, we both blurted out Robbie Coltrane! Now, he might be too "Hagrid", but I still think, with costuming and make-up, he could run with the role.

I was going through Silver Leaves Issue 3 the other day and a blurb by Tom Shippey on the release of The Hobbit in the Frisian language (Netherlands) caught my attention again. Get a load of this first sentence, which I simply love:

Yn in hoal yn ‘e grûn wenne in hobbit. Net en aaklik, smoarch, wiet hoal, fol mei wjirmeintsjes

Wonderful, onomatopoeia there, eh? Even though I don't know the language, one can almost tell what it says just by the evocative look of those descriptive words.

Ooh, that's lovely!
Frisian is the nearest language to English (one of the West Germanic languages). I very seldom get to see it though!

I can't tell what it says - something about a hobbit living in a hole, but that's it.

yay! NZ is the best place for The Hobbit!

I am so happy! this movie will be good!

I am so happy! this movie will be good!

Whenever I get depressed by all the negativity towards Jackson at the Hobbit Forum (foaming about "ruining the story" "fan fiction" etc), I know I can count on Narniawebbers to cheer me up.*

*(except of course when people here get cross about Aptedation of VDT )

GB

Thought I'd just drop in here to say that I am SO excited about The Hobbit! I saw the recent castings, and they look great! And I hear they're filming in New Zealand? Awesome! Now I want to visit New Zealand even more badly.

Does anyone know when they start filming?

I heard February next year. Not sure though.

Yes, filming is to begin in February.

I can't tell what it says - something about a hobbit living in a hole, but that's it.

Well, compare these:
"Yn in hoal yn ‘e grûn wenne in hobbit. Net en aaklik, smoarch, wiet hoal, fol mei wjirmeintsjes"
"In a hole in a ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms"

I find there are some cool similarities, and I do so love the look of the word "wjirmeintsjes", especially.

Whenever I get depressed by all the negativity towards Jackson at the Hobbit Forum (foaming about "ruining the story" "fan fiction" etc), I know I can count on Narniawebbers to cheer me up.*

*(except of course when people here get cross about Aptedation of VDT )

Haha, yeah. I was just going to mention (regarding your first paragraph) that a similar thing may be occurring at times here re Voyage.

Here they all are in one organized spot, whether confirmed, or speculated, or 'dunno' as yet.

See, when rumour floated around way back when that there were going to be huge LotR films coming out, and then as casting, filming, and post-production progressed, I purposefully stayed away from delving into it all (I know, shocking, eh?), because I was so terrified I would be devastated with the adaptation. (I now regret this decision, but the book is too beloved to me, and I had much trepidation/fear and trembling.) This story has been told before, but a week or so after Fellowship was released, a friend finally convinced me to go with her and her family and, well, the rest is history. So, because of my non-involvement in the pre-Lotr excitement, I am tickled pink to be jumping in head first with The Hobbit news!

Thanks for the link, LOTS. I'm definitely going to have to read The Hobbit again soon. One time wasn't enough to remember all the characters.

Glad the 2 movies are greenlit, staying in Auntie C.'s New Zealand, and the cast is firming up and being confirmed.

Best wishes to cast and crew and that director/writer guy from the LOTR trliogy, uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Peter Jackson.

my dad just finished reading The Hobbit out loud to us
I have read the book myself lots of times, but my dad reads really well out loud and we had a good time listening

Yes, so it will be different from the book - I expect I will love it anyway ...

What makes you say it will be different from the book? Has any plot details been released yet?

~Riella

No details, but at least they have told that there will be more than just was described in the book - but it's more because I expect that the Hobbit movie will be different from the book because LotR was, and I expect Peter Jackson to make some changes again.

Well we do know for a fact now that the White Council/Dol Guldur storyline (to be found in LotR appendices) will be included based on the casting of Radagast the Brown and hints given in previous interviews.

There may be other changes of course. But Jackson has plenty of space in 2 films to get all the significant scenes in.

GB

Yeah, what's that director guy's name again, eh, Glim? And about the films' 'progressive progression'!

Liberty, I agree whole-heartedly! The Hobbit is one of the best stories to read aloud! Plus I love the bond this creates with the group reading it together. Similar with the Narnia Chronicles. Does your dad have different voices for the various main characters? My brother was/is really talented at doing this. We all listen to him, rather mesmerized, when he begins to bring a tale to life.

Ditto, Gandalfs Beard. The key changes, from what we've heard/read will be the addition of the White Council/Dol Guldur, which I am thrilled about ... right from JRRT's appendices. There could easily be a few non-canon changes, but PJ certainly has enough material between The Hobbit and those sections of the appendices to fill two movies.

I was reading this morning how thrilled the actor is who is playing Ori (Adam Brown), and then also saw on a Facebook page this comment by somebody-or-other:
"Heartfelt congratulations to Adam on being cast as Ori the dwarf in the forthcoming movie prequel The Hobbit! What fun you will have in Bilbo's merry band as you descend into the fearsome mines of Moria!"

Uh, wups, wrong story. Which brings to mind another idea ... what if, in the second film, PJ shows Balin and his buddies entering—and then holding their last stand—in the Mines or Moria, tying the tale in even more with The LotR movies.

*wonders if the filmmakers are planning to depict when Aragorn and Arwen first met in Lothlórien, and a bit later pledge themselves to each other ... * Doesn't he give her his ring of Barahir then too?

Also, I do hope we see Gandalf finding poor, dying Thráin in the dungeons of Dol Guldur, and the giving of the key. That could be quite the moving scene, methinks. Speaking of poignant, to see Thorin Oakenshield on his deathbed, making restitution with Bilbo, almost brings tears to my eyes just writing it.

Listen:

"Farewell, good thief,' [Thorin] said. "I go now to the halls of waiting to sit beside my fathers, until the world is renewed. Since I leave now all gold and silver, and go where it is of little worth, I wish to part in friendship from you, and I would take back my words and deeds at the Gate."
Bilbo knelt on one knee filled with sorrow. "Farewell, King under the Mountain!" he said. "this is a better adventure, if it must end so; and not a mountain of gold can amend it. Yet I am glad that I have shared in your perils that has been more than any Baggins deserves."
"No!" said Thorin. "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. if more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!"
Then Bilbo turned away, and he went by himself, and sat alone wrapped in a blanket, and whether you believe it or not, he wept until his eyes were red and his voice was hoarse. He was a kindly little soul. Indeed it was long before he had the heart to make a joke again.

*contented sigh*

Uh, wups, wrong story. Which brings to mind another idea ... what if, in the second film, PJ shows Balin and his buddies entering—and then holding their last stand—in the Mines or Moria, tying the tale in even more with The LotR movies.

*wonders if the filmmakers are planning to depict when Aragorn and Arwen first met in Lothlórien, and a bit later pledge themselves to each other ... * Doesn't he give her his ring of Barahir then too?

Also, I do hope we see Gandalf finding poor, dying Thráin in the dungeons of Dol Guldur, and the giving of the key. That could be quite the moving scene, methinks. Speaking of poignant, to see Thorin Oakenshield on his deathbed, making restitution with Bilbo, almost brings tears to my eyes just writing it.

Going back a couple of years when there was still talk of a possible "bridging movie" between the two Hobbit films, I posited that it would include the reopening of Moria, the hunt for Gollum, and a bit of Arwen/Aragorn's backstory. and the corruption of Saruman etc.

Now they are only doing two films, I expect the script will move as follows:

Anyway, that's how I would direct the films sequences to include the necessary material to segue neatly into the opening of Jackson's LotR. And I rather think Jackson has something along this line in mind, given the hints of interviews we've had along the way.

GB