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Peter Jackson Talks Hobbit Casting

Published on: 27th December, 2009

Peter Jackson Talks Hobbit Casting | read this item

Peter Jackson has been talking about the problems they face casting for The Hobbit.

In the video interview you can see below he explains how they are looking for particular characteristics in the actors who are auditioning for the parts of Dwarves, Elves and of course, Hobbits.

He also confirms the rumors that were circulating the internet about The Hobbit being delayed a few weeks ago (not reported here) were well off the mark. Shooting is still on course to start March/April time.

He does note however that it’s in the hands of the studio as they have to wait for the go ahead from them.

As long as shooting starts by the middle of the year though, The Hobbit will be ready for release Christmas 2011.

The second Hobbit movie script should be with the studio any time now.

Check out the video below for the full interview.

Source: THR

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Readers Comments

Flea says:

December 28, 2009 at 11:59 pm

They should make it 3-D like that new Avatar movie. Someone should ask PJ. if they have thought about doing that. The Hobbit movie in 3-d would be awesome! :O

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The Hobbit Reply:
December 29th, 2009 at 1:22 am
They already asked and he said no.

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Jasmin Reply:
December 30th, 2009 at 12:42 am
@Flea, I think that’s a bad idea, really. >_>; It’s just not that kind of story. Most people probably want the focus to be on the story and the detail rather than on stuff bouncing out of the screen. It would be too distracting, I think.

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Flea Reply:
December 30th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
@Jasmin, Its not that kind of story?… what? ofcourse i would rather want the focus to be on the story rather than “stuff bouncing out of the screen”.. But is it impossible to get both?
I thought Avatar was amazing JUST because of the 3-d… and one of the reasons why i still love to watch LOTR is because of the amazing speciel effects they put together. A fantasy movie has to be “fantastic”.. it has to be convincing. And 3-d makes it so much more convincing and drawing. But if Peter Jackson already said “no” to this idea i guess the topic is closed -.-

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cj Reply:
December 30th, 2009 at 1:39 am
@Flea, not everybody can see that well in 3-d. or they feel ripped off by the extra fee for the glasses they make you return

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Flea Reply:
December 31st, 2009 at 1:18 pm
@cj, If ppl can’t affort a couple of bucks ekstra to go get an amazing experience… then i don’t know what.. And ‘they’ didn’t make me return my glasses after the movie?
But i guess this is the wrong forum to talk about this I guess no one here really liked or was fascinated by the technology of Avatar. your arguments against it haven’t been very strong imo tho.

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ossiss Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 1:55 pm
@Flea, watching things in 3d is just a gimmick that really needs to die off. its like how they revealed the “3D televisions” it wasnt needed, its a lame idea, and avatar sucked.
Felagund says:

December 31, 2009 at 8:19 am

Hello fellow Ringers! I beg you, have mercy on a newbie posting to the realm. My opinions are simply that: my opinions. I offer, in the spirit of camaraderie, only my enthusiasm for all things Arda. Bearing that in mind, let me share with you what I only discovered today.-the most exhilarating cinematic experience of my life: Avatar. In 3D, Avatar is the most visually astounding movie I have ever beheld. Admittedly, a more contrived and derivative narrative is hard to imagine but, be that as it may, I have never been so utterly immersed, sensibly, in a movie in all my life! Now, that being said, it was not until the closing credits that I realized (I live way back in the Sticks deep in the Arkansas Ozarks and, as such, am not privy to certain facts perhaps obvious to those less provincial members of our Fellowship) that the boys from WETA were responsible for annihilating my concept of cinema. I cannot help but think that they will employ this incredible new technology in the filming of The Hobbit. I believe that The Hobbit movies are going to blow Avatar completely away. I believe that The Hobbit movies are going to blow everyone’s concept of cinema completely away! Imagine it…what this this new-fangled, immersive, 3D format may provide for us…we won’t see Bag-End, we’ll be in Bag-End! We won’t see Mirkwood, we’ll be in Mirkwood! And of course…we won’t watch Bilbo confront Smaug away down deep, deep, deep in the depths of Erebor…we’ll be standing , comfortably safe I might add,…I hope…right behind him!

“All three gifts were your own to give, Turin: love, pity, and the knife the least.”

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Flea Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:40 pm
@Felagund,
Everything this guy said…
I don’t want Avatar2. I want THE HOBBIT. But why can’t you learn from other movies? WETA made a great job on this film and its universe. WETA is on The Hobbit team next. I can’t see anything wrong in making a 3-D version and a regular version. (- just for the people with a stick up there ass). It’s like you people can’t enjoy an adventure movie unless its based on one of J.R.R Tolkien’s books or made by Peter Jackson. Come on guys. The creator of Titanic did a great job on this movie. I’m only saying that Peter and co. could do an even better job with a x100 better story.

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Digit23 says:

January 1, 2010 at 4:26 am

My opinion on Avatar is that it is an expensive Sci-Fi rip-off from the story of Pocahontas. In fact certain characters and locations in Avatar bear very strong resemblance to those in the movie I mentioned above.

As for 3-D, it was handled very poorly. Would have been fine if it was all 3-D - but cutting in between 2-D and 3-D was nearly enough to make me sick and dizzy, as well as several of my friends. It wasn’t amazing, it was sickening to the core.

If that’s the current future of movie-making, I pray someone shoots the fools that came up with it, before they completely kill the cinema industry.

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Flea Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:31 pm
@Digit23, So? Maybe its time to make it even better than Avatar? Listen.. I don’t want a new Avatar movie. I too thought the story was poor. I do think that the technology and 3-D effects was an amazing experience tho and i believe that if you used the same new technology on a great story - it would be more than ‘a movie’ and more than ‘an adventure’.
Btw.. I would never want all future movies to be like Avatar! No way! This is for adventure and fantasy movies. And J.R.R Tolkien’s universe would fit perfectly in 3-D imo. Thats all.

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Kay says:

January 2, 2010 at 1:42 am

I don’t know about you guys, but I want to see a return of legalis with Orlando bloom. He was amazing in the first 3 movies. Even though they do not specify him in the book, I’m sure that he can somehow be included in the elf kingdom. He can probably be given part of the elf kings stuff. It makes sense for him to be in it because, him being an elf, he was probably be alive the fifty to sixty years before the fellowship

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Laserbird28 says:

January 3, 2010 at 5:25 am

I certainly think Legalis should be in the movie since he is the prince of Mirkwood, King Thranduil’s son. They should be able to find something for him to do. He would be alive since by the start of Lord of the Rings he is over a thousand years old! On a side note, did anyone else notice a picture of Michael Jackson on Peter Jackson’s wall in his interview?

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mirannun says:

January 8, 2010 at 11:07 pm

I think you guys mean Legolas, ,not Legalis.

There is no mention of him in the book; but then again, that’s never stopped them before.

What worries me is the introduction of this “Itaril” character…

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved the movies…but wasn’t the obnoxious intrusion of Arwen into the story enough?

Ugh.

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Hannah says:

January 9, 2010 at 8:13 pm

Concerning the “3D discussion” on Avatar. That is completely different story but anyway I have to say that not only the technology was amazing so was the Pandora imagination. The story was really a bit like Pocahontas but the world…
I am really looking forward to seeing Hobbit and Middle earth world. The idea of 3D making can be fantastic too but the story is so good that it is not necessary and we will be sitting in the cinema gazing on the screen again. It will be definitely a story for big screens. I am especially eager to see part of Mirkwood and Erebor. Legolas should be there but I am not sure if it is a good idea to give him some part in the plot, may be one of the drunken elves?:-) He was not mentioned in the book and we only know from LOTR that he was the Elven prince. everyone must like elves and if they make some change in the Elven part of the film I will gladly forgive them.

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thaMC says:

January 10, 2010 at 8:27 pm

As long as it’s canon, I don’t mind. We know that Legolas, though not mentioned in the Hobbit, was there in Mirkwood while Bilbo and the dwarves were there because of the LOTR. So that’d be fine. Same goes for the White Council.

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Hobbit Movie Delay? | The Hobbit Movie says:

January 23, 2010 at 3:48 pm

[...] He did note though that this was dependent on the green light from the studio. Original story –> Peter Jackson Talks Hobbit Casting [...]
Wendy says:

January 23, 2010 at 7:22 pm

I think that Bruce Payne would be perfect as Thorin!

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