Amazon, Warner Bros in Talks for LOTR Series Adaptation: Variety

I understand that invoking Tolkien's name prints money, but the tweet early on in this video got me thinking. There are lot of fantasy works the adaptation of which I would really enjoy complaining about. A series about Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, for example, would be an excellent candidate for big budget fantasy adventuring, given the fantastic details of their stories.

He's got ears like Steven Colbert, but in reverse.

Still haven't seen Apple's Foundation.

Love the take down of JJ Abrams.

halfwise wrote:

Still haven't seen Apple's Foundation.

Well I'm not subscribed to Apple's streaming service, so I shan't be seeing it either I do not think.

http://www.thehalloffire.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4277&start=20

"Colourblind Casting" is such a self-contradiction. As though a visual medium would not factor in the appearance of its actors. The term is stupid, frankly. In the same way that it's not true when people say that they "don't see colour". Race is one of the first things we notice when seeing someone new, and only by getting to know the other person does their appearance become less important than other things about them.

Interestingly, although appearance is still the first thing that an audience notices about an actor, a good actor's ability to communicate his feelings will pretty quickly draw the audience in so that his appearance loses primacy. This has its limits, however, when it comes to the verisimilitude of the story. You still can't have black Samurai in historical Japan. It's just too jarring.

{{ Why would orcs make bone armour? They are excellent smiths and workers of metal- known for it. }}

Well these orcs are poor lost souls being hunted down for sport!

Half-kidding.
From what I've gathered they do seem to be a motley crew of rabble, and bone-armour goes along with the "Proto-Halfling" thing they're doing. Proto-Orcs with rudimentary skills, devolved now that they're separated from their dark master.

I have thought about the proto-Hobbit thing. Surely it is racist to have a Black man play a primitive version of a Hobbit. The optics are not good imo.

If they were ALL black then it would be bad optics. One black hobbit makes no such statement about primitivism.

{{ Doesnt make any sense either}}

Nope, it's a whole different problem. Small groups simply can't be that diverse.

https://www.fandom.com/articles/rings-of-power-elf-celebrimbor

I think they must be contractually obligated to repeat the idea that Tolkien approved of other authors adapting his work lol.
Anyway, some new pictures. Charles Edwards is looking much older than Hugo Weaving in LotR, despite LotR-Elrond being far older than RoP-Celebrimbor. As the article seems to suggest, they're really setting up Celebrimbor as representative of an earlier time than Elrond or Galadriel, despite the latter being older than him.

Or maybe not older? I am confused on that point. She is one generation older than he is, right, but I don't know the actual birth dates.

Charles Edwards wrote:There’s actually a little note scrawled in a margin by Tolkien saying ‘not sure about this, should have changed it’, or something along those lines. In order to start building a character, that’s very exciting. There’s a blueprint, but there hasn’t been any colouring in and it’s down to me and everyone else to create him. That has been really exciting. So, considering the two or three versions that Tolkien had of the character, which in themselves differ from each other, our version is a composite. And then a little bit more.

Translation: Nah-nah we can do whatever we want!

These interviews in which actors or directors are trying to fluff up the audience for the coming fuckery are all the same in their tactics.
Step 1: Undermine original's accuracy or authenticity.
Step 2: Suggest a great amount of leeway is permissible.
Step 3: Keep details vague.

Not denying the impending fuckery, but in this case he's right: Celebrimbor is not well defined by Tolkien.

He is the son of Curifin, which makes him one generation younger than Galadriel but still older than Elrond I believe. Don't know, Elves have the ability to drag their feet when producing progeny, though Tolkien seems to suggest they tend to be more frisky in their "adolescent" phase.

Oh, but you are time shifting between LotR and RoP times. Hard to figger, the first age was pretty long. To my eye RoP Celebrimbor doesn't necessarily look older than LotR Elrond. But he still looks too old to me. Forging Rings of Power is a young person's game; seems too reckless for someone at the age portrayed. I always felt Celebrimbor had to be young in order to be fooled by Sauron. And Feanor did his best work when young.

And he shouldn't look older than Galadriel. Okay, at this point I'll throw in with you and declare fuckery.

Alright I will accept that a level of colouring-in closer to what he's talking about is required then.

The actor is 13 years older than Mr. Weaving was for LotR.

Another day, another elf interviewed.

https://nerdist.com/article/lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-who-is-gil-galad-benjamin-walker-interview-exclusive-images/

You know, I think these interviews may be intended as something akin to damage control. They highlight characters found in the books, and are actually helping me be less crabbit about the whole thing.
I suppose that will change if they bring in any original characters next.

Actually I admire the writing technique on this one. She could have done a simple interview format, but instead went for a history of the character interspersed with quotes from the actor. I think it works well in this case because nobody actually gives a rat's ass about the actor, so no need to preserve personal moments from the interview.

halfwise wrote: nobody actually gives a rat's ass about the actor.

(Well yeah, sure, but you're not supposed to say that part out loud.)

We can't escape meteor man.

Elven mullets.

https://twitter.com/willitones/status/1544523900217876481?t=PSBRvxjJoIsBY27zj6CggQ&s=19

Small clip.

Are they all looking up at Meteor Man?

Kc

Well dammit. They ARE all looking up at Meteor Man.

How does he know that's Tar-Miriel? She's supposed to be strikingly gorgeous. Minor point but this actress is just average looking.

They did the red meteor in GoT.

Indeed they did Figgs. Remember how it just kinda disappeared at one point? lol

What's with this fella in the video talking about how Sauron is coming back to Middle-Earth? Did he leave? Where's he been? He should be very much in Middle-earth at this time, as the only possible way I can imagine him flying across the sky is as a disembodied spirit after the fall of Westernesse.