Dain Ironfoot finally cast

Seems a mountain out of a mole hill- having said that in general I do prefer seeing unknowns as there is a lack of expectations. If I close my eyes and concentrate I can already hear how Stephen Fry will probbaly sound and deliver lines as the Mayor already just becasue I have seen him in so many roles for years. But if he puts in a good performance and miracle of miracles PJ gives him a decent script I wont notice its Fry while I am watching.
Out of LotR's I knew Ian Jolm from numerous TV and films (and as Frodo in the BBC radio plays), Ian Mckellan from numerous Shakespeare productions, Rhyss Jones from Indiana Jones and several other films, and Christopher Lee, being in my fav film of all time Wicker Man I of course knew- didn't make a difference to watching them though.

Dain hasn't been casted yet?
I guess I didn't not bother to think of him.....

Bill Connolly as a dwarf? Mmmmhhh ..... can't imagine that. we'll see

In addition to Pettys list. I knew Elijah's work before LOTR and both Billy and Dom had telly roles in the year or two previous, so I had seen both even if I was unaware of exactly who they were. Not forgetting my fav Yorkshire son Sean Bean, who was already in the movies pre LOTR. Yeah! odd article

Ayup All...

I've said elsewhere that I don't like the Idea of Connolly as Dain. I think it IS, IMO, a miscast role, Like Cumbersnatch as Smaug by PJ. It feels to me like PJ would actually have done better recasting Bernard Hill (Theoden) as Dain for all the difference between their Looks and attitude. With Bernard Hill having the better Acting Skills, and IMO, actually being able to make us forget he WAS Theoden, rather than a new role for Connolly. I also happen to think Connolly is more suited now, after being one of the defining Comic Geniusses of the 70s along with Jasper Carrott, to be settled into his role of rogueish Michael Palin, now his Comic star has waned.

How can u say Cumberbatch is miscast? He is great! I think you will have a pleasent surpirse!

Cumberbatch will be perfect as Smaug! I am finally excited about this movie because of him. I am also looking forward to seeing Freeman and Persbrand, but what is the Hobbit without a proper Smaug?

Amarië wrote:Cumberbatch will be perfect as Smaug! I am finally excited about this movie because of him. I am also looking forward to seeing Freeman and Persbrand, but what is the Hobbit without a proper Smaug?

agree on ever point! All the actors you mentioned are just great casting, and Cumberbatch will be perfect as Smaug!

I would go as far as to say I think Cumberbatch should be perfect as Smaug- but he can give the performance of a lifetime and it won't amount to a hill of beans if PJ desecrates the story and the dialogue for the character like he did to so much of LotR's.
I wonder if TH will show more love for Tolkiens stlye and dialogue than LotR's did? Sadly I doubt it and I expect the script to feature the same crude basterdisation of the dialogue as before.

I agree, the dialouge should be kept as it is.

Yes, Petty, that is a more accurate description. He'll be as perfect as PJ allows. I thought it was implied.

Implied is never good enough when there is an excuse to call out and name and shame PJ! He brought it on himself you know.

Pettytyrant101 wrote:I wonder if TH will show more love for Tolkiens stlye and dialogue than LotR's did? Sadly I doubt it and I expect the script to feature the same crude basterdisation of the dialogue as before.

Why would it? The only positive sign that we might see more faithfulness in that way (that occurs to me off the top of my head) is the inclusion of some of the songs in the trailer. But we don't know what the situation with that will be exactly and it's possible, some would say likely, the songs themselves will be changed too. Unlike some here I don't think that PJ and the Coven's dialogue is without any redeeming features, but it would certainly be nice to see more Tolkien dialogue that hasn't been chopped up and given to different characters and contexts. I'm just not expecting it though.

Its my optimistic side Eldo- I live in hope PJ will have learned from his mistakes and can look back on LotR's and say- 'If I'd left that as in the book it would have been a lot better.' And so not make the same mistakes twice.

Pettytyrant101 wrote:Its my optimistic side Eldo

Who are you and what did you do with Petty?!

I live in hope PJ will have learned from his mistakes and can look back on LotR's and say- 'If I'd left that as in the book it would have been a lot better.' And so not make the same mistakes twice.

To be fair to PJ and the Coven, they did state a couple of times in the documentaries that over the course of writing the movies they generally found that sticking closer to Tolkien resulted in a better story. There are a number of cases where you can see a noticeable increase in faithfulness between the original conception of a scene and the finished version. On the other hand, there were also a lot of places where they acted like they had improved on Tolkien, so take that for what you will. I'd like to be as hopeful as you, but the LOTR films became more indulgent and over-the-top as they went on.

I have always been an optimistic Eldo- its reality that lets everyone down. Just because I expect and usually get the worst does not mean I dont hope for something better.
Reminds me of Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy when the Guides publisher are taken to court for a rather lethal misprint and won the case by contesting that whilst the entry was incorrect it was more poetically beautiful, got the universes top artists to swear under oath that beauty was truth and truth beauty and so proved that it was life which was at fault for being neither truthful nor beautiful. The judge agreed and had it confiscated from every one in the room.