News from the set [2]

I was going to check that RA but I'll just wait till Norc gifs it!

RA? and I don't make gifs, I just am very good at finding them

Norc wrote:

Agent: Orlando! I've found a great part for you-
Orlando: Do I get to hold a sword?
Agent: Well no...
Orlando: TURN IT DOWN!

(Love Orlando though)

At 5:54 Thorin is walking through a burning forest. Mirkwood is never lit up and the only other instance I can think of Thorin being in the woods is during the war of dwarves and orcs, at Azanulbizar. When Thrain and Thorin are isolated, right?

oh I had just assumed it was the warg attack scene, but then they were up trees?

You may be right, it's just that it seemed like Thorin was preparing to charge. In the warg scene he was running away with everyone else.

They were up trees in the book- not sure how much of a guide the book is any longer however. But it did seem he was alone whereas if it were the warg scene everyone should be there (going by the book again of course).

I just had a scary thought. What if Jackson is making Thorin stand and fight the wargs instead? Or if the whole thing is just a fight scene now?

Well it wouldnt warrant my suprised face.

No, Jackson couldn't do that, could he? I mean the dwarves have to go up the trees so that the eagles can meet them. Someone please tell me Jackson isn't going to just make it one big fight scene

I know I know, ooh oooh its not a flashback to when Thorin sees his dad? grandad' cant remember who exactly and the other dwarves running away from the lonely Mountain after Smaug fries them many years before?

I think you may be right about Smaug. The trees are uprooted as well as burning which is more dragon-like than goblin-like. I wouldn't be surprised though if the second movie has a lot more of Smaug the Destroyer chasing Thorin and company than the book does. Jackson likes that kind of gratuitous mayhem, like the dinosaur stampede in King Kong.

Honestly, as long as they make a Tolkienesque awe-inspiring dragon and stay true to the character, I'm willing to forgive expanding Smaug's part as part of the adaptation to screen. It makes a lot more sense than zombie nazgul.

That's makes more sense.

Phew, I was a little worried that I may have been right about the warg scene being made into an action scene.

I noticed everything about the 2nd film was either cut or blurred out, but they had the barrel scene.
Just wonder if the 1st film finishes when Bilbo and the dwarves reach Laketown.

You're right Chris. They showed us an awful lot of barrels but almost nothing of Laketown, didn't they? I'll bet the barrels are the last big action in the movie.
They did show us Bard though, and the net floats and baskets of fish and eels (which I'm assuming are Laketown props), so the Laketown story wasn't completely edited out.

Whether the company actually lands at Laketown though,( which would probably mean introducing new characters right at the end), or PJ just contrives a cliffhanger action scene to end on, like a waterfall for example.... (wait, he already used that one on FotR, didn't he)....... Well, we'll see.

I think I'll be betting on an action cliffhanger ending of some kind. We're talking PJ after all!

I am all for expanding Smaugs role, though I don't want to seem him before Bilbo sees him. You understand what I mean? all the flashbacks, we just see the chaos and damaged and panic, but not smaug, just his shadow and flame. The first time we see Smaug is in the cave when Bilbo first sees him, and also we would know what he has done, so it would be more terrifying!

If you remember correctly Peter Jackson said in the last video blog that we wasn't to see any laketown location, cus that is supposed to be in the second movie. I've always said the movie will end when they float off in barrels. As it turns out the barrel scene is much more action, I'm guessing they'll be landing somewhere before laketown, but not in laketown.

I'm a bit concerned by Bard - can we have a lore check on what age he is in TH- I always got the impression of a man not a boy. Someone at the very least in his late 30's, more likely late 40's. Yet there was some youth on the vid claiing to be Bard that would need to ID to get served a drink in a bar.

I don't mind him being young, either way, Luke Evans is 33 years old. And with a beard, he easily looks 35. problem?

He i a youthful looking 33 then.
I def have the impression of Bard being a good bit older than that. Not a young man at all. But that may just have been an impression as I cant seem to find an actual age for Bard. Where are our Lore masters when you need them?

well Luke Evans does not have a baby face, its mature and as norc said with a beard could easily look the same age as Faramir say. he will look the part I am sure, although I would have preferred a less obviously good looking Bard, I would have preferred him to look more grim and stranger and older. A bit like a much larger taller Gary Oldman (cos Gary is a weed bless him).

a "grim voice" sounds like Bard should at least be Petty's age!

It should be Petty

Need to make a few calls to casting. The "Draft Petty!" movement is underway!

Would I be allowed to wear my kilt? And be drunk in charge of a bow? If so I'm in!

Sounding very PG-esque there, Petty!