Worst Case Scenarios

Sounds right. It's pretty much what PJ has been saying, he's got no reason to bend the truth except in regards to his limited grasp of what Tolkien really intended. I think the analysis of seeing PJ's worse tendencies magnified is right on target.

I think it's a shame that the Hobbit is being bent around in the process. Projects like Merp get canned, meanwhile Guardians of Middle Earth and AUJ get hundreds of millions of dollars in funding.

MY FRIENDS IT GETS MUUUUUUCCCCCCCH WORSE....  

Here are all the plot confirmation/reveals from the annual

- The company is chased to Beorn's house by Beorn himself (Beorn doesn't like dwarves, but when he discovers they're running from Azog he helps them instead).
- 'Beorn is the last shape-shifter in the whole of Middle-earth. Most of his kind were killed by Azog, so when Beorn finds out that The Company are fleeing from Azog, he agrees to help them.'
- Beorn tells Gandalf that the rumours of 'a great evil' in Dol Guldur are true, which is what makes Gandalf decide to go there himself and leave Thorin & co to face Mirkwood alone.
- Thranduil has ordered that his elves are not to leave the forest, and they're not to have anything to do with any other race (especially the dwarves).
- When Thorin & co are captured, Thranduil guesses they're going to the Lonely Mountain and will release the dwarves to go on their way, for a promise of a cut of the gold. But Thorin refuses, so he imprisons them.
- Legolas isn't as set in his ways as his Dad.
- Tauriel is at odds with Thranduil and doesn't understand, or agree with, his segregation. She's 'very headstrong' and 'doesn't always follow orders'.
- Tauriel is 'quite unlike other Elves' and it's hinted that she quite likes the dwarves (or is, at least, intrigued by them).
- The wood elves give chase through the forest when the dwarves escape in barrels, but don't follow them out of the forest.
- Except for Tauriel, who does follow then to Lake-town (defying Thranduil) and Legolas who decides to follow Tauriel (because he's 'very protective of her').
- Bilbo may get separated at some point in the escape.
- Bard discovers the dwarves as they wash up in their barrels (because he's a 'great hunter and often spends his time in the hills around the river leading from Mirkwood into the Long Lake'), and eventually decides to trust them and take them to Lake-town.
- Bard has three children: Bain, Sigrid and Tilda (which explains the 'injured girl' in the piece above and is possibly part of his motivation for helping the dwarves?)
- Gandalf may do some of the following in Dol Guldur: unlock a gate; see things that aren't really there/things appear other than they are; cast a spell making it look like there's more than one of him; cast a protection spell; have to work out where to walk as there are trick stones that lead to traps.
- Lastly, there's a suggestion that Smaug is also looking for the Arkenstone.

This information is from the official Hobbit desolation of Smaug Annual on sale on Amazon. I think Jackson has totally screwed the pooch with what I am reading here.       

  wow fanfiction writ large and ugly, this sounds very bad

I'm looking at the Amazon page but I'm still a little confused as to what exactly the annual is. That seems like a shitload of plot information to give away when we're still four months out from the film's release.

Are there any rumors about a new trailer?
They've got to do one soon, if only to get the extra draw for WB's other titles. I'm guessing we'll see something new and polished by 10/4 with the release of Gravity, if not before.

A TORn member has put together a lengthy analysis of all the information that has been released and/or leaked about DOS and speculates about how the film will turn out. No promises on accuracy or whether or not things have changed.

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/08/30/77941-an-attempt-to-summarise-the-desolation-of-smaug-plot/

Highlights:

Bard certainly seems to have reservations about this quest, and will have a relationship with his young son Bain. Bard will be a bit of a “scoundrel” and we won’t initially know if he’s a hero or not — at one point he’ll be chased by Braga, the captain of the Lake-guard played by Mark Mitchenson, who it seems may basically be the “Gamling” of TH. Apparently Bard will not be a Guardsman of Lake-town, at least not initially, but will be more of a “Robin Hood” figure who helps the people of Esgaroth in the face of the Master’s neglect, and is at odds with Braga who is head of the Guard.

As of now, it seems likely that DoS will end with a stalemate with Bilbo and the Dwarves trapped in the Lonely Mountain as Smaug takes off for Laketown; and Gandy/the White Council driving the Necromancer out of Dol Guldur (but not defeating him, thought we don’t yet know — despite rumor and speculation — whether the Necromancer will play a part in TABA).

David H wrote:Are there any rumors about a new trailer?  
They've got to do one soon, if only to get the extra draw for WB's other titles.  I'm guessing we'll see something new and polished by 10/4 with the release of Gravity, if not before.

Yeah, they waited a while to release the first trailer but I'm sure they'll have a second trailer to get people's attention and excitement levels back up. I wouldn't expect anything for the next month though since September is usually pretty dead in terms of movie business.

Eldorion wrote:I'm looking at the Amazon page but I'm still a little confused as to what exactly the annual is.  That seems like a shitload of plot information to give away when we're still four months out from the film's release.

Its almost like a picture book for kids with activities and such in it... and yes it does give away quite a bit of plot if you look at the pictures and drawings. They did the same thing for AUJ and it was fairly accurate. This one looks like fan fiction 101 in comparison though Not a good thing IMO  

That plot prediction reads a lot my own predictions over the last year or so, only it being PJ its even worse than I imagined.
In a sense it no longer really matters if the next two films are good and entertaining films or not, whatever they are they will never be TH.
Which rather begs the question, besides cash, what's the point?

its just the cash

Pettytyrant101 wrote:Which rather begs the question, besides cash, what's the point?

The Lord of the Rings Prequel Trilogy

Eldorion wrote:

Pettytyrant101 wrote:Which rather begs the question, besides cash, what's the point?

The Lord of the Rings Prequel Trilogy

Maybe they should have named it that instead of slander the name of the Hobbit

well I just thought of a worst case scenario I'm about to get banned over at a certain supposed Tolkien website which caters to Peter Jackson at every turn because I can't kiss Peter Jackson's ass and keep my mouth shut about how bad his films are. This means I'm only gonna have about 7 more Tolkien/ Hobbit/LOTR forums I post on. Damn I'm so hurt I don't know what I'll do. I can't sleep I cant eat     ...     ohhh wait I really don't give a crap   cause I can still post here   and everywhere else I post cause there is a thing called free speech, personal opinion, and people on every other forum other than [edit to hide the guilty party] know how badly Jackson is deviating from Tolkien's work. Honestly [edit to hide the guilty party] and Jackson is in denial IMO of what fans want from a Tolkien based film. Which they kiss his ass just so they get exclusives, pathetically lame I know.

I find it revolting that a Tolkien fan site would stick up for and side with someone who obviously has no respect for the material he is adapting (I use that term so loosely it waves like a flag in the slightest breeze) instead of Tolkien fans who are in disgust over the butchering of Tolkien's Hobbit. What Jackson is giving us IS the Hobbit and more its just sad the more has overtaken the actual story Which I can not just sit by and watch without at least voicing my opinion loud and clear for anyone including Jackson himself to hear.     

Well np such worries about free speech here Sin.  

  join the club Sinister, I got banned yonks ago, twice, I may go for a third run

I am just baffled about those details from the annual. Looks like it's the star wars prequels all over again. "First one was bad, but the second might be good." Nope! It's all snowballing from here in a huge avalanche. Jackson said in one of the blogs that the next two movies are going to be really great. I guess we'll see what jackson considers to be a great film.

I really think PJ has stuck his foot in it. He brought in a villain for the first film and can't get rid of him, so he has to make up bullshit to keep him relevant!!! Seriously!!!! Beorn can't take on a couple orcs??? HE KILLS HUNDREDS IN THE BATTLE OF FIVE ARMIES! And I swear, if I hear of an interview where Boyens says the way a certain part was written would be "death on screen," HUAN WILL COME IN AND RIP OUT HER THROAT!!!

bungobaggins wrote:I am just baffled about those details from the annual. Looks like it's the star wars prequels all over again. "First one was bad, but the second might be good." Nope! It's all snowballing from here in a huge avalanche. Jackson said in one of the blogs that the next two movies are going to be really great. I guess we'll see what Jackson considers to be a great film.

Yeah what Jackson and his worshippers think is great... Personally I think Jackson's great is shite... now Tolkien's writing is great what is in his books if transferred to film as close as possible would be great but Jackson's version not great except when he stuck close to the book

But that is my opinion one that got me banned somewhere else. Because too many boot lickers can't handle PJ criticism and think his films are great  

I thought you didn't give a crap about being banned from TORn.

I would love to see Jackson kill off Bilbo and make Legolas the start of the next two films [however I feel the marketing has already done this] and watch fanboys on torn rationalize it. I'd love to see people start to say things like: "well I never really liked Bilbo in the first place. I sure am glad SIR peter Jackson (gotta rub that title in!) killed him off!" I saw a good youtube video on fanboys that pertains to the video game "console wars" but I really feel that it applies to fanboys of anything. I will try to remember to post it tomorrow night when I get home. (I would post it now but I'm on my phone, which reminds me I have a couple suggestions for whoever designed the mobile version of the site. Grrrrrr!)

Mobile version of the site is a default (and yes it sucks), but fortunately it's easy to turn off.

''I would love to see Jackson kill off Bilbo and make Legolas the start of the next two films [however I feel the marketing has already done this] and watch fanboys on torn rationalize it. I'd love to see people start to say things like: "well I never really liked Bilbo in the first place''. Bungo

that is so true, I can just imagine the PJ fanbois saying that. I used to love PJ and I still love him for making LOTR, but he has gone down in my estimation and I think its sad, sad for all Tolkien lovers, sad for people like me and you guys who have been waiting for The Hobbit with happy expectation, I could kick him for that. He has over egged the cake and its dripping in nasty goo.

ps. I find it really odd that only people critical to PJ get banned from TORn, its very very odd, anyone would think they have a policy of weeding out the people speaking up about the cynical marketing and dumbing down of the franchise, but that couldnt be true could it??

I think there was more tolerance whe n they were more certain they were right.

I dont think they have ever been tolerant, I got banned the first time before the film even came out, but this is me I am talking about, so maybe it was just me.  

I asked Mr Figg if he would miss me when I went to Uni, and he said,'yes, just dont get thrown out', and I said, 'what the heck do you mean?, and he said, 'oh you know, you are undisciplined wild and argumentative'. ME?? he obviously is mistaken. bloody cheek!