I'll have to admit, Alan Rickman as the voice of Smaug could work very nicely, but like James Earl Jones, I hear his voice in my head already for too many characters, from Severus Snape to Marvin the Paranoid Android. Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious, in case you've been living in a cave for the last 30 years) is a classically-trained stage actor, and as long as he doesn't go into that "Sidious croak" I think he could pull off a similar quality of sneering disdain, as he did playing the doctor in Sleepy Hollow.

Just my two cents worth.

"Tennis balls, my liege."

Christian Bale would be good as Bard, too, but I think we should try to stick with obscure British actors and avoid the really popular fellows, though I have a great deal of respect for Christian Bale (who was also good in Henry V).

Well, if that was the Brannagh film, I have seen it, but cannot now recall the Blessed performance.

My main recollection of Brian Blessed, I am afraid, is as King of the Hawkmen in Flash, the King in Blackadder the First, and in other similar roles involving him being hale and hearty and shouting a lot. More recently, I have only seen him in occasional television appearances (as himself), involving him being an outrageous luvvie and, er, shouting a lot.

I see Beorn as being a more subtle character than I am used to from Blessed. While he has his moments of merriment, he is first encountered as a grim and dour man whom Gandalf paints as rather fearsome. I could never find jolly old shouty Brian Blessed fearsome. :D

Added to that, he is something like 70 years old now and, while make-up and SFX can do wonders, that may be a bit of a stretch for Beorn.

Don't get me wrong. I have a great soft spot for Brian Blessed. But, as far as LotR is concerned, he will always be the Bombadil that never was to me. ;)

Saucepan ... Blessed is a mountain climber who is in great physical shape. But his age is a fact that cannot be denied. Perhaps that makes him a stronger candidate for Thorin Oakenshield rather than Beorn.

"...that if requiring fail, he will compel.
So much his claim, his threatening, and my message.

Unless the Dolphin be herein?

Dau: The Dauphin- I stand for him.
What to him from England?

Exe: Scorn, contempt, slight regard, and aught else that
might not misbecome the mighty sender:
That doth he prise you at.

[from memory, so I don't vouch for every word. But a great scene greatly played, esp. by the redoubtable Paul Scofield. And Blessed.]



_____________________________________________

Whoooooaa! Just had a lightbulb moment: what about Sir Derek Jacobi as Bilbo? Christ, he'd be brilliant! Of course, I can't see him taking that much time away from the stage.

Those are pretty nearly the lines, and Brian Blessed is REALLY scary when he delivers them.

Some cold water for the Del Toro lobby from IGN Entertainment news

It looks like his schedule may be even more bust than Jacksons.

I agree completely!

Blessed is ace, but he's just TOO obvious. It would be like casting Sean Connery as Gandalf in my mind. He looks and sounds the part but his Brian Blessed-ness would overwhelm the role. Beorn is too serious a character for Blessed who is more suited to Tom.

However I also think Alan Rickman is too obvious for Smaug, having been typecast in such roles just as Brian Blessed has, and I'm gunning all out for Richard Wilson.

If Ricky Gervais rears his ugly smug face again I'm doing a boycott.

Why is he 'more suited to Tom'? Because his previous roles have been 'less serious'? A good actor's strength is in being able to handle different types of roles, and Blessed, I think, has enough experience to do a serous role. For example take Ben Kingsley who played both a saint(Gandhi) and a great sinner(Don Logan in 'City of God') amazingly well.

I'm tired of hearing this 'typecast' nonsense. How the public percieves an actor doesn't affect his performance. I repeat, A good actor's strength is in being able to handle different types of roles. And in my opinion anybody who sees an ctor in a film who's previously played a memorable role and sees ONLY those earlier roles throughout the film isn't really paying attention to the film at all.

zxcvbn does have a very good point in reminding us that a good actor should be able to handle different roles. I do think that there are some actors who are so completely identified with a role or a sound (of their voice) that it would be quite a handicap to cast them in HOBBIT. Imagine James Earl Jones as the voice of Smaug. What is the first observation that is going to me made by a good percentage of the film audience? "That is the voice of Darth Vader".

I do not think Blessed has that type of liability. First of all, and sad for me to admit, he has almost no visibility at all in the States. So there is no stereotype at all for him to live up to or live down. But Blessed is so amazingly perfect for either a Dwarve - Thorin I would hope - or Beorn that it would be a great tragedy if he were not offered on of those roles.

That would indeed be the initial impression. But unless the viewer is shallow minded, he/she will be able to get over that initial recollection and enjoy the rest of his performance on its own merits. They won't think 'Ah! Darth Vader is talking.' for the entire duration of the film.

Likewise. I say Thorin Oakenshield.

If Jackson needs an actor to play a much younger Aragorn in some scenes of the bridge movie, he would do well to check out Taylor Kitsch who plays Tim Riggins on the excellent TV series FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS in the US. Although he was born in 1981, he plays a high school senior on the show and his ability to underplay scenes is amazing. He acts from much the same school as Viggo Mortensen. Plus he has the facial structure to make him believable as a young Aragorn.

www.taylorkitsch.net

I think Viggo Mortensen can play the young Aragorn quite fine. he may be pushing 50, but he's quite fit and buff(watch Eastern promises).

Can Viggo play someone in his teens or early 20's? I have no idea but it might be a stretch that gets in the way of reality. Of course, all depends on just what they want to do with that second movie as a bridge between HOBBIT and LOTR.

Sean Connery looks and sounds like Thorin for me - i think Blessed would be better suited to Balin or Dori...

No. Sean Connery doesn't have the emotional range required for Thorin Oakenshield. When I think of the scene of Thorin's deathbed, Sean Connery saying his last words totally ruins it for me.

Hey, I've got a brainstorm! How about James Earl Jones as the voice of Smaug?

Because of the endless "Darth Smaug" and "Dragonlord of the Sith" jokes that would follow.....

I know full well that Brian Blessed can do all kinds of roles, I've seen 'em ;) I simply think he would be altogether too obvious for Beorn, a character who I think deserves some more subtle casting as his is a subtle and intriguing character.

And typecasting is important in this context as it will be an ensemble cast in an ensemble piece. Someone like Alan Rickman could play any role very similar to those he has already notably played and get away with it were he to have the whole film in which to develop that role. But he wouldn't in The Hobbit so it would stick out like a sore thumb.

And besides, Richard Wilson would be the better Smaug anyway. :D

And the endless "I don't belieeeeve it!" jokes that would follow would be good fodder for Crazy Captions...

If I had my way, the Film poster would look something like this...

http://i19.tinypic.com/6ybcnra.jpg

Sean Connery doesn't have an emotional range?! what heresy is this :mad:

These days, Connery's performances ARE lacking in emotion. Have you watched League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? He showed only two facial expressions throughout the film. I can picture him enacting Thorin's last moments: with a blank look instead of the tender, regretful expression Thorin would have had.

No. I don't think he can. He's about 50, and I think he looks his age, maybe a little younger, even if physically he is more than capable. He can definitely play 40s. He might be able to manage 30s, but 20s is just a little too far, and teens are right out of the question. His face is a little too angular or something. He might be able to do the bridge movie--life in the wild makes Aragorn weather-beaten and scruffy, and I'm sure they could age him back a bit, just not all the way to his teens. I could see him doing the tracking Gollum stuff. Time in the movies is shaky, anyway. But if they were going to do the meeting of Aragorn and Arwen, they'd probably have to cast a younger actor. Audiences suspend disbelief, but I doubt they can suspend it that far. Good luck to the casting directors on finding someone who looks like Viggo. They'll need it. :p

I don't like James Earl Jones for Smaug. His voice has too much attached to it, unfortunately. No matter how competent an actor he is, he's not going to be able to escape Vader. Unfortunately, typecasting happens, and I think he'd be "typed out" because his voice is so, so connected to one of the most iconic villains in cinema.

Alan Rickman, I wouldn't mind, even if he might have some trouble escaping Snape, particularly with the young teen age group. I do like him for Smaug, regardless. I think he's a great actor, and he'd probably have a grand old time with that role.

However, I like the idea of Ian McDiarmid the best so far. He's mainly a stage actor (and director!), so he knows how to use his voice to its full potential. I was lucky enough to see him on Broadway a couple years ago, and that performance was not only a laugh riot, but so vocally (and physically, emotionally, and psychologically) different from the Emperor that I believe this man can do just about anything.

Jason Stathom, as Bard

John Wayne, as Thorin (if it was possible)

Sam Elliot, as Gandalf

Hayden Christensen, as Thraundil

Ian Holm, as Bilbo

Re
 

It's been a long while, but I was looking at an article about The Hobbit movies, had a thought, and knew you vigilant posters would have a "Cast "The Hobbit"" thread!

So, here are my thoughts. Some of them are pretty obvious recasts from LOTR, but hey ... hopefully some are clever.

Bilbo Baggins - Dominic Monaghan! A few years have passed, so he'll be a tad less youthful, more apt to play a 50-something Hobbit. Basically, I looked at the shot of Ian Holm with his face all stretched back to clean up the wrinkles ... and I thought to myself ... "hey, actually he looks a fare bit like Dom Monaghan ... how 'bout that?". Not to mention, their voices aren't dissimilar.

Gandalf the Grey - Ian McKellan, the no-brainer.

Thorin Oakenshield - John Goodman, of "Roseanne" fame. He can be really fun and really cool ... but did you ever see those episodes of Roseanne where he flipped out in anger? (Quite a few of them, actually) Terrifying. And PERFECT for Thorin. You'd buy him as the toughest, most bitter dwarf of all.

Balin - Jonathan Pryce. He can do something of a Scots accent like JRD did, anyone who's seen Ronin can attest to it. (Where he played an IRA terrorist leader ... hey, Sean Bean was in that flick as well). Plus, he can play the kindly old man of the dwarves part, really well.

Dwalin - Billy Connolly. The guy is funny, and it'd be funny to see the moderately light-hearted Dwalin interact with his over-burdened, sorrowful older brother, Balin. Plus, Billy Connolly eats up scenery and only makes movies better. A highlight might be him playing the fiddle at Bilbo's home.

Gloin - Get John Rhys-Davies back to play his own father. Give he and Balin a ton of screen-time, just as the two dwarves Bilbo talks to the most. Balin, naturally as the oldest and wisest, Gloin as the most seasoned warrior of all 13 (save Thorin, perhaps).

Oin - Not sure here ... but we're talking about the brother of Gloin, and so he has to resemble John Rhys-Davies. Call it the least original idea, but I'd say Robbie Coltrane (Harry Potter's "Hagrid") could fit. He's a little smaller than JRD, but they both have that kind of jovial, but fierce look.

Dori - The biggest, brawniest of the dwarves. And grumbling non-stop. Get Vinnie Jones (Juggernaut in X-Men 3, Sphinx in Gone in 60 Seconds). He'd make a good pessimist, and I don't think carrying Dom Monaghan through some caves would phase him much. He's worked with Ian McKellan before so he might be happy to work with him again.

Bombur - Clive Russell, "Helfdane the Fat" of The 13th Warrior, and a swords and fantasy movie mainstay! Comes with a Scottish accent built in! Big, cheerful looking guy. Grows a good beard naturally. He's 6' 5".

Elrond Half-Elven - Hey, how about that Hugo Weaving guy?

The Great Goblin - How about Jed Brophy?

Gollum - Hey, how about that Andrew Serkis guy?

Beorn - Ron Perlman. Hey, the Guillermo Del Toro connection is there, and with that "Grizzly" voice and look of his ... he'd make an amazing Were-Bear. Guy is perfect for this role. Ironic that some of the dwarf actors are bigger than him, but hey, they have to be shrunken down to scale anyway.

King Thranduil - He's an elf, so he has to be pretty. But you don't want him to be pretty like Orlando Bloom or Cate Blanchet ... Thranduil is the king of the rustics, and is a pretty petty and treacherous guy. I think Clive Owen could work. Good looking cat, but smiles and happy faces don't sit as naturally with him as a furrowed brow and a frown do. But he definitely passes off that "timeless elf" quality.

Master of Lake-town - Peter Jackson! Imagine ol' Pete in a boat loaded with stolen treasure, rowing away, where he'll run off into the wild and die! Quite a laugh, that!

Bard the Bowman - This requires someone grimmer, grimmer even than Aragorn. Totally, utterly pessimistic - that is until he hears that bird talk. I say Christian Bale is the man for the job. Although he practically already played that character in "3:10 to Yuma". (Self-despising, cynical, downtrodden, and hey - an expert shot!).

Smaug - CG does wonders these days ... but Smaug's voice needs to impress. I'm sure whoever does the movie will no doubt tweak the voice to make it booming and dragonish, but as a base ... and this could be way off ... howsabout Dani Filth? (Of the black metal band, Cradle of Filth, for those who don't know). The man has the most ridiculous vocal range on Earth, from highs to lows. Either that or in some bizarre twist of fate ... Leonard Nimoy.

Dain Ironfoot - For Dain I think I'll agree with somebody's decision that Brendan Gleeson is a good pick. Quite so!