[Herald_of_Mandos]

Interesting development reported here: movieweb.com/news/hSireBbiGlat0t

Fans of "The Hobbit" who expect the Smaug the dragon to be an evil, fire-breathing cliché may be in for a few surprises.

In J.R.R. Tolkien's classic two-volume prequel to "The Lord of the Rings", the dragon is presented as a vicious monster who serves the Necromancer Saruman. The movie Smaug, Sir Peter Jackson revealed today, has a lot more depth– and not just because of the dazzling, state-of-the art 3D CGI technology used to portray him.

"We've moved on from the traditional negative view of dragons," says Jackson. "It's such a stereotype. Our Smaug is a much more complex character."

In this re-imagining, dragons are peaceful, gentle beings who live in harmony with nature, and Smaug turns to violence only after his family is brutally slaughtered by marauding dwarves and humans. "There's an important message there," Sir Peter explains, "about tolerance and caring for the environment, but it's very subtle."

As in the book, the dragon will still be beheaded by the sword of the "heroic" Brad the Bowman– but there's a twist.

"We want this to be a tragic moment," Jackson says. "Smaug is just misunderstood. It's the people who are the real monsters."

What do you think? Is this version of Smaug really an improvement?