Sage Hobbit movie advice for PJ?

[Tuor of Gondolin]

". Perhaps the real issue is the absence of any strong female characters (indeed the absence of any female characters of note at all)."
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SPM has hit on a key point, one I was probably subconsciously debating.
All of the films he cited are predominantly male, but they all have one or
more strong females, usually with a love interest connection, except for
(believe it or not- Ripley). But how to incorporate such a figure
in The Hobbit? Have some female dwarves? (Hey, they're so similar to
non-Khazads that perhaps Bilbo didn't notice.
A partial solution is Galadriel and the White Council.
And perhaps Bard has a girlfriend in the Home Guard. Galadriel and
Bard's fiance would bracket the movie(s) but wouldn't be a movie-long
presence, perhaps G is back at Rivendell on the return.

And why not have Legolas as a major figure? As the king's son he would
probably have been there if he had been invented, and there's nothing in
The Hobbit to contradict it, such as a naming of Thranduil's lieutenants.

The general principle I'd like to see followed by screenwriters is to try to
not contradict the book but rather make use of ambiguities and/or
areas not covered, such as the exact nature of the attack on Dol Guldur.

[Keeper of Dol Guldur]

Movie schmovie. I think it should be a television series. A half hour for every chapter of the Hobbit.

It can be done. Totally.

An Unexpected Party, Roast Mutton, A Short Rest, Over Hill and Under Hill, Riddles in the Dark, Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire, Queer Lodgings, Flies and Spiders, Barrels Out of Bond, A Warm Welcome, On The Doorstep, Inside Information, Not At Home, Fire and Water, The Gathering of the Clouds, A Thief in the Night, The Clouds Burst, The Return Journey ...

It'd be awesome to see an epic, quality miniseries comprised of all 18 Chapters.

But then, I can see where the condensed format of a three and a half hour movie would be better, for consistency, and being able to keep some parts shorter (like A Short Rest) and some parts more focused and central.

Anyway, I have a few ideas.

The first being, NO WAY should Robbie Coltrane be Beorn. That's severe typecasting, and plus, I never imagined Beorn as jolly, and that's something Mr. Coltrane is just full of, that stuff they call joll.

He's Hagrid. Beorn ... Beorn isn't twelve feet tall, he's six foot something, and jacked. There has to be some unknown muscle man with a deep booming voice and freckled skin who can play him to a tee. A big bushy black beard and long black shaggy hair aren't enough to make the character, he's got to be able to take an axe to an enemy.

I'm sure there's somebody out there.

Ian Holm as Bilbo, Ian McKellan as Gandalf, Hugo Weaving as Elrond and Andy Serkis as Gollum, naturally.

As for actors ... I'm not exactly a pro when it comes to knowing names, but I'd like to see Billy Connelly as Balin, the same actor they had for Gloin's cameo back, and several other burly Irish, Welsh or Scottish actors playing the dwarves (so they mesh seamlessly with John Rhys Davies' portrayal of Gimli, of course!).

Remember how Stuart Townsend practically had the role of Aragorn, but Viggo was just too good to pass up? I'd say, Townsend would make a pretty mean Bard the Bowman.

Not to totally discredit myself, but I threw the idea of Jack Black playing Bombur at my sister. Bombur is the fattest of the 13 dwarves, he's a good comic relief character a lot of the time, and with Jack Black cozy with PJ because of King Kong, I can see it. It's not anything I'm pulling for, but hey, it could work.

And lastly, I'd like to see Orly pop in as Legolas, even if he's just standing by Thranduil's chair in his great hall, looking pretty, while Thranduil has Thorin locked up. That would totally validate Gimli's "NEVER TRUST AN ELF" comments in The Fellowship, since Elrond established that Gimli is 'son of Gloin', and we'll be seeing exactly who Gloin is ...

That's my two cents.

[Imladris]

With great hesitation I make this post. I've started making it two times already....

Why do you want to leave out the elve's cheerful singing? That would be a deliberate omission of the elvish character because they weren't always solemn and sad as the LotR movies correctly portray them.

Granted, I am not advocating a full blown musical number. That would indeed be in poor taste. Rather, wouldn't it make a nice background song as the dwarves are crawling over the beard and elf playfully insults them?

As for romance -- pfft -- the Hobbit doesn't need Romance. It's an adventure, and if they put in a romance it would be very cliche. All the action movies have romance and get the girl. In fact, a romance would probably undermine the theme of "the road goes ever on and on" and I cannot imagine Bard with a girl friend. That seems...so unlike him (yes I know he got married but in the Hobbit he sounds like an old bachelor).

And I totally agree that Coltrain would make a poor Beorn. Granted he's huge, but he is not bear like in the least.

[Mithalwen]

Very much hoping he is still alive (!) I would humbly suggest that when a booming voice is required, Brian Blessed is your man - he was Edmund's father in "The Black Adder" (first series).

Hmm I think I would go for nine 45-60 minute episode - roughly two chapters a pop.... better for scheduling and lots of action and cliffhangers

[Meneltarmacil]

The mental image of Legolas getting drunk was seriously funny.

OK, on to a few things. I've been a lot more lenient about LOTR than many of you on the forum, but when it comes to The Hobbit it's different. That story got me into the world of Middle Earth from the beginning. I'll likely be a lot more purist on this one. So anyway, I don't think an introduction involving Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel etc. should be involved. There is only one way that The Hobbit can start: Bilbo saying "Good morning" to Gandalf and then looking like an idiot. The background can be handled quite easily in a few flashbacks during the party scene. I agree that during said flashbacks Smaug should not be revealed, except for fiery breath torching Dale, etc. It would be a lot better if the viewers only get hints about him until Bilbo's conversation with him.

Regarding the White Council, I really don't think including them would be a good idea. Much as it would fit in with the storyline, I don't think there would really be a good way to tie it together with the main story. And I think it would be good for the audience to have no clue what's happening to Gandalf until he reappears in Thranduil's and Bard's camp near the end. It would just be a great surprise.

Finally, Legolas. I think he could figure in the plot quite well, and not just as a background character. The Battle of the Five Armies would be a good place for him to do a few stunts (although he shouldn't take the spotlight from Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin, Bard etc.) and he could easily deliver Thranduil's and Bard's "give us the treasure or we'll take it by force" message.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Menltarmacil

Regarding the White Council, I really don't think including them would be a good idea. Much as it would fit in with the storyline, I don't think there would really be a good way to tie it together with the main story. And I think it would be good for the audience to have no clue what's happening to Gandalf until he reappears in Thranduil's and Bard's camp near the end. It would just be a great surprise.

You know, despite what I said earlier, I do agree with you on this in some ways. Especially if (as seems likely) it's done as one film. My first introduction to Tolkien was via The Hobbit, and it would be nice to see it done as it was written. I can see it is a children's film, with much for adults to enjoy. Although that might lose a large part of the "teen" audience, it would bring in the family/younger children audience in a way that the LotR films weren't able. And it nicely disposes of the question of whether there is a need for a "love interest".

Assuming it's done as one film, and even if the White Counsel and the Necromancer aren't included, there would probably need to be cuts. Anyone have any views on what could be cut with the least damage to the story? Personally, I would rather none of it were cut but, if anything, I would (very) reluctantly have to concede Beorn.

[Imladris]

They should cut what wasn't necessary at Rivendell, have the dwarves stumble over one fire in Mirkwood, they probably should cut the dwarves' song , and the lengthy dwarven introduction on Bilbo's porch.

I don't think it would be a good idea to cut Beorn. He's pretty important at the end. He was the one that beat the Goblins basically and saved Thorin.