New trailer for 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

As for Beorn, it seems that Radagast will be taking his place. Which is fine with me. (Or would be, if Radagast wasn't such a pitiful specimen... like I said.)

As far as I know Beorn is going to turn up at some point though - the beginning of the second film perhaps, if they are indeed ending it with the Eagles. The role has been cast: a Swedish actor whose work I am not personally familiar with, Mikael Persbrandt. Also, having watched the production videos they showed some footage of the set of his house, very oversized with giant furniture and what not. As I recall Richard Armitage said in the video that it was one of his favourite sets.
As for Radagast, I just don't see why he needs to be given a role personally, except to sell action figures perhaps. Given that the evidence we get of him suggests that he was a somewhat nervous person and that by the time of The Lord of the Rings he appears to have practically gone into hiding, especially by the time of the Council when he couldn't be found, I don't see how he has a place even in the story of the White Council and the Necromancer. Perhaps they wanted a canonical character to help bloat the story, and his adventure with Gandalf and the "Ringwraith tomb" or whatever it is will be used to explain his absence from the films of The Lord of the Rings. It just seems strange to me given that there's not even evidence for him being a member of the White Council. I always speculated that he almost certainly was but eventually just stopped turning up to meetings.
The "Ringwraith tomb" rumour, incidentally, is really the most irritating thing I've heard the whole time. It would have been almost impossible to convey within the film, but it always frustrated me that the very existence of Arnor (and Angmar) was completely omitted from the films of The Lord of the Rings and now it sounds like it's being taken to pad out these films and warped into something quite alien to Professor Tolkien's own conception.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Zigûr

As far as I know Beorn is going to turn up at some point though - the beginning of the second film perhaps, if they are indeed ending it with the Eagles. The role has been cast: a Swedish actor whose work I am not personally familiar with, Mikael Persbrandt. Also, having watched the production videos they showed some footage of the set of his house, very oversized with giant furniture and what not. As I recall Richard Armitage said in the video that it was one of his favourite sets.

Ah really? I didn't know about that. Well, that would be pretty neat, then. Or, hopefully. I'm curious, then, in any case.

As for Radagast, I just don't see why he needs to be given a role personally, except to sell action figures perhaps. Given that the evidence we get of him suggests that he was a somewhat nervous person and that by the time of The Lord of the Rings he appears to have practically gone into hiding, especially by the time of the Council when he couldn't be found, I don't see how he has a place even in the story of the White Council and the Necromancer. Perhaps they wanted a canonical character to help bloat the story, and his adventure with Gandalf and the "Ringwraith tomb" or whatever it is will be used to explain his absence from the films of The Lord of the Rings. It just seems strange to me given that there's not even evidence for him being a member of the White Council. I always speculated that he almost certainly was but eventually just stopped turning up to meetings.

Radagast most certainly was a White Council member. And he certainly played some role in the attack on Dol Guldur - after all, he lived basically next door and could, if nothing else, provide some "logistics plan" etc. And Radagast certainly didn't go into "hiding" or anything by the time of LotR - not from the Council members, anyway - he just neglected his mission. But as we know, he still responded to his superior's (Saruman's) call to fetch Gandalf, and likewise responded to Gandalf's call to gather messages and send them via birds to Orthanc...

The "Ringwraith tomb" rumour, incidentally, is really the most irritating thing I've heard the whole time. It would have been almost impossible to convey within the film, but it always frustrated me that the very existence of Arnor (and Angmar) was completely omitted from the films of The Lord of the Rings and now it sounds like it's being taken to pad out these films and warped into something quite alien to Professor Tolkien's own conception.

What tomb? (I am completely ignorant regarding all movie rumors, so excuse my lack of knowledge.) Isn't it just something that happens in Dol Guldur?

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

Radagast most certainly was a White Council member. And he certainly played some role in the attack on Dol Guldur - after all, he lived basically next door and could, if nothing else, provide some "logistics plan" etc. And Radagast certainly didn't go into "hiding" or anything by the time of LotR - not from the Council members, anyway - he just neglected his mission. But as we know, he still responded to his superior's (Saruman's) call to fetch Gandalf, and likewise responded to Gandalf's call to gather messages and send them via birds to Orthanc...

At the risk of being pedantic, for which I apologise in advance, is it ever stated anywhere that Radagast specifically was a White Council member? Aren't the only absolutely one hundred percent confirmed White Council members Saruman, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel and Círdan? Given that we know virtually nothing about the exact nature of the Council's attack on Dol Guldur it worries me how PJ is going to interpret it. But you do have a point, given Rhosgobel's proximity to Mirkwood I suppose it makes sense to give him some role. I always got the impression Radagast was a character who could have been included more overtly in a number of events or referenced by other characters (Treebeard or Bombadil, perhaps) if maybe Professor Tolkien had been more interested in him as a character.

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

What tomb? (I am completely ignorant regarding all movie rumors, so excuse my lack of knowledge.) Isn't it just something that happens in Dol Guldur?

I'm not sure to be honest; I'd just heard it mentioned regarding the footage of the Gandalf and Radagast subplot that they go to a "Ringwraith tomb" and that Galadriel in one scene says something about the Witch-King and the other Wraiths being "sealed away" by the Dúnedain of the North or something to that effect. If this explanation is indeed given in the film it certainly raises the question of how they explain Minas Morgul being captured if the Black Captain spent about one thousand years stuck in a tomb...

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Zigûr

At the risk of being pedantic, for which I apologise in advance, is it ever stated anywhere that Radagast specifically was a White Council member? Aren't the only absolutely one hundred percent confirmed White Council members Saruman, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel and Círdan?

I must confess I am not sure if Radagast is ever specifically mentioned. I am at least sure he is never mentioned by name, but I am not sure whether there isn't something along the lines of "all Istari were members of the Council..." or something of such sort. In any case, when you are reading the things related to the Council (especially in the UT), it seems to me to give the strong impression that Radagast is counted among those (or, that it makes much more sense to count him in than to count him out). Especially since much of the Council's activity (its formation, among the most important things) revolve around Dol Guldur/Mirkwood - the whole "Watchful Peace" period etc. seem like Radagast could, or even should, play a role there (again, for the same reasons as I have stated above).

I'm not sure to be honest; I'd just heard it mentioned regarding the footage of the Gandalf and Radagast subplot that they go to a "Ringwraith tomb" and that Galadriel in one scene says something about the Witch-King and the other Wraiths being "sealed away" by the Dúnedain of the North or something to that effect. If this explanation is indeed given in the film it certainly raises the question of how they explain Minas Morgul being captured if the Black Captain spent about one thousand years stuck in a tomb...

Uh-huh. I hope it is just a rumor... Though of course, at this point, Gandalf and everyone can be pretty well misinformed about the fate of the Ringwraith (after all, they did think they were gone). I am just not sure if PJ is clever enough to realise it and make such a clever "double-trick" subplot out of it...