Hobbit Update: del Toro, Ian McKellen Are In
Saturday May 3, 2008
Looking the part: Sir Ian McKellen after his opening night performance of King Lear last year in Melbourne, Australia.
© Simon Fergusson/Getty Images
McKellen had said last year that he would not be involved in The Hobbit if Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson were excluded, which was possible because of since-resolved royalties disputes with New Line Cinema. Jackson will produce the two films being adapted from and adding to J.R.R. Tolkien's original novel, The Hobbit, Or There and Back Again (1937), slated for 2010 and 2011.
The second film will advance the story beyond the ending of the book, filling in gaps between the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and those of his heir, Frodo, as recounted in The Lord of the Rings. How exactly that will fall out and what material will be used in which film has yet to be decided.
This follows confirmation last week of a long-bruited rumor that Guillermo del Toro, currently polishing Hellboy 2, will direct the films.
"Yes, it's true," McKellen told the magazine. "I spoke to Guillermo in the very room that Peter Jackson offered me the part and he confirmed that I would be reprising the role."
"It's not a part that you turn down. I loved playing Gandalf," he added.
Comments
Hurray!! I can’t wait. Loved Ian Mckellen as Gandalf, and it would just not have been the same without him. And I do hope that as many of the original actors as possible come back. I hate seeing a sequel ( or prequel!) using different actors. Especially when these paricular ones are so loved! It would be such a disappointment. Now, if Peter Jackson had come back as director, it would have been perfect. If Del Toro gets it, I hope he remains true to the original ‘feel and look’ of LOR.
I agree. I hope they can get Ian Holm to play Bilbo again.
I am waiting eagerly for this. I am an old child at heart and my children and grandchildren are all Hobbit fans.
Mckellen and Holm are the only actors from the first film that would likely appear in any prequel, since none of the other characters were introduced until “Lord of the Rings” (except for Gollum, who’s animated). Now I don’t know what material they’re planning on using to “fill in the gaps” between the first book and the Trilogy, so maybe they’ll find a way to sneak in Elrond or Galadriel or some other older character as a cameo. I doubt we’ll see any other of the nine companions though…
Elrond was in the Hobbit while Bilbo and the Dwarves were in his valley. He’s the one who pointed out the runes on the map by the light of the moon.
So all we have left is Andy Serkis (Gollum) and the guy who played Elrond. I don’t think anyone else could pull Gollum off as properly as Serkis. I guess one of the Hobbit’s thirteen dwarfs was at Rivendell in FOTR but I don’t think it matters much that that guy returns.
Yup…only Gandalf, Bilbo and Elrond are common to the two stories. I think they would have to get a new Bilbo Character as they need a younger hobbit character. If Peter Jackson gets it it would be fantastic. Something to look forward to!
Graham, Bilbo would have to be the same age as he appears in FOTR so as to emphasize the fact that the ring could keep him young (on the outside) Therefore any prequel without Ian Holm would be completely stupid.
There are additional possibilities besides Gandalf, Elrond, Bilbo, and Gollum: (1) The meetings of the White Council about the Necromancer, which happen offscreen in The Hobbit, will almost certainly be shown in the movie; therefore Saruman (Christopher Lee) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) are likely returning characters. (2) The Company passes through the Elven Kingdom of Thranduil, Legolas’s father. Therefore an appearance by Legolas (Orlando Bloom), who as an Elf is much older than any of the human characters, is quite possible. … Also remember the second Hobbit film bridges events between The Hobbit and LOTR; so the introduction of additional LOTR characters is possible in the second film.
Yea, scifi is totally right. Can’t you guys figure out they’re going to make as many cameos as possible? Its totaly the hollywood way.
I know this series isn’t Disney, but think about all the references in Pirates of the Caribbean to the ride at Disneyland. I’m expecting as much.
Josh, you’re wrong. Bilbo aged rapidly after he gave up the ring. By the time Frodo first arrived in Rivendell, Bilbo was showing his age, with poor short-term memory and requiring frequent if irregular naps.
So no, there’s no need for Holm to play Bilbo in The Hobbit.
Don’t forget, Aragorn had a long career fighting in the North, for Rohan, and for Gondor before the Lord of the Rings, as mentioned in the appendices. Aragorn was raised by Elrond after his parents were killed at the age of two. Thus if they do not include him in the Hobbit, they might in the second of the two new movies.
Hurrah! I’m so glad. It just wouldn’t have been the same without him.
Ahh, Alex! I always start to forget that Aragorn is in his 80s when we meet up with him in Fellowship. So during the timeframe of The Hobbit, he’d have been in his 20s. As you mention, there’s a good amount of backstory provided about him that’s already canon in the LOTR universe: he’s got an exciting history that would make an enjoyable component of a film.
While I would think the character might occur, we won’t see Viggo Mortensen playing him considering that he turns 50 this year!
But again — remember the second film continues after the events of The Hobbit and closes the gap to some extent with Fellowship. So literally anyone from the LOTR films could appear in the second Hobbit film. (Except maybe John Rhys-Davies, who swore never to play a dwarf again…)
The guy who played Elrond is Hugo Weaving and I would really hope he’s in The Hobbit.