Del Toro to helm The Hobbit!

Post by **Siberian** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:25 pm

I'm not saying I won't see it at all. But I'm too pissed at New Line and Jackson after the LOTR movies to pay $20 for something that has a high chance of disappointing me (splitting the movie into two is already a warning sign).

Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:53 am

An interesting comment from GdT at TORN about how much design work has been done. Apparently, at ComicCon, James Cameron made a comment having seen some of Weta design work on The Hobbit and being very impressed with it (supposedly his exact words were that it was “the s***”). There was some talk at TORN about whether this was an honest opinion or currying favor. Today, GdT posted this:

For what is worth: Jim and I have been dear friends for over 17 years now. But that has not prevented us being very critical of each other's work through the years. Just so you know- he would NEVER declare anything like this if he didn't feel that way. What he saw were very strong designs and maquettes: GOBLINS and their environment, SMAUG (fully designed but without final color / texture), SPIDERS OF MIRKWOOD, MIRKWOOD, STONE TROLLS, WARGS, IRON HILL DWARVES, GUNDABAD ARMY, THRANDUILL'S THRONE ROOM etc, etc and he was delighted. This for me, as his friend, and as a filmmaker, meant a whole lot. You will / may disagree at the end of the process but, I assure you, this IS his opinion.

Setting aside the question of what James Cameron's opinion is (which I don't really care about), this gives some indication of just how much design work has already been done. Smaug, fully designed? The spiders, Mirkwood? The Dwarven and Goblin armies that participate in the BOTFA? Thranduill's throne room? That's a lot of stuff!

Post by **Elentári** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:03 am

That is excellent, mouthwatering news

Post by **ToshoftheWuffingas** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:59 am

You mean

Post by **Elentári** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:33 pm

pedant!

Post by **solicitr** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:23 pm

Interesting also that everything on the list actually is found in the book, not the "link"/Dol Guldur storyline.

Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:41 pm

I noted that, too, soli. And I thought the reference to "Gundabad army" was quite promising. He could have just said "Goblin army" but by referencing the northern Orcish capital where the Goblins gathered before attacking he is telling us that he really has studied the story with a fine tooth comb.

Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:22 pm

A great interview with del Toro in Total Film magazine:

Guillermo Del Toro On Making The Hobbit

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:25 pm

I just read it. It's 10 pages but they're very short pages, and it's full of interesting new information. I thought it was very encouraging, showing that both GdT and PJ are approaching their roles on the film and the structure of the story very much as I had hoped they would.

Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:50 pm

I was particularly pleased to see that GdT is determined to put a different stamp on these films, rather than trying to cookie-cut them into the same mold as the LOTR films.

Post by **solicitr** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:18 pm

This:

In The Hobbit, the creatures speak: Smaug has beautiful lines of dialogue; the Great Goblin has beautiful lines of dialogue; many creatures do.

Is very encouraging- it suggests a respect for and use of original dialogue that PJ never had.

Post by **sauronsfinger** » Fri Nov 06, 2009 8:41 pm

There was lots of great dialogue in all three of the films. Much of it came from the books and some of it was written for the screen.

One thing I would suggest for anyone discussing such a subject is that they pick up a screenplay of any major film adapted from a book and read it. Then read the book again and look for the same lines that were spoken. One thing that will jump out at you - and all you really need to do is lay the script side by side with the book - is that hardly any films allow actors to speak more than a few lines at a time anymore. This is not something Jackson invented but something that has been around for a long time now.

In books, people often speak in paragraphs, sometimes for a page or more. Rarely does that happen in films anymore. Eight sentences of dialogue in a book becomes a two line exchange in a film. Again, Peter Jackson did not invent that. Movies have been like that for a long time now.

I suspect that we will see some of the beautiful lines from HOBBIT in the films. I also suspect that if you have high hopes of seeing pages of dialogue transferred to the screen, your hopes will be dashed.