GdT and Spoilers

Thu Jun 05, 2008 2:47 pm

We've already seen how willing del Toro is to share information, or at least some information. In an article in EW, he makes his intentions pretty explicit:

Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro plans on being pretty transparent as he embarks on The Hobbit. ''It's easier to protect the 20 percent of a project that's really sensitive if you're open about the other 80 percent,'' he says. ''I think that's the way to go, especially with a project like The Hobbit, which is a holy book for so many people. People should know the path you're walking.''

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20203864_3,00.html

What do you think of this? Is this a good thing, or a bad thing. Too much information? And if so, why not just avoid it?

Post by **Alatar** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 2:53 pm

Well, I'm of the opinion that I really can't be overly spoiled for the Hobbit. The Sprequel is another matter though.

Thu Jun 05, 2008 2:58 pm

Al, would you, for instance, want to see full pictures of Smaug before seeing the film?

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 2:59 pm

My attitude during the LotR films will be my attitude with these: spoil me rotten.

With LotR, the book was so important to me that I couldn't bear not to know the worst of what was done to it. If I hadn't known about the changes beforehand, I would have been unpleasantly apprehensive while watching the films and probably more unhappy about PJ's "liberties" than I ended up being.

The Hobbit is less important to me, but I still feel the same way.

Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:04 pm

Regarding The Hobbit, I agree, Prim, although I don't think that I would want to see what Smaug looks like before hand. But I see Al's point regarding Film2 (sorry, but I don't think "Sprequel" is quite accurate). Since we have so little idea what is going to be in it, it might be fun to be surprised. On the other hand, the need to be "prepared" for the liberties that the filmmakers take may actually be even greater with that film.

Post by **Alatar** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:16 pm

I think Sprequel is pretty much perfectly accurate! Its half sequel to the Hobbit and Half prequel to LotR. At least, based on what they've suggested it will be about, its accurate. If it ends up being anything else, then hooray, but right now, thats what they've described!.

No, I don't want to see pics of Smaug, but I think that's in the 10%. I'm talking more about things like, say, Bilbo escapes the Elves a different way than in the book or something. I don't mind knowing things like that.

Post by **solicitr** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:28 pm

I think 'spoilers', in other words indications of what the production team is up to, can be very useful in a practical sense: after all, it was leaked news of Xenarwen at Helm's Deep that led to fan outcry and the scrubbing of that Very Bad idea.

Post by **Folca** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 7:02 pm

Primula Baggins wrote:My attitude during the LotR films will be my attitude with these: spoil me rotten.

With LotR, the book was so important to me that I couldn't bear not to know the worst of what was done to it. If I hadn't known about the changes beforehand, I would have been unpleasantly apprehensive while watching the films and probably more unhappy about PJ's "liberties" than I ended up being.

The Hobbit is less important to me, but I still feel the same way.

I agree a hundred percent with you on this. I didn't have any warnings for PJ's liberties and was quite upset with several of them, including the assassination of Faramir's noble character in the movie as opposed to the character presented in the book and the petty trickery to get the Ents to go to war in the film whereas they were active participants originally.