The AUJ Extended Edition Anticipation Thread (SPOILERS)

Post by **Alatar** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 10:34 am

So, what are we expecting to see? Will Gandalf's trip to the High Fells be shown, or save for a DoS flashback? More Radagast? More Thrain?

More importantly, will we only get additions, like in RotK and TTT, or will we get a completely restructured section like the opening of FotR?

I for one would love to see PJ play a bit with the opening, maybe cutting the Elijah/Frodo scene and slipping the Dwarven prologue into the Bag End narrative.

Post by **eborr** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 11:28 am

Is there going to be an extended edition ?

Post by **Elentári** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 11:55 am

Yes, PJ confirmed an extra 20-25 minutes at the recent BNAT event, during a Q & A with Harry Knowles.

I don't think the Erebor prologue will be moved - possibly because there's still a chance of seeing the flashback of Gandalf finding Thrain in DG inserted into the Bag End sequence, even though some are giving credence to the idea that this sequence might be the opener to DoS...

Apparently the trip by Gandalf and Radagast to Rhudaur should have been seen after the WC and before Gandalf catches up with the party in Goblin Town. Hopefully that will be re-instated. I can't see how everythingto do with the DG/Necromancer storyline can be carried over to Film 2, since there is only so much Gandalf can fit in once they leave Beorn's!

Out of interest I saved this list compiled by someone on TORn (I forget who, may have been Carne) of clips we've seen in v-logs that didn't make it into the TE:

Here's a list I put together. Probably missing something. I intentionally left out all the Dol Guldur stuff as I assume it has been moved to film 2.

- Gandalf meeting a young Bilbo at the Old Took's party (confirmed by McKellen to be in the extended cut). [also confirmed in the Weta design book]

- Bilbo at the market buying groceries while trying to hide from Gandalf and the Sackville-Bagginses (confirmed by Jackson to be in the extended cut):
http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com ... market.jpg

- More of Thror fighting at the battle of Azanulbizar (told to me by Jeffrey Thomas' stunt double).

- More fighting with the trolls (Bombur being kicked back and Bifur's axe getting stuck in a troll leg):
http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/37.jpg
http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/116.jpg

- Fili and Thorin hiding behind a rock:
http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com ... 31232r.jpg

- Company running through a forest:
http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com ... 4-copy.jpg

- Food fight in Rivendell (briefly seen in the first trailer and mentioned in interviews):
http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com ... bofur.jpg.

- Bofur singing "There is an Inn, A Merry Old Inn" (mentioned by Nesbitt).

- Dwarves annoying the elves (confirmed by Jackson to be in the extended cut).

- Bilbo walking around in Rivendell:
http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com ... 9/t157.jpg

- Bilbo and Narsil:
http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com ... arsil.jpg.

- Bilbo and Elrond talking on a balcony:
http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com ... 7-copy.jpg

- More of the Goblin King and the goblin scribe (confirmed to be in the extended cut by Jackson and Boyens).

- Something moving towards Bilbo (crack or goblins?):
http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com ... 9/t173.jpg

- More of goblin town escape:
http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com ... 9/t135.jpg
http://heirsofdurin.files.wordpress.com ... 9/t169.jpg

- A scene between Bilbo and Gandalf after goblin town (shown at Comic Con). It went something like:
Bilbo: I found something in the caves.
Gandalf (suspicious look): Oh, what did you find?
Bilbo (fiddling with the ring in his pocket): I found courage.

ETA: Yes, it was Carne, here's the link

Fri Dec 21, 2012 2:28 pm

That pretty much covers it!

I am probably most looking forward to Gandalf meeting young Bilbo, though I think they were right to cut it out of the TE.

Post by **sauronsfinger** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 11:23 pm

I almost always want more in the EE's but am hoping against hope for LESS of the (not so)Great Goblin.

More flashback history please. And more Dol Guldur.

Sat Dec 22, 2012 1:51 am

I wouldn't mind more of the Great Goblin. I thought he was well done, and quite true to the character in the book.

Post by **Holbytla** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 5:25 am

He was visually odd. The cavern they were in was far too large, but I liked him up until his final line.

Post by **axordil** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 4:18 pm

The thing I liked most about the GG was that that extreme of a depiction disproves the notion that PJ doesn't take chances. They could have simply made him fat, growly and generically menacing, and the worst people would have said was "well, he wasn't that memorable." Same for the stone giants. Leaving them out would have been accepted by almost everyone as the moral equivalent of ditching Tom Bombadil.

Sat Dec 22, 2012 4:29 pm

Holby, I agree about his final line. And I expected to hate his look, but I actually liked it. Most importantly, he had more character than all of the other orcs/goblins in the four films so far put together.

Post by **JewelSong** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 4:32 pm

Holbytla wrote: The cavern they were in was far too large...

See, I always assumed that the goblins didn't make those caverns themselves. I assumed that they moved in after other beings had built them and vacated them for whatever reason. And then the goblins jury-rigged them with bridges and pathways and so on. I also figure they are not that bright or that clever, hence the shoddy workmanship on the bridges.

Goblins always seem to me to be soft and squishy, which is why they are so easily killed or maimed with a sword thrust or beheaded like you were cutting through butter. So I LOVED the Great Goblin's appearance - he had reached the apex of soft and squishy and managed to survive a long time.

Post by **Elentári** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 9:05 pm

Screenwriter Philippa Boyens talks THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, Bridging the Film to LOTR, the Extended Edition, Deleted Scenes, and More

A couple of interesting snippets:

But I’ve got one personal thing that I love that I wish was in there and you’ll see it, it’s a little thing between Bilbo and Elrond. It’s probably, within the context of the greater whole, the six films; it’s going to work really beautifully when you see Bilbo in Rivendell in Lord of the Rings.

On the length of film 2 and 3 compared to AUJ:

No, I think they’ll be around the same or slightly shorter ideally. It’ll be interesting though, we’ll see. I know from the rough cut of film two that at the moment you could say that it will be shorter.

Post by **Holbytla** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 10:20 pm

But I’ve got one personal thing that I love that I wish was in there and you’ll see it, it’s a little thing between Bilbo and Elrond. It’s probably, within the context of the greater whole, the six films; it’s going to work really beautifully when you see Bilbo in Rivendell in Lord of the Rings.

So great they just had to cut it.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Sun Dec 23, 2012 1:52 am

They were afraid you might like something.

Post by **Mrs.Underhill** » Sun Dec 23, 2012 4:06 am

More Bilbo and dwarves in Rivendell. That is all.
And basically, more Bilbo and dwarves charactering around would be good.

Dul Guldur plot doesn't excite me or makes any sense so far, so I'm not looking forward for more of it.

I liked Great Goblin and wouldn't mind more scenes with him, but not actively looking forward to them either.

Sun Dec 23, 2012 4:08 am

Mrs.Underhill wrote:Dul Guldur plot doesn't excite me or makes any sense so far, so I'm not looking forward for more of it.

Although maybe more of it would make it make more sense.

Post by **Mrs.Underhill** » Sun Dec 23, 2012 4:27 am

Nah, I have a bad feeling about this. As in: the more we know about it, the less we'll like it.

Post by **kzer_za** » Tue Jan 01, 2013 3:49 pm

I'm actually glad to hear from Philippa (in the interview linked above) that the EE probably won't be longer by a massive amount:

Boyens: I can very honestly tell you that that [the EE's length] is still literally being figured out. It’s literally an ongoing discussion in terms of the effects, and what works and what doesn’t. So how much and how long it’s going to be, you know I don’t honestly think it’s going to be hugely that much longer, because truthfully most of the stuff that we needed to get in for the storytelling is in there.

With the RotK EE, they pretty much threw everything in even if it obviously should have stayed cut. I really like some of the RotK extended scenes (and still usually watch the EE when I see RotK), but a lot of them are pretty pointless or downright awful. It sounds like they'll have a bit more restraint this time.

Post by **Elentári** » Tue Jan 01, 2013 4:52 pm

PJ is last quoted as saying 20-25 mins, but of course that may change.

I hope not too much is thrown out. We desperately need more character moments in some parts of the film, and as far as Boyens' assertion about the storytelling being mostly complete...the most obvious gap is the High Fells/Nazgûl tombs sequence.

Post by **Elentári** » Tue Jan 01, 2013 7:48 pm

Looking back to those B-reels of behind-the-scenes footage, there is a brief clip of Christopher Lee as Saruman during the White Council scene talking about the Seven Rings. It comes at 0:20 seconds into this footage:

http://youtu.be/HiodRjlAvos

Could this be something to be added back into the AUJ EE, or will it perhaps be used at a second meeting in DoS? Personally, I can't see a second meeting being held in Rivendell, logistically, once Gandalf leaves the Dwarves at Mirkwood.

Thoughts?

Tue Jan 01, 2013 7:57 pm

You are probably correct that it will be in the EE (or nowhere). I don't think it will be impossible that there will be a second meeting of the WC (in which, I hope, Gandalf is more assertive), but I agree it is unlikely.

I wonder if it is possible that they will try to get Sir Christopher Lee to record more material in London? Probably not, since PJ has already said that he has an edited version of DoS, so all or almost all of the new material filmed this year will be for TABA.