TH: Desolation of Smaug Extended Edition Anticipation Thread

[Smaug's voice]

On DOS-EEs. From a Valentine Radushev, comment on Tolkien-Society facebook open discussions:

Thrain and Gandalf, Beorn - a lot of Beorn, Mirkwood - the dwarves being lost a lot more, and spiders too, Bilbo and the keys - Thranduil and Thorin, more of the Esgaroth and the Master of Lake-town, Bilbo stealing the cup from Smaug. Perhaps more of Radagast too...Bombur and the dark river for sure. Trust me, I'm in touch with people from the films.

I don't know! Make what you will of it.

[kzer_za]

All sounds plausible, and consistent with what we have seen. Then again, it's so general (and the only specifics are already known from interviews and photos) that he could just be making it up even if it ends up fully accurate.

[Elentári]

Sounds like reasonable speculation and stuff we've already heard hints about, rather than actual inside knowledge. All stuff I'm hoping to see, anyway!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I've not seen this before, and I apologize if it has already been posted here. Brief interviews with cast members about the scenes they hope are in the EE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIq6cH3yQY0

[Passdagas the Brown]

Oh, good stuff in there. Definitely have not seen this before.

Armitage seems rather confident that scenes of Thrain fighting and getting lost during Azanulbizar, and Gandalf finding Thrain in Dol Guldur, will be in the EE.

Since I really like PJ's flashbacks, I think these could make for welcome additions.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

He does seem confident, but I really don't see how he can know. Although McKellen just as confidently stated that he thought that Old Took party scene would be in the AUJ EE, and it was, so maybe they do get inside info.

I'm curious to see the scene that Lilly referenced, as well.

[Passdagas the Brown]

He does seem confident, but I really don't see how he can know. Although McKellen just as confidently stated that he thought that Old Took party scene would be in the AUJ EE, and it was, so maybe they do get inside info.

I'm curious to see the scene that Lilly referenced, as well.

They do seem to be the kind of scenes that PJ is likely to include, especially if they did indeed hire Anthony Sher to play Thrain. Either that, or they have been moved to TABA, which is possible.

I generally liked Tauriel, but I think what we got in DOS is enough. There's no need to show more of her initial hatred of dwarves. We saw her say "If you think I am giving you a weapon, dwarf, you are mistaken" and there's no need to flesh it out further.

Frankly, I hope the EE has no more Tauriel or Legolas, but more Thrain, Beorn, Bilbo, Thorin, the dwarves, the Master of Laketown and possibly Bard. That will help balance out what is an excessively "elvish" film.

Though another scene with Thranduil would be fine - as long as it is between him and the dwarves.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I definitely hope that Thrain in Moria, and a flashback to the scene that is referenced in the DoS prologue in which Gandalf visits Thrain and urges him to take back Erebor (and perhaps gets the map and key?). I'm not convinced about Thrain in Dol Guldur, however, although I expect it to happen (though maybe not until TABA).

I know I was the one that brought the Anthony Sher information to the fore here, but given the fact that there was no more corroborating evidence after those two pieces of information (the Empire reference to him as Thrain, and the tweet about him being in Wellington), I'm less convinced than I was.

[Elentári]

Great stuff! I too hope we get to see what RA refers to re: Thrain, although it is still not clear how Gandalf gets the key & map.

Armitage talks about a scene of Thrain fighting at Azanulbizar and getting "lost", then Gandalf finding him in DG and mad Thrain begs him not to let his son enter the mountain. Surely that scene is meant to happen during the timeline of DoS, and not an earlier visit by Gandalf? The whole inference now seems to be that Thrain gave Gandalf the items before Azanulbizar - when Thror was still alive!

[Elentári]

Ah, the Tauriel scene Lilly was talking about? I think this could be what she is referring to in this interview, if it goes further than what we got in the TE:

So we don't really have to do that for the action scenes. But the scene I'm talking about where he's grabbing for my knives-- That looked a bit suggestive. Knives!-- is the scene where I've just finished slaughtering, like, five different spiders. And he's there, and I clock him, but we don't actually have to fight together.

Evangeline Lilly talks the creation of Tauriel

[Elentári]

Have I missed this or has no one posted it yet?

German DoS EE boxed gift set with Amazon exclusive Dwarven Guard statues!



ETA: the Dwarf statues are bookend, btw, like the Argonath!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

First I've heard of it!

Unless I am missing something, that link does not appear to say anything about "EE" or "extended edition".

[Elentári]

No, it doesn't...but unless WB are going to start doing gift sets with LE Weta statues for the theatrical edition I think it must be advance info on the EE set. Strangely, it gives the publication/release date as 31 December 2014! I hope it will be a month or 2 earlier than that.

[sauronsfinger]

The CHRONICLES book has a feature on Dale after the Smaug attack and makes several references to the Dwarves walking through it to get to the gate of Erebor. Apparently they put a large amount of work into that set.

I wonder if that is part of the EE?

[Elentári]

Mmm...I hope so. You are right that it says "we were also mindful of the look for the city as it would be seen by the Company on their way to the Lonely Mountain, when they pass through its burnt-out remains."

Sounds like that was one of the cuts after the conversation overlooking Dale (when Bilbo reminds Thorin Gandalf said to wait for them there,) since next shot they are at the foot of Erebor.

Didn't we see some of the charred remains and preserved bodies of the fleeing inhabitants in one of the earlier Vlogs?

[Passdagas the Brown]

The CHRONICLES book has a feature on Dale after the Smaug attack and makes several references to the Dwarves walking through it to get to the gate of Erebor. Apparently they put a large amount of work into that set.

I wonder if that is part of the EE?

I would almost guarantee that it will be in the EE (though we know from the vlogs, that the Dale ruins also feature in TABA - eg. we see an armored Thranduil fighting among them).

I say that these scenes will likely be in the EE because pretty close to the DOS release, we had publicity shots of Thorin in Dale looking out towards the mountain, and Armitage (in some interview somewhere) said that one of his favorite scenes in DOS takes place amid the ruins.

Seems like no-brainer EE material.

[sauronsfinger]

The CHRONICLES book has a feature on Dale after the Smaug attack and makes several references to the Dwarves walking through it to get to the gate of Erebor. Apparently they put a large amount of work into that set.

I wonder if that is part of the EE?

I would almost guarantee that it will be in the EE (though we know from the vlogs, that the Dale ruins also feature in TABA - eg. we see an armored Thranduil fighting among them).

I say that these scenes will likely be in the EE because pretty close to the DOS release, we had publicity shots of Thorin in Dale looking out towards the mountain, and Armitage (in some interview somewhere) said that one of his favorite scenes in DOS takes place amid the ruins.

Seems like no-brainer EE material.

Well I saw it again today with my grandson - fourth time - second in IMAX 3D - and I am more convinced that even that there will be a good 25 or more minutes in the EE. I bet we see more Beorn.... more at Erebor ... more at Laketown ....more Dol Guldur .... and even more development in the barrel rider river carnage. If we do not get the explanation for Thranduil and the burning face in the EE I am sure we get in in the next film.... we know about Thrain so that is a given.

Erebor looks so great on IMAX 3D. if you have not seen it in that format you really need to do that before it leaves. A 100 mile drive would be well worth it.

I like this film more and more each time I see it. I now give it an 8 out of 10. My grandson says it is second only to ROTK.

[Passdagas the Brown]

Great to hear, sf. I saw it in IMAX 3D twice, and agree. Erebor is wonderful. One of my favorite locations thus far (though I could have done without what seemed far too mechanized an "assembly line" - dwarves were miners, but not pioneers of the industrial revolution!)

Nice to hear your grandson's response. For me (and I'm no young'un) DOS is clearly and unequivocally the best film of the series.

[Passdagas the Brown]

Another few scenes I think we can expect in the EE:

Beorn giving the dwarves supplies (and weapons) as well as ponies after the "what do you need?" line.

For example, we saw publicity photos of Thorin, with the dwarves on ponies in the background, holding a bow. This is presumably a bow given to him by Beorn, as he: a) didn't seem to have one before, and b) Beorn gives the dwarves "some bows" in the book. Here is the photo: http://onpaperwings-journeyofawriter.bl ... chive.html

We also have evidence that a scene was shot of Thorin firing the bow at something in Mirkwood. This could be the white deer, it could be squirrels, or a range of other invented things. But I would wager to guess that whatever it is, we'll see this scene in the EE: http://onpaperwings-journeyofawriter.bl ... chive.html

And in DOS itself, it is clear that Beorn gave them lots of supplies for their trip through Mirkwood, as they are carrying them (Bilbo is carrying bottles of something in a leather sash, Nori is carrying baskets of food, etc).

[Elentári]

PJ confirms more of Beorn in EE!

Peter Jackson interview: The Hobbit, 48FPS, Cumberbatch

Swedish fans have been waiting for Mikael Persbrandt and Beorn for a long time now. And there’s not very much in this film, and I’d like to ask you, why was there just that short appearance, and also I’d like to know what more we’ll see of him in the next film.

PJ: His character does do more in the third film, in ways I won’t explain. But he does have more to do, and he does come back into the story. We almost set him up in this one, for things that are going to happen in the third film. Because what’s really great about that character - we kind of took from Tolkien and went a different way - is that we made him a fairly enigmatic figure. He’s not necessarily a good character or a bad character. He lives by his own rules; as he says in the movie, “I don’t like dwarves, but orcs I like even less.”

That’s how he chooses which side he’s going to be on. And there is going to be a little bit more of him in the extended cut of this film. We shot scenes with Mikael. But when we cut the film together, and looked at the length and things, we shaped it and structured it for the best way we thought it would work for the cinematic version.

So you’ve got a couple more things to look forward to: you’ve got a couple more scenes in the extended cut of this film, and some more of him, which I won’t be describing, in the third movie!