Del Toro to helm The Hobbit!

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Mon May 05, 2008 8:43 pm

I think he's that good at English. When I've seen him on video he seems to speak English quite well. And I think you'd want that in the director of two big, expensive, complicated movies being shot in English.

Post by **River** » Mon May 05, 2008 8:45 pm

All the more impressive! It's one thing to write well; it's another to write well in a foreign language!

Primula Baggins wrote: I also watched much of it through my fingers (because, you know, you can still see everything, but of course nothing bad can see you).

Oh, so I'm not the only one who does that.

Drives S nuts. Which is not going to persuade me to stop.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Mon May 05, 2008 8:52 pm

Mr. Prim has given up.

I still haven't seen Pan's Labyrinth. Got to remedy that soon.

Post by **kams** » Mon May 05, 2008 8:55 pm

Mee, too. Time to go to Netflix.

Post by **River** » Mon May 05, 2008 9:08 pm

Yes. You must both fix that. ASAP.

The more I think about Pan's Labyrinth, the more confidence I have in Del Toro pulling off The Hobbit and the sprequel.

Post by **Teremia** » Mon May 05, 2008 9:40 pm

Pan's Labyrinth is good for the watch-through-fingers set because even though there's some very disturbing violence, you know EXACTLY when it's coming and can shut your eyes in time. (Or, if you're me, shut your eyes and stuff your hands over your ears -- I'm such a wimp.)

It's a very thought-provoking movie, though.

Post by **Jnyusa** » Mon May 05, 2008 9:52 pm

(I've seen PL three times now and still leave the room at certain points. Haven't been able to watch them at all.)

I would highly recommend seeing PL together with the companion film that preceded it - The Devil's Backbone. I found myself having quite a different perspective on del Toro after seeing the two films together.

It was mentioned a few times in discussion (here and on TORC) that people were annoyed by the uber-goodness of the rebels in PL, which was not a very accurate portrayal historically speaking (although by the time period in which this film takes place it was far more true that the Republicans were democratic, because by then the Stalinists were all dead). Anyway, DB is about corruption and murder among the Republicans, and takes a pretty unflinching look (in my view) of some of the craven motivation behind that choice of factions. When the two movies are viewed together it is easier to see how the artifice behind the characterization serves the larger themes and does not in all cases reflect a particular political position by the film maker.

Post by **kams** » Mon May 05, 2008 11:41 pm

The Devil's Backbone along with Pan's Labyrinth -- check.

I don't mind closing my eyes for the difficult parts. I'm a bit too impressionable and have been known to suffer nightmares from ugly violence.

So, go Mr. del Toro! I don't want to be just entertained. I want to be moved.

Thu May 15, 2008 6:39 pm

There is going to be a 20 questions/live chat with PJ and del Toro. Here is the info, copied from TORN:

Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro invite you to a live internet chat about The Hobbit on May 24 (May 25 in Australia/NZ). Peter and Guillermo would love to answer your questions and hear your comments about our new adventure into Middle-Earth. Please register nowto make sure you don't miss out on the Unexpected Party and get regular updates on the movies! Follow the registration link for instructions on how to submit a question. Check out the rest chat times around the world, and the text of PJ's letter, below.

************
Weta are excited to be hosting this one-hour live online chat on our website http://www.wetanz.com/party/register/. Please check the start time for your time zone below:

Los Angeles (Pacific) - Saturday, 24 May 1:00 p.m.
New York (Eastern) - Saturday, 24 May 4:00 p.m.
London - Saturday, 24 May 9:00 p.m.
Paris, Berlin, Rome - Saturday, 24 May 10:00 p.m.
Sydney - Sunday, 25 May 6:00 a.m.
Wellington, Auckland - Sunday, 25 May 8:00 am
See you at the Unexpected Party!
************

Text of PJ's letter:

Several years ago - it seems a lifetime now - I invited 20 questions from fans right at the start of embarking on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. For me, it was an important and enjoyable moment, when I was able to begin a relationship that helped define our attitude to that unique project. It gave me a sense of responsibility that stayed etched in my brain for the next 5 years.

Well, the time has come again! With us right on the cusp of beginning pre-production on The Hobbit, and its companion movie, it seems fitting to do the same thing again.

It’s also fitting that our director, Guillermo Del Toro, will join me in answering the questions, since he will be bringing his considerable personal vision to these two movies. It’s my moment to hand the baton to Guillermo. It’s time for him to address your concerns.

So this is how it will work: we ask fans with an interest in The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings to send one question to this website. Ask us anything! Guillermo and I will select and answer the 20 most common questions, so we can both attempt to address the key issues as best we can.

Our answers will be released during a one hour live web chat, hosted by Weta, with both Guillermo and myself logged on. In addition to answering your 20 questions - for the entire hour, we’ll take additional live questions and chat about the projects with anybody who’s interested.

Please send us your questions and Register for the live chat- and we’ll talk to you in a couple of weeks.
Cheers,
Peter Jackson

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Thu May 15, 2008 7:45 pm

That's great news, Voronwë.

It was the "20 Questions" articles on Aint-It-Cool News that reassured me and let me start getting truly excited about the LotR films. It was clear from them that PJ understood LotR's importance to its readers and that he respected Tolkien. Now, in the end he didn't execute 100% as I would have wished; but think what he might have come up with if he'd been contemptuous of the book or thought the readers' concerns were silly.

Post by **eborr** » Thu May 15, 2008 10:11 pm

Let me reflect on an interesting conversation I had with a work colleague last night, after what had been for both of us a highly stressful day.

We had put the the work to bed and were chewing the fat, and after reviewing light opera, we had just seen a freebie performance in Plaza Major ,which I was assured was wonderful, we got on to film. In a somewhat reticent manner he admitted that one of his very favourite films was Hellboy, this was from an real member of the establishment, his last job before leaving the army was as IT advisor to the Surgeon-General, he is a military MBE presented by Liz herself.

G Del T has the capacity to impress all sorts, actually the my colleague is a jolly good cove. I am even more excited about this than I was LOTR

Post by **Mrs.Underhill** » Fri May 23, 2008 6:16 pm

News from Frodo Franchise site: http://www.kristinthompson.net/blog/?p=269

Good news: Viggo Mortensen has been approached for the movies!

Bad news (for some): Fran and Philippa seem to be doing the script after all... I hoped for full creative freedom for GDT, but looks like PJ, Fran and Philippa already had everything laid out for the movies. I wonder if that was the obstacle GDT had to overcome in his negotiations with PJ.
I don't like the sound of that as it seems GDT would be doing PJ's bidding after all. But it's just me.

Post by **Jnyusa** » Fri May 23, 2008 11:35 pm

Headline: Dwarf party attacked by she-elves demanding equal booty for equal work.

Post by **Frelga** » Sat May 24, 2008 2:08 am

Mrs.Underhill wrote:Good news: Viggo Mortensen has been approached for the movies!

That's good news, is it?

I wonder if this means that some of our speculation here is correct, and the sprequel really will focus on the life of Aragorn. Or are they squeezing him into Hobbit story somehow?

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Sat May 24, 2008 2:16 am

I would guess they'd put most of their invention into the second film. They've got plenty of story to put in the Hobbit. Unless they really, really want to have cameo bits for LotR actors in the Hobbit, which I suppose they might. Thank goodness most of the characters won't have been born yet!

Post by **eborr** » Sat May 24, 2008 2:29 am

hmm surprised at Del Toro agreeing to let anyone else control the script - still he will get to say what is shot - we could end up with a silent movie

Sat May 24, 2008 2:39 am

The script is being written by Walsh, Boyens, Jackson AND del Toro. It's a collaborative endeavor and I say more power to 'em.

Post by **Mrs.Underhill** » Sat May 24, 2008 2:40 pm

eborr wrote:hmm surprised at Del Toro agreeing to let anyone else control the script - still he will get to say what is shot - we could end up with a silent movie

Tell you the truth, I sometimes wished I could turn off LotR movies soundtrack, except the music.

More enjoyable this way as you can pretend the heroes were saying something, er, more appropriate.
So I wouldn't say no to GDT's silent movie.

As for Aragorn: it's rather natural for him to be in the 2nd movie. And Viggo still looks the part - unless they go for his childhood... There was also a tidbit on TORN about Liv Tyler - she hadn't any idea about "Hobbit" movies. So she wasn't approached - yet.

Post by **halplm** » Wed May 28, 2008 11:58 pm

If you're not familiar with Penny Arcade... you should be... but it sums up my opinion pretty succinctly.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Thu May 29, 2008 12:38 am

Well, they won't even be filming for a couple of years yet, and I imagine there will be all kinds of things for us to cheer about or tear our hair about.

I just missed the "Arwen at Helm's Deep" uproar at TORC, and I've always been rather glad I never knew about that little innovation until after it had been abandoned.