PJ and The Hobbit!!!!!!

[dreamflower]

Well, I'm excited to hear that PJ has managed to break down New Line, (with, it appears, the help of MGM) so that he can do The Hobbit!

Things I know will be superb: The visuals--I expect the same meticulous care put into such things as the Goblin caves, Mirkwood, Thranduil's stronghold and the Lonely Mountain as was put into the Shire, Rivendell, Moria, Edoras and Minas Tirith. I will be more than pleased to get more looks at the Shire, Hobbiton and Bag End, as well as Rivendell. The casting--whomever is chosen, I do believe will be as fortuitous as the casting in LotR; PJ seems to have a knack for knowing when actors have the right chemistry. And I anticipate Sir Ian, Andy Serkis and Hugo Weaving, at the very least, to reprise their roles. The special effects--I *really* look forward to scenes set in Beorn's lodge, the fight with the spiders, and Smaug!

Things I *hope* will be excellent: The music--I *SO* want more Howard Shore! And I have a sort of hope that The Hobbit will have a better script than LotR, as it's shorter, and there's less to cut from it. I'd love to see at least cameos from most of the cast of LotR, and as PJ seems to be obliging in that sort of thing, I think it likely!

Things I have serious reservations about: the script for "the sequel". As far as I can tell, this will be pure fanfic, dealing with the time between The Hobbit and LotR. It can't be too close to canon, as PJ already dealt the timeline a serious blow by messing with Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin's ages. About this we will wait and see, but I am more than a little reserved about it.

But I don't think anyone else would have do it any *better*!

(Unless of course, it was one of us. shirebound, perhaps you could offer him your "Quarantined" AU. Then he'd have an excuse to get Viggo back again! Or perhaps he might like obeliamedusa's take on Frodo's youth at Bag End as in "Anchored"!)

In other, non-LotR related news: To anyone who likes Doctor Who, both classic and new, danae_b sent me a link to the most awesome web-comic *ever*! It is truly brilliant--and the first Doctor Who fic I've seen that I really, really like!

http://www.shipsinker.com/wordpress/category/drwho/

Oh, and thank you, danae_b for helping me to rescue this post after Frank ate it!

Comments

i think i'm more coherent now... ;)

[periantari.livejournal.com]

But I don't think anyone else would have do it any *better*!
It's the first step to actually have PJ and New Line back on speaking terms for the movie and that there seemingly is no more litigation issues and such.
I really hope that they have Shore back on board and i know that the visuals will be perfect with WETA back to doing their amazing work.

If it's two films, i remember reading that PJ would extract stuff from the appendices and include a lot of probably "filler" instances. ... Like what happened with Gandalf in Dol Guldur? For the fans, will PJ reintroduce Legolas and expand the storyline in Thranduil's kingdom?

It's interesting to note that PJ is the producer but not the director? I would hope that PJ produces but more importantly direct too....

omg i'm so excited yo uhave no idea...

:D :D :D

Re: i think i'm more coherent now... ;)

[dreamflower]

I am really looking forward to how PJ will do with his sequel--it will be interesting. I'd love to see lots of the Shire, and maybe the interiors of other hobbit dwellings like Brandy Hall or Number Three or the Great Smials. But I'm quite cautious about what he'd do with the hobbits. Aside from the death of Frodo's parents, there's not a lot of "action" during that time.

I'd like to see a bit of Legolas in Mirkwood, and perhaps Aragorn as young Estel--perhaps PJ could finally appease some of the Elf fans by putting in Elladan and Elrohir and Glorfindel. And we might get to see a bit of Elrond being not so cranky--he could be kind!

Gandalf in Dol Goldur? Getting the map from Thorin? Oooh, now that's the kind of thing that *would* be right up PJ's alley.

I'm hoping he will do a lot of the directing--but remember, he had lots of help with the directing in LotR, so maybe he will do some of it, and then delegate part of it. He won't be as young in 2010 as he was in 1999, after all, so he probably realizes he wouldn't be up to the physical stress.

[shirebound]

The music--I *SO* want more Howard Shore!

Ooooooh, we all do.

Yes, let's get "Quarantined" filmed! *glee* *bounce*

[dreamflower]

I think it would be great! I mean, the sequel's going to be AU *anyway*! So why not use an established AU? I mean just think--he'd already have a horde of devoted fans--and the chance to use Viggo!

[isil-elensar.livejournal.com]

i think all that matters is that it will get made and with PJ at the helm. and so, i shall do my part and read the book... directly after I see the movie. ;-) not that i don't already know most of what went on by reading the trilogy, Silm, and UT, of course. :-)

[dreamflower]

Oh, don't wait to read it! The Hobbit's a much easier read than the others--and a lot of fun! You don't really want to wait another 5 years, do you?

[isil-elensar.livejournal.com]

See, I didn't have much of a problem reading the trilogy... but that was only *after* I had seen the movies. So, I'm sticking to tradition, so to speak, and waiting until after I see The Hobbit to read it. :-) I've done that with quite a few other movies based on books, so it's not just LotR. The only movies I've seen where I've read the books first was the Harry Potter series, and only because my best friend made me before we went to go see the first Potter film.

Yeah. I'm weird like that. ;-)

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't it be cool if we could all pick our own fan fics that we hold dear (both by ourselves and others) and have them filmed? *dreams*

I can't WAIT to see The Hobbit. Three years from now?

[dreamflower]

You know, I just read this book about the internet, and creativity, and media, and the guy that wrote it suggested that if the movie producers would stop being so afraid of copyright infringement, they could sell software with templates of the characters and settings for their fans to use in making their own stuff--it would be awesomely cool!

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

oh gosh! That would be AWESOME!! (And personally it irks me that copyright should affect anyone who is just doing it for fun and not money-making)

[dreamflower]

It *DOESN'T*! That's what the publishers want you to think!! But fanfic, being written only for one's personal entertainment and that of one's friends (and of course, anyone in fandom is our "friend") is covered under fair use.

The problem is with so many things being *TRADEMARKED*! (Which is a whole nother ball of wax.) And people in using audiovisual media for their fanworks, like vidders, are going to have even more trouble.

The book's called "Darknet: Hollywood's War against the Digital Generation" is a real eye-opener. It's by a J.D. Lasica, if you want to read it.

It touches only a little bit on fanfic, but still, it's applicable to us. Especially with what's been going on this past year.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

oh wow. Interesting! I should check that out if I come across it!

[boz4pm.livejournal.com]

It can't be too close to canon, as PJ already dealt the timeline a serious blow by messing with Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin's ages.
ACK! I'd forgotten that. *is now REALLY worried about this second movie*

[dreamflower]

Yes, he made them too close in age, plus it's obvious that between the Party and the Quest--well, it certainly wasn't 17 years. It seemed to be a few months, though it could *pooossibly* have been as long as a year (trying to be charitable, that's what I imagine, but he doesn't specify).

And yet, he did establish that Aragorn was 87.

He's going to have a lot of juggling to do.

Still, it will just be another AU fanfic. Hopefully as well done as his other three AU fanfics...

[boz4pm.livejournal.com]

Hopefully as well done as his other three AU fanfics...
*giggles* Hee!

[dreamflower]

Yes. Well. It's just a truth. *grin*