Excerpts: Kiwi Parliament Having Galloped to the Rescue, The Hobbit Begins Casting
Sunday October 31, 2010
Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage have been cast in the key roles of Bilbo Baggins and Thorin Oakenshield.
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Meanwhile, with his film greenlit, his scripts written, and production finally in train, Jackson is at last able to begin casting. His first choices, though, resulted in a bit of head-scratching among some Hobbit fans—and among Americans generally, for whom the names in question are not widely known.
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.. it's a tougher task looking at Richard Armitage—the hot-and-cold villain, Guy of Guisbourne, in the UK series Robin Hood—as Thorin Oakenshield, the kingly leader of the band of dwarves that appears on Bilbo's doorstep.
One can see a practical element in the casting: In order to limit the amount of forced perspective and special effects necessary, Jackson will have been looking for an actor for Bilbo who was shorter than the dwarf actors, just as Elijah Wood et al. were shorter than John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli in The Lord of the Rings. Thus Martin Freeman's first qualification, apart from his acting skills, is that he's 5'7", and so can easily be in shot with Richard Armitage, who's 6'2".
Above paragraph reminded me of...
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Fan reaction to Armitage's casting was gruff enough to lead Jackson to publicly defend his decision, incidentally revealing another aspect to the selection of the darkly handsome Brit. "Thorin Oakenshield is a tough, heroic character, and he certainly should give Leggie and Aragorn a run for their money in the heartthrob stakes—despite being four feet tall," Jackson told Entertainment Weekly.
"In Middle-earth, dwarves are a noble race and have a culture and physical appearance which sets them apart from humans. It's fun to develop these different cultures for the movie, and we are doing much more with dwarves this time around than we did with Gimli in Lord Of The Rings."
"Richard is a powerful actor with a wide range, and we're very excited to be handing Thorin over to him."
While cybersurfing came upon a website inhabited by what appears to be long-time fans of The Hobbit. [See below link] Forum title and first post read as follows:
>The Hobbit Will Shoot In New Zealand. Peter Jackson wants to make dwarves sexy<
"It's official: The Hobbit will film in New Zealand. Woo.
Jackson's next task: making Dwarves sexy. On casting Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield, Jackson says: "Thorin Oakenshield is a tough, heroic character, and he certainly should give Leggie and Aragorn a run for their money in the heartthrob stakes - despite being four feet tall." Jackson also says that having 13 Dwarves in the movie will give him greater opportunity to explore the culture and full range of personalities among the Dwarves"
He received the following reply..."As if dwarves aren't already uber-sexy."
Fan vid that encapsulates both the intense emotional pressure currently felt by Lucas North, and the annual spookiness of Halloween season--Map of the Problematique by HeathDances
Food Fact: Extra-virgin olive oil has the highest concentration of Vitamin E and antioxidants
Post of the Day:...from last year at this time. We were asking the same question about Lucas as we are today...(scroll to Dec 5, 2009 - Spooks 8, Ep 6)
Had a rather nostalgic feeling upon seeing the above John Thornton pic used at dragoncrush.com for Peter Jackson's recent article w/ Thorin comments. We're gradually joining the many muggles (wrong turn?), hobbits & dwarves in middle earth...
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Looks like it was a horrifying experience...can't breath,,accck,, ;)
Can you see RA's eyes looking up at the camera? It's Heinz Kruger in the HYDRA sub...
Oh my, hasn't our movie guy hit the bigtime with a bang. Following is the cover of the latest Entertainment Weekly mag and Richard is in both major films mentioned...
An introduction to director Peter Jackson for those who are completely new as well to his films. Definitely sounds as though he and RA have at least two things in common -- similar quirky senses of humor and eloquence…
She's hanging in there..Bristol Palin and partner Mark Ballas dancing the tango - the audience phone calls along w/highest scores to date kept them in the competition...(psssst,,lean closer,,,whispering in your ear..I think most females in the audience are hoping they'll become a RL couple. They appear to be so well suited to each other...both are level-headed, unassuming and just downright nice human beings...hopeless romantic signing off...oh yes, he seems as though he'd make a great dad for her little boy...*wink*]
In his recent remarks, Peter Jackson's vision for Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit has become somewhat clearer. He said "Thorin..is a tough, heroic character, and he certainly should give Leggie and Aragorn a run for their money in the heartthrob stakes - despite being four feet tall." He added many accolades for RA's acting skills including "Richard is a powerful actor with a wide range, and we're very excited to be handing Thorin over to him. In this partnership, we need Richard to give us his depth, range, and emotion as an actor - and we'll make him look like a dwarf!" In reference to all dwarves in The Hobbit, director Jackson said "Our company of thirteen dwarves in The Hobbit lets us explore many different personalities -- and costume and make-up designs will support the type of character each actor plays."
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[Therefore, with Thorin's "tough, heroic" attributes in mind, is it fair to say costuming him in jeans and leather might be exactly what the doctor ordered to compete in the above mentioned heartthrob stakes? Judging from the dwarfified pic below -- could we learn to live happily with the idea of a 4ft hobbit-throb?...]
>Plotholes and other distractions It was pleasing to see the cyberterrorists (including another CSS operative … ) had set up shop in the middle of a vast, empty office with full-length glass windows and panoramic views of London. Again. It was equally jolly to see Beth and Dimitri set off for SE16, and then arrive somewhere that was a) quite clearly not SE16 and b) was just round the corner from the baddies' rendevous at what looked like Smithfields market in central London. Spooks, I don't expect you to be in any way real – I have seen nine series, after all – but why be all unnecessarily postcode-specific in the first place?<
[Might budgetary considerations be the reason Spooks keeps it's shooting relocations to a minimum? No one other than Londoners are as alert to the exact locations anyway]
Couple more interesting nuggets from the review:
>...Did Danielle wipe off her lipstick while stuck in the boot? And: I'm not sure I could cope if Beth and Dimitri took over as lead spies next series. Only Dimitri's "Oi Evershed, stop being nosy," suggests things wouldn't be interminably dull.<
[as an American female, I’m definitely considering decreasing the makeup to 1” thick rather than Ortiz-style 2“…might be overdoing it a tad. Heehee Frankly, if US cosmetic mfgrs, other than tinted lipgloss, were depending on me to stay in business - they’d be bankrupt within mos. Yes, the eyeliner pencil is pulled out for special evening occasions when the appearance of slightly thicker lashes seems to be a must...female vanity run amok;]
She and I are in 100% agreement about..
>...No matter how much it is hammered home that Lucas loves Maya (not that much, in any case, or he might have remembered her before this series) I'm not sure I quite believe the set-up any more.<
"But I like something about the show. His name is Richard Armitage...Lucas North is his name here..is the most sensible one[spook]....I just need to interrupt here and say if you get the opportunity to see him in the adaptation of North & South anytime, the Elizabeth Gaskill book, you should indeed take it. Brooding, would be the word I'd use to describe his performance. He does a bit of brooding in Spooks but not nearly enough for my liking.
Mainly he busts out the black-haired, blue-eyed charm stick to get information out of somebody, and that also works. He clearly has some range, because he wasn't anything like this in Robin Hood, where he wore more eye-liner than KISS."
[Really?? Let's take a look;) hehe obviously any excuse will do...
Might even be a hint of eye shadow as well in the following pic. The reporter's eyeliner remark reminds me of President Lincoln's reply during the Civil War, when someone in his cabinet criticized his highest ranking general's (Ulysses S. Grant) tendency to somewhat heavily imbibe in alcoholic beverages. Lincoln said "provide a case, of whatever Gen Grant is drinking, to all my generals. "
It has been mos since I‘d checked Dezz‘s Hollywood spy website, therefore, was pleasantly surprised to find the following...by the same director as 'Last of the Mohicans'
Dezz said: >Last year I wrote a beautiful article revealing that the story of the famous battle at AGINCOURT was going to be made into a film, but now it seems the possible director could be famous Michael Mann (THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS).
Based on the bestselling novel by Bernard Cornwell, this medieval epic will describe the famous 15th century battle between England lead by young king Henry V and France. Henry lead his glorious army in the quest to claim the French crown but he soon discovered that the enemy was more daunting than he could ever have imagined. But although much bigger, the French army had at least five times more casualties in the end with most of the French noble men dying in the battle.<
[Ricrar note:...could be mistaken, but I believe Agincourt was the battle when the long-bow was first used (by Welsh archers) and made the surprising difference in the outcome.]Hope the soundtrack for the new movie can compete with the one below...
Thought of one other soundtrack, IMHO, that's equally as lovely...composer is Michael Kamen..
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Azincourt Cont'd:
This topic may never surface again, so will take the opportunity to file the following information here...
>Ye Knights Archers & Lancers of Agincourt - Men of Richard, Lord Grey of Codnor
The names of the men of Derbyshire, led by Richard, Lord Grey of Codnor, during the French Campaign of Henry V, and at the Battle of Agincourt, 25 October 1415. From - Yeatman 'Feudal History of Derbyshire' TOTAL 162 Archers - Grand Total 222 Men (the names are then listed)
>The last owners to have actually lived at Codnor Castle were its medieval residents the De Greys
Since May 1998, Codnor Castle has been on the Castles of Britain at Risk register with a rating of 5. This means that since 1998 Codnor Castle has been in immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric- yet nothing has been done.For some time now, we have been monitoring Codnor Castle and its deterioration, which is of great concern. Therefore, we formed the Codnor Castle Preservation Society to stop the Castle from falling into further disrepair. Our first aim is that the remains of the Castle are consolidated and made safe to stop it from falling into further decay. UK Coal Mining Ltd, the landowners,are under a legal obligation to carry out this consolidation work commencing August 2006.
[Note: ancestors who lived in a nearby village were indeed coal miners who emigrated to the US in 1862. Their village was considered part of Derbyshire for centuries..today it's within borders of Notts.]
Codnor Castle is one of only two medieval castles retaining its original medieval architecture in the whole of the county of Derbyshire, the other being Peveril castle at Castleton. Codnor Castle has a very rich history and the castle site dates back to the 11th century. Codnor castle was the home and power base to one of medieval Englands most powerful family's for 300 years; the De Grey family or otherwise known as the Baron's Grey of Codnor. The De Grey family were wide spread all over England; Thurrock in Essex, Ruthyn in Wales, Wilton in Rotherfield and Chillingham in Northumberland. The senior members of this powerful and very influential family were seated here at Codnor castle.<
From website below:.....Henry Grey was heavily involved in the Wars of the Roses and was present at many of the great battles of this war including, Towton 1461, Barnet 1471, Tewkesbury 1471, Bosworth 1485 and Stoke 1487.
After the war Henry Grey was devoted to the study of chemistry and was given a license for the transmutation of metals, this meant that he had to fund the studies himself but if any profit was made he had to give some of it to King. Henry fought along side king Richard III at Bosworth but afterwards he was appointed as commissioner of his mines by King Henry VII, with permission to search for tin, lead copper, silver and gold. Henry Grey did marry but he died at Easter 1496 leaving no direct heir. Before his death he had made arrangements with his uncle, John Zouch to purchase Codnor Castle and other properties upon his death.
The king recognised the will and allowed Codnor Castle to pass to Sir John Zouch, grandson of John Zouch Esq. who had married Elizabeth Grey, daughter of Richard Grey.
The Zouch family lived at Codnor Castle from 1496 to 1634 and they made many modifications and upgrades to the castle. The last member of the Zouch family to live at Codnor castle was Sir George Zouch. Sir George emigrated with his family to America. Codnor castle and its lands were sold in 1634 by Sir George Zouch to Dr. Neile, Archbishop of York. The castle was again sold in 1692 to Sir Strenysham Masters. This was the last time the castle was occupied but the castle remained in the hands of the Masters family till the beginning of the 19th Century.
In the beginning of the 19th Century the castle was again sold to Messrs Jessop and Co, who we know as the Butterley company. The Butterley Company purchased the castle site so they could access and mine the minerals under the park. Codnor castle is now owned by UK Coal.
>According to "Deadline", adventurous billionaire Richard Branson is negotiating to acquire the script for COLUMBUS written by T.S. Nowlin for his new production company. If he succeeds, famous director McG (TERMINATOR SALVATION, CHARLIE'S ANGELS) will helm this epic about the equally famous Christopher Columbus and his famous voyage to America apparently in a Zack Snyder's 300 style.<
p.s. Dezz does have a post about The Hobbit casting news.(see link below) Not thrilled with the photo chosen... http://hollywood-spy.blogspot.com/
Those searching for longer hair, heavier stubbled, more dwarf-like pix might like one of these..
This photo reminded me that RA has already worked with a hobbit-like character in the past...
Malcolm has always received more endearing smiles(above) from LN than any other Spooks character, hasn't he..
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Filed under ‘the world never ceases to amaze’…
Air NZ offers ‘Cuddle-Class’. Does the new service’s price include the flight hostess’s necessary dousing with cold water for honeymoon couples? ;) If traveling alone, do we get to choose a cuddle partner?:)
Meanwhile Game of Thrones author Geo Martin was vacationing for a few days at Ashford Castle, Co Mayo, Irl...His latest journal post...
>Leaving Ashford - Oct. 24th, 2010 at 10:25 AM
And just in time! We've had a marvelous time here, but now the castle is being converted to Hogwart's and rapidly filling up with screaming children in Harry Potter cotsumes. Aieeee. Run away, run away, run far away...
Mood: Scared<
Ashford Castle was owned for many yrs by the Guinness family. Hopefully our Mayo ancestors were not thrown out on their ears (off the land) in order for a beer dynasty to live in luxury;) History buffs would appreciate the irony. hehe
What's that famous line from Casablanca?..."If you need anything..(pause)..just whistle." [Correction: Thx to RAFrenzy we know that line was delivered by sultry-voiced Lauren Bacall in 'Key Largo'..
WooHoo! The line & delivery are far hotter than I'd realized...no wonder it's famous..
It's considered in the US to be a truism about actors that they enjoy nothing more than the chance to die on screen:)Richard must be soooooo happy at the prospect. All those who've read the book already know...
BBC America(link below) insinuates director Jackson must have chosen his Hobbit cast from their tv schedule, which of course included all 3 seasons of the latest update of Robin Hood. Did Sir Guy have a Thorin Oakenshield aura about him? ;)
Accompanying pix of choice for most articles seem to be of the former growling prince of leather..
BREAKING: While Peter Jackson and Warner Bros are figuring out where they'll shoot back-to-back installments of The Hobbit, Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh have begun to set his cast for the ambitious projects that will begin shooting in February for release in December 2012 and 2013. The castings were announced by New Line Cinema COO/president Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros COO/president Alan Horn, MGM co-CEO Steve Cooper, and Jackson. As Deadline told you last week, Martin Freeman is set to play Bilbo Baggins, the adventurous Hobbit whose adventures and discovery of the One Ring leads the story up to The Lord of the Rings. Freeman has appeared in films ranging from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Hot Fuzz to Love Actually.
Jackson has cast several other significant Dwarf characters. Richard Armitage (MI-5 and Captain America: The First Avenger) will play Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the Company of Dwarves which sets off to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from a thieving dragon. Aidan Turner (Being Human) and Rob Kazinsky (EastEnders) will play Kili and Fili, members of the Company of Dwarves. Graham McTavish (Secretariat) will play Dwalin, John Callen (Power Rangers Jungle Fury) will play Oin; Stephen Hunter (All Saints) will play Bombur, and Mark Hadlow (King Kong) plays Dori, while Peter Hambleton (The Strip) will play Gloin. That casting has just beginning, and there will be many more opportunities for the kind of career-changing roles that went in the original trilogy to the likes of Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Elijah Wood and Sean Astin. None of this is set, but I've heard that James Nesbitt and David Tennant are up for roles, and that Ian McKellan and Andy Serkis are expected to reprise Gandalf and Gollum, though I don't believe they have made deals. Stephen Fry, Saoirse Ronan and Bill Nighy (as the voice of the dragon Smaug) are possible participants, and Aiden Turner is in contention for the Elf King.
"Despite the various rumors and speculation surround this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us," Peter Jackson said. There are a few times in your career when you come across an actor who you know was born to play a role, but that was the case as soon as I met Martin. He is intelligent, funny, surprising and brave -- exactly like Bilbo and I feel incredibly proud to be able to announce that he is our Hobbit."
hahaha...at first glance, there's not enough makeup in Hollywood to make this transformation happen...meet Thorin Oakenshield...blue eyes are the only similarity:)
Starting to see a stronger resemblance in the next one..right around the nose area..along with that determined gaze..brilliant blue eyes,wig,beard..a few wrinkles*gasp* and he's Thorin Oakenshield..
[UPDATE: evidently there are upcoming scheduled talks between studio execs & NZ government, so it's possible the sheep might need to move elsewhere;]
Apparently The Hobbit will not be filmed in New Zealand due to union wrangling problems. Instead, Middle Earth will come to life in the former Harry Potter studios in Watford, Hertfordshire, UK...A rather sad photo of the abandoned hobbit holes in NZ...sheep have already moved in :) Article link below..
Stumbled upon passage from The Hobbit describing dwarves such as Thorin..
>The most that can be said for the dwarves is this: they intended to pay Bilbo really handsomely for his services; they had brought him to do a nasty job for them, and they did not mind the poor little fellow doing it if he would; but they would all have done their best to get him out of trouble, if he got into it...There it is: dwarves are not heroes, but calculating folk with a great idea of the value of money; some are tricky and treacherous and pretty bad lots; some are not, but are decent enough people like Thorin and Company, if you don't expect too much. (Chapter 12)<
Above is Thorin at the Lonely Mountain by Alan Lee
Someone has already imagined the transformation from hunk to hobbit dwarf. This time we might not hear the usual breathless "leather gloves" exclamations;)
Musa suggested perhaps dwarves in leather could heighten the hunk factor. Believe she's on the right track;)
Excerpt from Thorin's wikipedia page:
>In the upcoming two-part adaptation of The Hobbit (to be released December 2012 and December 2013), Thorin Oakenshield will be played by Richard Armitage.
[edit] Names and titles: Tolkien borrowed Thorin's name from the Old Norse poem Völuspá, part of the Poetic Edda. The name "Thorin" (Þorinn) appears in stanza 12, where it is used for a dwarf, and the name "Oakenshield" (Eikinskjaldi) in stanza 13.< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorin_Oakenshield
