The New Zealand Herald has written this nice piece on ‘The Hobbit’ actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Mikael Persbrandt:
They might be leading men in their respective countries but it’s not their famous faces which have got them heading to New Zealand to join the cast of The Hobbit.
English actor Benedict Cumberbatch – best known as the latest television incarnation of Sherlock Holmes – will be motion captured as dragon Smaug as well as delivering the voice of Necromancer (later known as Sauron in The Lord of the Rings trilogy). The other, Swedish star Mikael Persbrandt, is already in the South Island playing Beorn, a shapeshifting mountain man who is sometimes a bear. While The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a career launchpad for many actors, both Cumberbatch and Persbrandt come to The Hobbit with established profiles.Read More…
Benedict Cumberbatch will not only provide the voice of the dragon Smaug The Magnificent, he will perform the role using the motion capture technology pioneered by Andy Serkis and Weta Digital, according to the actor himself.
The design of the most iconic villain in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and indeed probably the greatest literary great worm of the 20th Century, remains a secret and a key ingredient of Peter Jackson’s two part movie adaptation due in December 2012 and December 2013. The actor, the title character acting opposite Martin Freeman in the BBC’s Sherlock, revealed to Collider during a press junket that he hasn’t done his Hobbit stint yet and that he will not only provide the voice for the creature but perform him as well. You can see the video or read the interview right here.
On this weeks episode we take a look a fabulous set report from embedded reporter. War in the North is out! Plus a new vignette starring LOTR vets. Hobbit set shifts to Piopio, pictures of a mysterious new set structure. Benedict Cumberbatch and Luke Evans details.
Variety recently interviewed Benedict Cumberbatch about the iconic roles he’s lately been playing on both TV and cinema, and there’s a small bit where the man talks about his preparation for the role of Smaug.
The relevant excerpt follows:
“I’ll be donning … well, probably not Andy Serkis’ sweaty wet suit … I’m sure they dry clean it.
Playing a reptile is something I don’t believe has been done before. I’ve already started working out, crawling around on my belly whenever I can without alarming people too much.”
Thanks to message board member Oleander Took for the alert!
nice piece on ‘The Hobbit’ actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Mikael Persbrandt:
