Barrels out of Bond Earlier today a brand-new clip from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug premiered during a Google+ hangout with Peter Jackson, Evangeline Lilly and Richard Armitage.

It featured a glimpse of a very memorable moment from the book, as Bilbo helps the dwarves escape from the Mirkwood Elves. The clip has now popped up on YouTube in high definition, and we’ve posted it for you here. Enjoy! Continue reading “New clip from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – “Into the Barrels!””

Luke Evans as Bard The Bowman and John Bell as his son Bain.
(Luke Evans as Bard The Bowman and John Bell as his son Bain.)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Ever wonder what you gave Luke Evans for his birthday?  Few realized it, but the staff and readers of TheOneRing.net gave him a present back in April of 2011.

Evans celebrated his 32nd year with a party at Gas Works, a bar and grill just walking distance from Stone Street Studios, the movie lot where Peter Jackson makes movies, including the forthcoming “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”

In the mess tent of that set, on the white refrigerator that holds cream and milk and sundry items, near the always playing iPod, there hung a solicitation for all eyes to see: An open invitation from Luke Evans to celebrate his birthday on a Saturday night.  (Regrettably I didn’t take a photo of the fridge.) The invitation was right there in perhaps the most trafficked spot on the lot, available for all, specified for none.

Are on-set reporters invited to cast and crew events?  Advised by somebody from costume that it was absolutely okay (Jasmine I think, a real favorite), I decided to go only if could find a suitable gift from all of us, readers and staff of TORn.  What would you buy an actor on behalf of the largest online Tolkien community?  What does a guy making a living acting in New Zealand and away from home really want or need anyway? Continue reading “Luke Evans talks Bard the Bowman and Bard the family man in ‘Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug’”

Hobbit Sky Movies PhotoWe have a slew of new pictures from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug for your viewing pleasure today, courtesy of Empire Online, Digital Spy, Mirror.co.uk, & Sky Movies. Thanks to Sander Postema for sending in the links!

These latest images give us a look at Bilbo, Gandalf, the dwarves, Bard and the Master of Laketown Continue reading “New Desolation of Smaug photos from Empire Online and more!”

Event Cinemas - The Hobbit_ The Desolation Of Smaug A flood of trailers, interviews and TV spots have raised all sorts of questions over exactly how events will pan out across The Desolation of Smaug. Here, Captain Salt takes a long hard look at the implications for character development among our beardy friends who are so keen to reclaim their heritage, and the lost treasures of Erebor.

Needless to say, lots of speculation and lots of potential movie spoilers. If you’re avoiding these, look away now! Continue reading “There, and then what? The Dwarves’ development in The Desolation of Smaug”

You’ve seen the dwarven cast members of The Hobbit without make-up. And you’ve seen them all kitted out as well. But have you seen each side-by-side: actor versus character, before versus after?

I hadn’t, not all at once, which was why I thought I’d share these images that I stumbled on, out there in the wild reaches of the internet (okay, Imgur, to be precise). Looking at them as a group, it struck me quite forcefully how they crew had chosen to work with the facial structure of each actor, rather than create something entirely new. Jed Brophy and Mark Hadlow are probably the most striking examples. Anyway, enjoy! Continue reading “The Hobbit’s dwarves: before make-up, and after”

desolation of smaug poster I can’t recall if this has been previously revealed, but this official synopsis — more complete than the short version currently on The Hobbit website — actually has some really interesting implications if you have a read through and examine who’s listed and (more importantly), who’s not.

As folks observed after the debut of the second Desolation of Smaug trailer, Guillermo del Toro is back in the credits for his work on the screenplay. There’s a co-producer nod for the late Eileen Moran as well. Highlight the space below to read the key omissions, and some fairly hefty spoiler analysis of what those omissions could mean for the movie.

 


The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” the second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Continue reading “Warner Bros. full synopsis for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug provides some plot hints?”