While the third Hobbit film was being finalised between Peter Jackson and Warner Bros, in the background a company called MarkMonitor quietly registered a handful of web domains based on the words The Riddles in the Dark and Desolation of Smaug.

It seems likely this is coincidence — Middle-earth Enterprises could easily be registering them for other intellectual property protection or merchandising purposes. However, we know that two brand-new movie titles are required: could these be them? Continue reading “MarkMonitor registers key Hobbit domains. But why?”

The Hobbit News for iPad App from TheOneRing.net is finally here! A feast of rich imagery and content, many have already found it in the Apple App store and downloaded it.  As well as the good stuff already found in the iPhone App, the iPad version spreads it out for easier and more colourful reading with a brand new interface. Among the highlights are reading through all of the major stories from TheOneRing.net, a complete listing of cast and characters, video features, a diverse variety of Tolkien content, and even the ability to chat in Barlimans! We did have to charge a very small fee for this one, so we hope you consider spending the 99¢ to get it from the App store today. And of course, if you like it, why not drop us a review on the store! [iPad Version] [Free iPhone App]
Continue reading “TheOneRing.net’s Hobbit iPad App is Available!”

Over at Elendilion.pl, the folks of Gwaith-i-Phethdain, (which means The Fellowship of the Word-smiths) have been doing some linguistic research based on the latest close-up pictures of Dwalin’s axes and Thorin Oakenshield’s Orcrist.

They report the runic (Angerthas Moria) inscriptions on Dwalin’s axes are Neo-Khuzdûl words that probably mean Grasper and Keeper. Apparently it’s a pun reference to the Bronte sisters’ pet dogs? The runes on Orcrist (scribed using Angerthas Daeron) translate as Tooth of Snake Orcrist.

Highlight the above to reveal some minor linguistic spoilers, then read on for some much bigger spy news! Continue reading “Spy news: Dwalin’s runes, Orcrist, Thranduil and wargs!”

Earlier this week, Entertainment Weekly posted 10 new images from The Hobbit just in time for Comic-con — featuring Thorin, Gandalf, Mirkwood, Gollum and much more. We were pretty sure the gallery would reveal some nifty new details of what we can expect from the movie.

Then they dropped a couple more with their magazine — a cool image of Balin and Dwalin, and a close-up of Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield.

So TORn’s staffers have put their heads together to analyse the images. Read on to see what we found, and what we think! Of course, this post carries a SPOILER warning. Continue reading “TORn staff analyse all 12 Entertainment Weekly photos!”

Scottish actor John Bell is the youngest castmember from The Hobbit. Yet this year he’s been in two blockbuster movies, Wrath of the Titans and Battleship. And The Hobbit is still to come.

John recently answered a few questions about his work on these films in a Q&A with Middle-earth News. For Tolkien fans keen to find out more on his role in The Hobbit, he describes Bain, son of Bard as: (highlight below to reveal spoilers)

“a young boy ready to do battle when needs be and to protect his father.” He later adds that: “I won’t shy away from a fight sequence, and I’m happy to slip into a harness whenever it’s needed so I can hang off a cliff or swing across a perilous ravine.”

It’s unclear whether the second quote could refer to his work in other films. Could we really see Bain rescuing Bard from deadly danger? Anyone who knows more, please drop us an e-mail!.

[Full Q&A]

Of all the photos that have come out of the EW preview of their magazine edition that was just released, the one of the dwarves in barrels is almost certainly the most intriguing.

That’s because the previous barrel photos we’ve seen from the production diaries have shown the dwarves paddling downriver toward Laketown rather than packed away tightly inside their barrels as Tolkien described.

Highlight the above to reveal the spoiler, then read on for more spoiler analysis of what the new EW photo could mean for this key sequence of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Continue reading “EW photo sheds new light on Barrels Out of Bond!”