Smaug2One of the best items from Comic-Con 2014 is coming up for Pre-Order next week.

Smaug the Terrible was so impressive and one of the most detailed statues I’ve ever seen. There has been so much packed into this statue to help recreate the amazing work by Weta Digital in bringing one of Tolkien’s coolest characters to life.

I know for myself, it has been one of the amazing pieces I’ve been eagerly awaiting to become available for order so I could get ready to add it to my collection. So the time has finally come to mark our calendars for next Tuesday, November 11th at 1pm PST. That is when our friends at Weta Workshop will put this superb collectible up for order. Make sure you get your order in so you can be one of the lucky 2000 collectors who will have a chance to have this in your collections.

DesolationOfSmaugEECover One of the little extras on The Desolation of Smaug Extended Edition is a clip of Benedict Cumberbatch’s original audition tape for The Hobbit.

In the clip, Cumberbatch reveals that two audition versions were shot — one showing his face, and one directed at the floor. He was especially keen to get some movement into his audition. Continue reading “Hear and see Benedict Cumberbatch’s audition for Smaug the dragon!”

the-hobbit-GOLD-METALLIC-SMAUG-POP-VINYL-FIGURECalling all fans of Funko’s Pop figurines, the adorable Golden Smaug POP! Vinyl Figure is available for pre-order now.

From popvinyl.net:

Golden Smaug Incoming

Looks like Funko have got plans to release yet another addition to the new Hobbit POP Vinyl series. This time round Funko is shifting their focus on the Smaug POP Vinyl figurine, giving the dragon a golden metallic finish which is depicted from a scene in the new addition to the The Hobbit movie series, The Battle of Five Armies.

 Pre-order your one here 🙂

Benedict CumberbatchThe internet was broken today when Mike Fleming announced on Deadline that Marvel had named Benedict Cumberbatch their top choice to play Doctor Strange in a feature slated for 2016, and that they were beginning negotiations. This is still an unconfirmed rumor, and the Strange casting rumors have been brewing for quite some time. Joaquin Phoenix was a confirmed choice up until the beginning of this month, but then they were back to the drawing board.

Over the past months, everyone from Hugh Laurie to Tom Hardy, Keanu Reeves, Johnny Depp, and Daniel Radcliffe have been mentioned in connection with the project. Keen Ringers have tapped Cumberbatch for the role since at least July. It looks like this might be an accurate prophesy. Marvel has been cagey, neither confirming nor denying the report, with Executive Editorial Director Ryan Penagos tweeting about #seeeekrits all afternoon.

We may not have long to wait for confirmation of this particular rumor. Marvel is holding a special press event in Los Angeles tomorrow (which you can follow on their live blog) to make some undisclosed #seeeekrit announcements. TheOneRing.net will be on hand at the event to get the scoop!

Dr_Strange_by_Steve_DitkoSo far Middle-earth fans have embraced Benedict Cumberbatch as a villain supreme “The Hobbit” films, in his roles as both Smaug and the Necromancer (aka Sauron). He’s twisted our minds as a cunning genius in the wildly popular BBC “Sherlock” series, and he rolled villainy and genius into one as Khan in “Star Trek Return of the Lens Flare Into Darkness”. Now it looks like he may have the chance to conquer comics as he has science fiction and fantasy.

The “Sorceror Supreme” of the Marvel universe, Doctor Strange is described as “brilliant, but arrogant,” which certainly seems to be a trend in all the characters mentioned above! And who better than the Necromancer to serve as what Marvel President Kevin Feige describes as the “doorway into Marvel’s supernatural side”?

Tell us in the comments what you think about Benedict Cumberbatch taking on the role of the mightiest magician in the cosmos. Who would win in a fight? The Necromancer or Doctor Strange?

benedict_smaug New behind-the-scenes footage from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug reveals more about how Benedict Cumberbatch created the voice and personality of the dragon.

Dressed for motion-capture, Cumberbatch lies on a raised, carpeted platform and snarls at an unseen Biblo.

In the video, director Peter Jackson explains: “We wanted someone who would do something original, unexpected — something that was a surprise to us.”

Featurette – Conversations with Smaug for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on TrailerAddict.

BolgLast weekend at New York Comic-Con fans got a look at three new items among the many that Weta Workshop brought with them. Two of the new items are from The Hobbit Trilogy, while the third is from The Lord of the Rings.

Joining his father Azog we can now look forward to adding Bolg to our collections. This massive statue comes in at 15″ tall with a base width of 11.22″ and has an arrival date during the first quarter of next year.

One prop I have been looking forward to being made after seeing The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, was the Black Arrow that we see Bard bring out of storage. This has become a reality with Weta having this on show at New York Comic-Con. Due out in the fourth quarter of this year this awesome looking prop comes in at an impressive 82.6″ long. Also due out during the fourth quarter of this year is Saruman the White’s staff. This joins the staffs of Gandalf the Grey and Radagast the Brown.

Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s New York Comic-Con Reveals”