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Del Toro Abre la posibilidad de hacer el Hobbit para el formato IMAX
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 Más que una noticia es una especulación fomentada por el mismo Guillermo ante las preguntas del reportero:
La noticia está en inglés, por lo que si alguien lo puede traducir al Castellano sería genial, pero más o menos viene a decir que Guillermo del Toro le encantaría hacer la/s película/sdel Hobbit para el formato Imax 3D, pero como son cuatro las personas que lo tienen que decidir, él lo propondrá más adelante, y tratará de convencer a los demás. Que se haga o no no está en su mano, pero el está claramente a favor.
El artículo en el siguiente enlace:
http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/10/20/the-hobbit-in-3d-and-imax-guillermo-del-toro-leaves-open-the-possibility/
Y un copy/paste del mismo:
Amidst all the rumors surrounding “The Hobbit,” the most prevalent seems to be that the two-part opus is already slated for the 3D and IMAX treatment. (Shhh! Don’t tell Roger Ebert.)
Could our next trip to Middle Earth, then, actually bring us, you know, into Middle Earth?
Maybe, maybe not, director Guillermo Del Toro told MTV News.
“IMAX is a fantastic medium. I am a shareholder. I love IMAX. I
remember seeing ‘Polar Express,’ and then seeing ‘Polar Express’ in 3D
and IMAX and having my life completely transformed,” he enthused,
excitedly discussing the format’s immersive capabilities. “I think it
would be a worthy discussion. But it hasn’t arrived.
“I think that we are experienced enough, I guess would be the term,
to know that we should not daydream about [things like that] when we
write the screenplay,” he said of whether or not he was even flirting
with 3D or IMAX as possibilities. “Right now what we have is, you don’t
have two filmmakers and two screenplay writers – you have four
screenplay writers. We’ll be talking about 3D, on IMAX – but [not]
right now.”
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Declaraciones de Del Toro: Inspiración, Smaug y Huargos.
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La web de Coming Soon ha recogido desde Manhattan unas declaraciones informales del director de ‘El Hobbit’, Guillermo Del Toro, donde desvela ciertos elementos de interés que os resumimos a continuación.
El mexicano está actualmente desdoblado en dos tareas, escribiendo el guión por las mañanas, y por las tardes buscando fuentes de inspiración para plasmar el mundo de Tolkien a su manera. Curiosamente, está enfrascado ahora mismo en revisar material de la I Guerra Mundial.
En cuanto a Smaug, Del Toro declara su fascinación por los dragones: “Es un símbolo muy poderoso, y en El Hobbit tiene influencia en toda la narrativa. Smaug representa la avaricia, el orgullo, es el Magnífico. (...) Es uno de los pocos dragones que tendrá escenas fantásticas de diálogo. Tiene algunas de las frases más bellas en esas secuencias. Su diseño, estoy seguro, será el último que aprobaremos, aunque es el primero que hemos abordado. Es muy importante atar todos los cabos antes de entresacar cómo será, porque su diseño nos dirá quién es.”
Y finalmente, para los Huargos, una excelente noticia (al menos para mí). En palabras del director: “Habrá enfoques distintos en esta película respecto a la trilogía. En primer lugar, porque el viaje se realiza por lugares y entre razas diferentes que en El Señor De Los Anillos. Mis sensaciones en cuanto a los Wargos es que la encarnación clásica de lobos demoníacos de la mitología nórdica no son criaturas estilo hienas. Se trata de lobos, por lo que creo que volveremos al arquetipo del lobo, lo cual es, creo, la inspiración de Tolkien.”
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Guillermo Del Toro sobre los efectos especiales.
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 Numerosas webs recogen, como IGN, unas palabras de Gullermo Del Toro, director y coguionista de las películas de ‘El Hobbit’, donde da algunas pistas sobre los efectos especiales que podremos disfrutar.
“Hay que tener cuidado de no depender de una sola técnica, y éste es otro tema donde comparto una pasión con Peter Jackson. Los dos somos grandes fans de la antigua usanza, con maquetas, modelos y pinturas, y con el Hobbit, tengo la intención de seguir en esta senda y de aportar también más animatrónica. Tenemos que mantener vivo este arte, porque aporta poder y textura a la película, lo que afecta al resultado final. Las criaturas son, de alguna manera, más tangibles que con efectos especiales generados por ordenador. Pienso que esta tecnología sirve para crear algunas criaturas por completo, mientras que la animatrónica sirve para otras, como también es posible mezclarlas. Gollum será realizado completamente por ordenador, funcionó perfectamente en ESDLA, y si no está roto, ¿para qué intentar arreglarlo?”
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Jackson, Del Toro, Boyens y Walsh, guionistas de ‘El Hobbit’.
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 Ya es oficial. Como publican decenas de medios estadounidenses, el director Guillermo Del Toro, el productor ejecutivo Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens y Fran Walsh han firmado el documento que les confirma como los guionistas de las dos películas basadas en ‘El Hobbit’. El anuncio se hizo el miércoles 20 de agosto, por parte del propio PJ y del presidente de New Line Cinema, Toby Emmerich. Recordamos que Jackson, Boyens y Walsh fueron los escritores de las tres películas de ‘El Señor de los Anillos’, y que la tercera entrega ganó el Oscar a Mejor Guión Adaptado.
Según Reuters, productor y director estuvieron un tiempo buscando guionistas independientes en el mercado, pero decidieron finalmente hacer el trabajo ellos mismos. La decisión la habrían tomado porque se han encontrado con tiempo para hacerlo, pero sobre todo, porque se han encariñado muchísimo con el proyecto durante sus primeras reuniones.
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Del Toro confirma que habrá segunda película
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O, al menos, ha confirmado que creen haber encontrado un tema suficientemente interesante para esa "segunda película", que hará de enlace entre El Hobbit y El Señor de los Anillos, y que se dedicarán durante lo que resta de año a darle forma. En una entrevista a IGN ha dicho lo siguiente:
Esta es la película que contiene más esfuerzo de unión con la trilogía [de El Señor de los Anillos]. Y esa es la película en la que más duro vamos a trabajar durante los próximos seis meses. Hay muchas más preguntas que respuestas en este momento. Pero en lo más profundo de mi corazón, creo que hemos encontrado la forma de hacerlo. No quiero arruinarlo revelándolo. No estoy siendo tímido ni farsante. Realmente creo que lo hemos encontrado, pero no tengo ni la libertad ni la oportunidad de pensar que debería poder hablarse de ello".
En fin, que parece que se les ha ocurrido la idea para la película, y ahora (que se supone que deberían escribir el guión) van a dedicar seis meses a escribirlo. En mi opinión (totalmente personal, huelga decirlo) seis meses es muy poco tiempo para escribir dos guiones de este calibre, y tres años es demasiado tiempo para rodar y producir las películas. Supongo que (más o menos como ocurrió con la trilogía de El Señor de los Anillos) a medida que progrese el rodaje se irán introduciendo modificaciones a los guiones. En el caso de El Señor de los Anillos, muchos cambios introducidos a mitad de rodaje fueron para bien (me viene a la mente ahora la aparición de Arwen en el Abismo de Helm). ¿Qué os parece a vosotros?
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Entrevista a Guillermo del Toro en MTV Blog
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 Acabo de traducir para mi blog la entrevista concedida por guillermo del toro en MTV Blog y quería compartirla con ustedes. Esta es la primera parte, en la semana, si es que les interesa, tendré lista la segunda parte. La transcribo a continuación:
Pregunta: En estos años he podido hablar con Viggo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin y Orlando Bloom, y todos ellos han dicho que les gustaría volver. ¿Quién debería de esperar la llamada?
Del Toro: ¿Eso dijeron? ¡Sos un gran fan de todos ellos! La cosa es que aquí y allá en el libro, hay lugares donde podríamos tenerlos eventualmente, en roles secundarios que no son tan importantes pero que sería increíble tenerlos como cameos. Pero es el segundo film el que guarda todas las posibilidades. Creo que el segundo film es se presentará como una oportunidad de entusiasmo y creación. Sinceramente veo hacia adelante, y espero probar tener un sólido concepto para ese film, pero esa promesa todavía está en mi mente. ¡No veo las horas de montarme a ese caballo! ¡y eso que odio los caballos!
Pregunta: ¿Cuándo podremos saber el título del segundo film?
Del Toro: Cuando lo sepamos nosotros. Estamos a punto de meternos con la historia y el guión, y comensaremos luego de juntarnos entre todos, mostrarnos nuestras notas, leer y charlar. Allí lo sabremos. Creo que el título será un tema delicado porque te dirá inmediatamente de que se tratará el film. No será "El Hobbit 2" porque eso suena a "electric Boogaloo".
Pregunta: Has expresado repetidamente tu deseo de incluir a Ian Holm, pero dada un montón de circunstancias, me parece que no podrá volver a toda ésta acción. ¿Lo utilizarás como narrador?, algo así como el narrándoles There and Back Again" a pequeños hobbits?
Del Toro: si Ian Holm está disponible, me encantaría usarlo... creo que mucha gente o entra en cuentas sobre el esfuerzo físico que implica filmar dos films a la ves.
Creo que hay muchas posibilidades de contar con Ian Holm. Seré lo más pesado posible para mantenerlo involucrado. La narración puede ser una herramienta, pero como dije antes, creo que Ian creó uno de los más adorables y memorables personajes. Le pertenece, y le debemos honor por eso. Si hay algun re-casting para la parte de su juventud, influenciará totalmente la desición. al final, lo mantendremos lo más involucrado tanto humana como físicamente posible.
Pregunta: ¿Cuál fue el mejor concejo que te dio Peter Jackson sobre todo éste proceso?
Del Toro: que pierda peso!!, me dijo "pierde peso, hombre, porque no vas a sobrevivir si estás tan gordo".
Pregunta: Tolkien fue un hombre de profunda fe. ¿Tienes pensado explorar algún tema relacionado a lo espiritual en El Hobbit?
Del Toro: Creo que El Hobbit tiene una narrativa que contiene personajes muy simbólicos con muchos rasgos humanos. Obviamente, orgullo y avaricia son fácilmente reconocibles en Smaug el dragón. Luego la humildad, algo asi como la moral que Bilbo tiene, creo que representan la idea que Tolkien tenía sobre el hombre ingles. Los enanos representan otras cualidades, los elfos otras, en cada historia fantástica que valga la pena, todos éstos personajes conforman una visión de un mundo que es espiritual, ético y moral. Creo que ésta moralidad, ésta espiritualidad en la historia, será una parte importante en toda la película.
Pregunta: Me pregunto si usted incorporará algunos de los diseños de Tolkien.
Del Toro: Creo que Tolkien tenía un magnífico sentido del diseño en sus pinturas. Fusionaba la iluminación medieval, art nouveau y art deco, es una fusión muy extraña. Obviamente hay una línea que hay que seguir, yendo al punto, intentaré usar algunas ideas que no fueron utilizadas para la trilogía. Será una influencia más, pero no será un dogma.
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Del Toro y los Enanos de El Hobbit
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 Añadimos a la información anterior una nueva entrevista con Guillermo Del Toro, esta vez localizada en MTV, donde lo más interesante es lo que el director mexicano tiene que decir sobre la aparición de Enanos en las películas:
Sobre Ron Perlman: "No diré nada ahora porque hasta que no tengamos el guión, sería un crimen hacer una preselección de los papeles. Tenemos que ver adonde nos lleva el texto y entonces diremos ‘Sí, esto es’. Si te comprometes antes y al final no lo haces, es un desastre. Espero que esté en las películas. Pero si no lo está, seguiremos siendo amigos. Sólo si hay sitio para ellos, los traeremos."
Sobre los Enanos: "Son un componente esencial en esta película. La avaricia y arrogancia de Smaug son una extensión del carácter de Thorin. Creo que el cambio que se produce en los Enanos y en Thorin cuando finalmente consiguen su objetivo es tan importante que no podemos permitirnos el lujo de tenerlos sólo como personajes secundarios. Hay tres papeles estrella en la película, Thorin, Gandalf y Bilbo, aunque la sombra de Smaug es alargada. En cualquier caso, los Enanos aparecerán de pies a cabeza. Los trece.
Thorin es mi enano favorito, siempre vuelvo al momento en el cual Thorin y Bilbo tienen ese momento tan maravilloso, emotivo y humano. Esa relaciín es para mí la más importante de la película. Todo lo demás sigue allí, pero creo que si se pretende tener una historia emotiva, esta es. La historia de crear una alianza y luego romperla por motivos éticos. Pienso que es muy poderosa."
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Nuevas y numerosas declaraciones de Guillermo del Toro.
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Esta última semana, el director mexicano ha estado presente en el festival de cine de Los Ángeles y en la entrega de premios Saturn Award (donde recibe un galardón por toda su carrera). Durante estos dos eventos, ha tenido ocasión de realizar numerosas declaraciones, que recogemos a continuación:
Las más completas se han publicado en Hollywood.com
Sobre las criaturas: “Hay que recordar que el terreno que recorre la trilogía es distinto. El libro transcurre en lugares distintos, con elementos diferentes. Como ejemplo, Ella-Laraña es una araña, pero las del Bosque Negro son completamente distintas. Así que tengo planes de llevar ideas mías a las películas, sin lugar a dudas.”
Acerca del reparto: “Hay mucho interés entre los actores por estar en el proyecto, y muchas especulaciones por parte de aficionados y profesionales. La realidad es que cualquier nombre que aparezca ahora es especulativo. Sólo eso. No ataremos ningún nombre hasta tener el guión. No es viable. Yo y los tres guionistas seleccionaremos a los actores que cuadren mejor con lo escrito. No habrá necesariamente una estrella en el papel de Bilbo. El precedente, Elijah Wood, fue elegido correctamente para su rol, e intentaremos hacer lo mismo.”
Sobre si El Hobbit será más infantil o no: “Nunca pienso en esos términos. Para mi, Blade II es una película familiar. Pienso que, obviamente, siendo fiel al libro, me gustaría que padres e hijos disfruten del film. Además, Tolkien, en el último tercio del libro, se movió en un tono sombrío que no tiene porque estar reñido con la palabra ‘familia’. Estoy intentando recrear en pantalla los sentimientos que tuve con 11 años cuando leí el libro en mi cama, mi excitación, lo maravilloso que me pareció. Eso es lo que trato de honorar.”
Acerca del estado de la producción: “Acabamos de empezar. Hemos tenido conversaciones preliminares. No se está escribiendo aún. Sólo tomamos notas, especialmente para plasmar la novela. Hay mucho trabajo ya hecho, pero la preproducción no empezará hasta finales de julio, entre Los Ángeles y Nueva Zelanda adonde viajaré cada dos semanas (...). Estoy acostumbrado a ello.”
En otro articulo de Hollywood.com, GDT aclara las ideas sobre la segunda película de El Hobbit: “Pienso que el libro debería de incluirse en la primera película, si es posible. Pero es solo una idea. La segunda debería rellenar el tramo de cincuenta años que hay entre el final de El Hobbit y el principio de La Comunidad Del Anillo, conectando ambos films”.
Sin embargo, TheOneRing.net también recoge otras declaraciones con otro matiz: “Creemos que habrá una segunda película. Si la ‘encontramos’, la rodaremos, pero si no, por dios, no lo haremos. Estoy ansioso por filmar el libro, y estoy dispuesto a dedicarme a la segunda entrega. En los libros que tenemos bajo licencia, hay unos apéndices e ideas que pueden ser extraídos sin riesgo alguno. Pero hay que tener cuidado de no pasarse. Creemos que hay una forma para crear este film, y hacerlo interesante, pero es demasiado pronto aún.”
Finalmente, unas últimas declaraciones en el mismo sentido de las anteriores, en Fearnet: “Visualmente, tengo muchísimas cosas en mente que serán increíblemente bonitas, y que no se parecerán a nada que se haya visto antes. En cuanto a narración, la idea es ser lo más fiel a la experiencia que tuve al leer el libro a los 11 años. No habrá un solo tono, empieza de forma ligera pero acaba más oscuro y melancólico, con sensación de pérdida de inocencia. Sobre la segunda película, todo son especulaciones. La idea por ahora es que formará un nexo de unión, expandiendo la mitología un poco, pero hay que hacerlo con mucho cuidado. Si intentamos hacer un segundo film, es porque creemos que existe esa posibilidad.”
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Aclaraciones de Del Toro sobre el reparto y Peter Jackson.
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Estos últimos días se han producido unas breves declaraciones del director mexicano en diversos medios, que tratan de aclarar algo los distintos rumores surgidos sobre las películas de El Hobbit.
En ITN aparece Del Toro en un vídeo contestando preguntas a una periodista. Entre bromas, comenta que él mismo tiene ahora más papeletas de interpretar a Bilbo que el rumoreado James McAvoy, y que está nervioso por tanta responsabilidad, feliz, aunque prudente. En cuanto a su relación con Peter Jackson, GDT comenta que siempre ha trabajado de una forma muy cercana con los productores de sus películas, aunque poniendo límites claros en las responsabilidades de cada cual. En sus palabras, “PJ sabe que respeto el mundo que ha creado, pero también que tengo que transformarlo para hacerlo mío propio”.
En otras declaraciones para EW, el director mexicano afirma que va a ser bastante transparente en el desarrollo de los films, ya que a su juicio se puede proteger el 20% de los secretos más importantes si se habla públicamente del 80% restante, y que los fans de El Hobbit se merecen saber cómo evoluciona el proyecto. Y como si quisiese dar realidad a esta idea, en IGN, Del Toro sentencia: “No hay nada en cuanto a James McAvoy, Jack Black o Daniel Radcliffe. De aquí a seis meses lo sabremos. Trataremos de dar noticias sobre el reparto estas navidades, como regalo.”
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Transcripción del chat con Peter Jackson y Guillermo del Toro
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 Estamos en el chat de Weta, que ya ha empezado, y vamos a intentar transcribir toda la conversación entre los fans y Peter Jackson/Guillermo del Toro. Podéis seguirlo refrescando esta página:
wetahost: Here`s the first question: 20 - Will you be doing less location shooting this time because your set builders, digital effects teams etc have become so proficient?
Peter_Jackson: We have them in a super exciting count down form and will start with Q20. We have chosen 1 questino but in the case of these 20 they represent many 100s of similar questins.
wetahost: 20 - Will you be doing less location shooting this time because your
set builders, digital effects teams etc have become so proficient?
Peter_Jackson: Middle-earth is location, with very few structures really. It`s a
natural countryside and that`s where a lot of shooting will take place.
Guillermo_del_Toro: Location will be favored and real set construction.
Guillermo_del_Toro: I love REAL set construction and think that sets are very important part of the storytelling and scope of a film...
bmeade: Are we starting?
Peter_Jackson: Hi bmead - we are underway, great for you to join us!
Guillermo_del_Toro: We are,. Welcome-
AnthonyPearson: What are your plans with the casting of Bilbo Baggins? Is Ian Holm still an option?
Guillermo_del_Toro: The fact that Ian Holm is SO memorable means that PJ, Fran and PB did their job right. We will utilize him in some fashion for sure but the difficulty of th erole will be better assesed after we do the script (s).
DavidPlaice: Will there be any locations outside New Zealand, e.g. the Welsh Marches for The Shire?
Peter_Jackson: Hi David - It is unlikely we will need any locations outside of NZ which has always been the perfect Middle Earth. there is nothing yet that tolkien has described that we haven`t managed to find in this amazing little country and I expect the Hobbit to be no different.
Guillermo_del_Toro: NOne being considered at the moment.
aust: Will Howard Shore be returning to do the score?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Yes- absolutely, Shore is teh VOICE of these films and we will absolutely be invited back. Peter and Fran have talked to him a couple of times already and Ive exchanged emails about the subject. He will return.
nolcai: Hello. Are you planning to use some location in italy?
Peter_Jackson: Hi nolcai it is unlikely we will shoot any of the Hobbit of Italy, but I would love come to Italy for a vacation, you should tell me the best places to visit.
Guillermo_del_Toro: Not really- But I love Italy...
Peter_Jackson: Lets go to Q19 now
wetahost: 19 - May i congratulate on your new appointment as director of The
Hobbit, Guillermo. My question is to Guillermo, what can we expect
from your vision and approach with this picture and I`m guessing there will be alot of dark elements to this film, but how far will you go in terms of horror and violence?
Guillermo_del_Toro: I hope that Mirkwood can be pretty scary but not graphic, I hope
Riddles in the dark has an element of fear and suspense and to be
deeply atmospheric but still allow the ingenious, engaging contest to
take place. And Smaug should be all shock and awe when he unleashes his
anger so, it will be pretty intense but not gorey.
icaroz: Will the Ring trilogy get a blu-ray release around the time of Hobbit? or sooner?
Peter_Jackson: Hi Icaroz - We are working on a blu ray version of the LOTR trilogy with Warner Bros at the moment, not sure when it is due for release. It certainly won`t be this year.
KenshinIV: What are the chances Ron Perlman will be voicing Smog?
Guillermo_del_Toro: At this time the voice of Smaug is down to a very few choices in my head and I have a completely specific one, Ron has a good chance but I have other plans for RP... we will see...
Galdor_Felagund: Will you use the Hobbit holes usd in LotR?
Peter_Jackson: Hi Galdor-Falagund - yes we hope with the permission of the land owner that we will rebuild Hobbiton bigger and even better than what it was for LOTR in exactly the same location
Peter_Jackson: Here is Q18
wetahost: 18 - Peter & Guillermo: What do you envision Gandalf`s role will be
in this film? He seems to go off on his own and disappear in several sections of the book. Do
you want to stay faithful to that or give him a more active role? How
do you think you`ll ingratiate his character into an effective,
cinematic storyline?
Guillermo_del_Toro: I believe that Gandalf is meant to be used in that way- coming and
going in and out of the narrative. If anything, this creates the
perfect setting for those “gaps” to be bridged by the second film…
mwilcox: Will you be filming the Hobbit in 3D?
Guillermo_del_Toro: At this stage it is too early to tell, but no plans are being made for that at the moment...
RSG1050: Mr. del Toro, have you started keeping a notebook of sketches on this film yet?
Guillermo_del_Toro: I have started already and shared some of the design a=ideas with Alan Lee and John Howe during a very excited lunch in London.
RobbieM: Will Ian McKellen return as Gandalf?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Absolutely!!
Peter_Jackson: Hi Robbie - absolutely
Peter_Jackson: Here comes Q17
wetahost: 17 - Dear Peter Jackson, I enjoyed your cameos in the LOTR movies,
Will you have a cameo in this Hobbit, and what character would you like
to play?
Peter_Jackson: I actually haven`t thought about it. My convention is to do cameos
in films I direct. I don`t know if that extends to films I produce. I
guess we`ll find out. I love Hobbits! I am a Hobbit, in very many
respects, as were my parents. Tolkien wrote about a type of people he
knew, in pre-war England, and somewhere along the line, he must have
bumped into my relatives!
Guillermo_del_Toro: Unllike Peter, I`m a Dwarf ( a coarse creature I am)- but I studiously avoid cameos…
Jessalyn: When do you expect filming to begin?
Peter_Jackson: Dear Jesslyn - at this point in time the plan is to write for the rest of this year and start early conceptual designs. 2009 will be dedicated to pre-production on both movies and 2010 will be the year we shoot both films back to back. Post productin follows one film at a time with The Hobbit being released Dec 2011, and F2 release Dec 2012. That is the schedule in about as much detail as we have ourselves at the moment.
Peter_Jackson: And Q16 ...
wetahost: 16- Peter: What was it about Guillermo that made you feel he was the
right guy to continue on the saga of Middle-earth? Are the two of
you on the same page for the vision, direction, and style that these movies will have? If the two of you disagree on a point, who wins out?
Peter_Jackson: I`ll talk more about this in a later question, but watching his films, he has
respect for fantasy. He understands it, he`s not frightened by it.
Guillermo also understands character, and how the power of any movie is
almost always linked to how closely we empathize with characters within
the story. His work shows great care and love for the main characters
he creates. He also has supreme confidence with design, and visual
effects. So many film makers are scared of visual effects - which is no
crime, but tough if you`re doing one of these movies!
If we disagree, the director has to win, because you should never force
a director to shoot something they don`t believe in. But we`re both
reasonably practical and ego-free, and I believe that if we disagree, we
both have the ability to
express our differing theorys - state our case, like lawyers - and
between us, work out what`s best for the movie.
Eriol: So what age rating are you aiming at?
Peter_Jackson: Hi Eriol - the rating will be the same as the Trilogy, PG13 on both movies
Guillermo_del_Toro: An intense PG-13...
Reguba: Will the Hobbit get an extended edition like LOTR?
Peter_Jackson: Dear Reguba - interesting Q. The truth (and this is the truth) is that you don`t plan for extended editions up front an extended edition is the result of left over scenes that have been deleted out of theatrical cut. In an ideal world the script is written lean and tight and therefore there are no scenes left on the cuttring room floor and therefore no extended edition. However when writing 3 epic LOTR films there was no way we could keep the writing process as lean, so the extended edition was a result of seeing our thought process during the writing and shooting play itself out on screen with scenes we no longer needed when we finally cut the films together. Whether there will be an extended edition of the Hobbit will depend entirely on the final theatrical cut and what we have left over.
Guillermo_del_Toro: That one is REALLY too early to answer... but being a DVD freak (now a B-Ray freak) I think that if you have enough alternative material you can make it accesible on DVD (or B-R) format... Is not a priori that one decides this.
Peter_Jackson: Now for Q15
wetahost: 15 - Will you be using the same production team ie. Special
effects, art directors, cinematographers, composer etc..
Guillermo_del_Toro: Many of them will be back. I will supplement the FX departments,
the design departments (with very interesting names), but the crew will utilize as many of the original elements as possible.
elffan9: Will we be seeing Legolas in Mirkwood?
Guillermo_del_Toro: We all think that this is a very interesting idea but the scripts are in process so- sorry,.. too early to tell.
Peter_Jackson: And now Q14
wetahost: 14 - In the Hobbit book, we have talking trolls and the Eagles and
Smaug talks as well, however in the LOTR Trilogy, trolls did no more
than grunt, Fellbeasts screamed, and the Eagles, who
were meant to talk, just stayed silent. How much will the portayle of
such animals change in the Hobbit?
Guillermo_del_Toro: I think it should be done exactly as in the book- the “talking beast”
motif has to exist already to allow for that great character that is
Smaug. It is far more jarring to have a linear movie and then – out of
the blue – a talking Dragon.
Yetzi: did you start casting for the 13 dwarves?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Nope- no catsing has started yet.
Guillermo_del_Toro: Casting- I mean... BUt some people have thrown their helmet in the ring.
Peter_Jackson: Hi Yetzi - no casting has commenced and won`t until the scripts are written. We have had chats with one or two ofthe LOTR actors however but the casting will be driven largely by the writing and it is impossible to cast 13 dwarves without knowing their personality and characters. We anticipate we won`t be in serious casting mode for these movies until well into next year.
Peter_Jackson: Now for Q13
wetahost: 13 - Hi. Do you intend to play this one by the Book (The Hobbit that
is) and make it a very light childrens tale on film, or do you plan to
stick with the much darker treatment- in keeping with
the LotR films - particularly the latter ones. My personal preference
would be for the latter - cannot see how eg. the Rivendell Elves could
regress from their nobility in LotR to those "...Tra-la-la-la...."
singing versions which wer in teh Hobbit Book. Thank you.
"Tra-la-la-la" singing
Guillermo_del_Toro: We’ll see about the “Tra-la-la-“ later- but the book, I believe, in
echoing the “loss of innocence” England experienced after WWI, is a
passage form innocence to a darker, more somber state- The visual /
thematic progression should reflect that in the camera style, color
palette, textural choices, etc.
Peter_Jackson: As I said earlier, I personally feel that The Hobbit can, and
should have a different tone. The "tone" of these stories shouldn`t be
defined by the pressure our characters were under in LOTR. The world is
a different place at the time of the Hobbit. The shadow is not so dark.
However, what should stay the same is the reality of Middle-earth, and
the integrity we bring to it as film makers.
Shane: Will the two movies be shot at the same time?
Guillermo_del_Toro: The idea is to shoot them "back to bacK" with a small break to breathe and to reconstruct certain sets and have time to reasses... But a schedule of a year is expecvted.
Peter_Jackson: Hi Shane - Yes the movies will be shot back to back and the shooting of the movie will be driven by which actors are working with us at a given time and what locations we are in. For instance, if we are shooting hObbiton scenes for Hobbit movies we would also shoot Hobbiton scenes for F2. So during our year of filming we will be shooting both movies at the same time out of sequence.
reel1: Hi, Guys. Was it intentional to release the first Hobbit film on the 10 year anniversary of FOTR?
Peter_Jackson: Dear Razor - No this is the first time I have actually thought about it ... that is nice I will claim credit for the idea from this day forward
Peter_Jackson: Q12 ....
wetahost: 12 - Peter: During production of the trilogy, there were days where
there were several filming crews working simultaneously, with
different people directing. Would you ever want to head up a crew and
direct the shooting of a scene for a day?
Peter_Jackson: Most directors prefer to direct everything themselves. I thought I
could on LOTR, but very quickly found out that the sheer scale
prevented it. Instead of a 15 month shoot, we would have shot for 3
years! Guillermo always shoots his own material, so we`ll do our best
to construct a schedule that allows him to do that. It will depend a
lot on how the scripts break down.
I`d happily shot some second unit stuff, anytime Guillermo asked me to. But
let`s see what happens.
Mr.Movie: Are you already go to New Zealand, Mr.Del Toro ?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Yes- Ive been actually been thyere already -secretly- shh- and will be there shortly after HELLBOY II opens and will be getting a LOT of frequent flyer miles in the next few months-
Peter_Jackson: Hi Greg - F2 is referring to Film 2
wetahost: 11 - Guillermo del Toro is an accomplished director. I just wondered
whether ok not, he will bring more prostetics, animatronics and
physical effects to the film, as he does with such films as Hellboy and Pan`s Labyrinth (which are great films by the way)? Or will Weta Digital still have their work cut out for them with VFX?
Peter_Jackson: Here comes Q11
Guillermo_del_Toro: I plan to mix CGI and PHYSICAL in such a way that your eye wonders which is which- keep you mind busy but NEVER allowing for the weaknesses of either tool to take over. Yes, I have, by trial and error, learned that both tools need to be mixed and how much they must
be mixed to succeed in creating environments and living creatures. WETA is the lead house, absolutely but we will expand the creature team and beef up the prosthetics team. Imagine a physical creature with a radio controlled muscle / facial system but with partial CGI
replacement on the head or mouth, etc and you’ll start to get the idea…
Guillermo_del_Toro: And now for the question...
Vampireta: So how was your first meeting with each other?
Peter_Jackson: Hi Vampierta - The first time I remember meeting Guillermo was at Bob Shay`s hosue during a LOTR party. Obviously at that time we had no concept of what the future held!!
Guillermo_del_Toro: We finished a tray of shrimps together and agreed that NEW LINE should keep hiring round, bearded directors with funny accents...
Peter_Jackson: Q10 ....
wetahost: 10- Hi there, thanks for giving this opportunity. my question: will
Alan Lee and John Howe be on board again? I really admire their work.
good luck for this project and have a lot of fun.
Guillermo_del_Toro: As aI said, I had a marvelous lunch with John and Alan in London a few days ago
and we all got very excited as we discussed my ideas on Smaug,
Mirkwood, etc They are most definetly back!
Peter_Jackson: Impossible to imagine it without them!
Trotter_the_Ranger: What will be the title for the second movie?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Too early- but not "H2 Electric Boogaloo" that has been discarded.
Peter_Jackson: Hi Trots - the second movie doesn`t have a title yet and probably won`t until we write the script. As you will see we have the incredibly boring name Film Two which I assure you will not last for very long. Just bear with us.
tigerlily: Hello Beren, as no bugger is going to answer our questons we may as well talk to eachj other! I guess we should have submitted questions earlier on as it seems they are being answered!!!
Peter_Jackson: Hi Tiger Lily - the buggers in Wgtn and London are wading through 6000 Q as best we can. Every Q answered represents a number of similar questions.
Guillermo_del_Toro: As they say in Family feud: "Survey Says:"
Peter_Jackson: Q 9 ...
wetahost: 9 - Peter, perhaps you could clarify what your role will be in the
production of these films: What exactly does an executive producer do?
Will you follow that model or "forge your own path?" How will
Guillermo`s role and your role be different? Do you plan on writing the
script again with Fran and Phillippa?
Peter_Jackson: Truth is "Executive Producers" do a range of things on movies from
a lot to virtually nothing! I see myself being one of a production
team. My interest is helping Guillermo make the very best films he can.
I love writing and I`m looking forward to that. Guillermo will be
writing, along with Fran, Philippa and myself. As a director, I could
never direct something I didn`t have a hand in writing, and we`re not
expecting Guillermo to do that either. If the director is part of the
writing, it means he was there when the discussions took place, story
decisions were made ... he knows why things are the way they are, and
what they need to achieve. Everything is in a script for a reason, and
only by being part of a writing team (or writing it yourself), do you
really understand the intention of every beat.
I see my role as being part of that writing team, which will create the
blueprint, and then helping Guillermo construct the movie. I want
Guillermo to make his movies, and I want to make sure we end up with a
5 movie series that`s as good as it can possibly be.
Merlkir: any ideas about the talking wargs? the wargs in hobbit are remarkably different from the "hyena" ones in the LOTR movies.
Guillermo_del_Toro: Absolutely: they will be different from the Hyena ones established in the Trilogy- they will be faithful to the creatures in the book and will be redesigned accordingly.
lordlinton: Loved the video diaries for King Kong, will you guys be doing something similar for the Hobbit?
Peter_Jackson: There is a lot of questions about production diaries for the internet - the truth is that Guillermo and I haven`t even discussed this topic yet, now do we have a real plan in place for the internet and DVD side of the film. You have to realise that although this was announced and is all round the world we are at the very beginning of the process just starting to think about the scripts. We are not trying to fob anyone off but we simply haven`t got that far in the process yet and it is a plan we will put into place during the course of 2009.
wetahost: 8 - I always thought creating Gollum would pose a great artisic
challenge to the artists whose job it would be to adapt the Lord of the
Rings. With the Hobbit I believe Smaug will pose one of the
great challenges. Now we have all seen dragons in movies. But for the
Hobbit I personally am excepting nothing less than unbelievable . Were
will you go for inspiration? What styles will the art dirction look
at? Personally I can see a lot being done with the setting from Pan`s
Labyrinth. Thank you and good luck to you all.
Guillermo_del_Toro: This is a big one-- Allow me to quote form my random responses at Onering.net…
I am a big Dragon fan. I`ve said it before- And I was fortunate
enough to be born a Dragon in the Chinese Horocope...
And although its always impossible to agree on the "greatest" of
anything, I bring forth these two as the main film contenders for that
title: Eyvind Earle / Disney`s Maleficent dragon ( a triumph of
elegance of color and design) and Vermitrax Pejorative from
Dragonslayer.
In my opinion, every other design has borrowed heavily from these two.
I plan to create something new and groundbreaking.
Smaug should not be "the Dragon in the Hobbit movie" as if it was just
"another" creature in a Bestiary. Smaug should be "The DRAGON" for all
movies past and present. The shadow he cast and the greed he comes to
embody- the "need to own" casts its long shadow and creates a thematic
/ dramatic continuity of sorts that articulates the story throughout-
In that respect, Smaug the CHARACTER is as important, if not more
important, than the design. The character will emerge form the writing-
and in that the Magnificent arrogance, intelligence, sophistication
and greed of Smaug shine through-
In fact, Thorin`s greed is a thematic extension of this and Bilbo`s
"Letting go" and his noble switching of sides when the dwarves prove to
be in the wrong is its conceptual counterpart (that is a hard one to
get through, Bilbo`s heroism is a quiet, moral one) and the thematic
thread reaches its climax in the Bilbo / Thorin death bed scene.
Anyway, back to Smaug: One of the main mistakes with talking dragons is
to shape the mouth like a snub Simian one in order to achieve a dubious
lip-synch. .. A point which eluded me particularly in Eragon, since
their link is a psychic one.
To me, Smaug is the perfect example of a great creature defined by its
look and design, yes, but also, very importantly, by his movement and
-One little hint- its environment - Think about it... the way he is
scaled, moves and is lit, limited or enhanced by his location, weather
conditions, light conditions, time of the year, etc. That`s all I can
say without spoilers but, if you keep this curious little summary
you`ll realize several years form now that those things I had in my
mind ever since doodling the character as a kid had solidified waaay
before starting the shoot of the film.
A big tool is also how and when he is fully revealed. I could give you
specifics- beat-by-beat in fact (I`m geeking out to do it), but...
I will say no more in order to save you from ruthless spoilerage (we
have a few years to go, you now...?) and increased anxiety.
Let me, however, say that this is actually one of the points I feel
most enthusiastic about.
As to his voice- well, each reader has a Smaug voice in his / her head,
just like you always do when "hearing" a great character in a book.
I have mine... and it will be revealed in time...
manuthevif: Guillermo, Will Peter be directing Hellboy 3 at some point?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Offers have been made but he remains elusive- we will be in talks soon.
swjedi18: Will be seeing The While Council in The Hobbit?
Peter_Jackson: Hi swjedi18 - To early to say before the scripts are written but it is definitely an idea we are discussing.
Guillermo_del_Toro: There`s a very good chance if the "gaps" are filled in some form in either narrative. Too early...
Peter_Jackson: Now for Q7
wetahost: 7 - how important is it to you to create overall consistency between
Peter`s LOTR films and Guillermo`s? in terms of the actors, look and
feel, scenery, score, fx -- is your aim to have
them stand on their own or sync up with the trilogy?
Guillermo_del_Toro: I believe that it’s a little bit of both- the world must feel like
the same world. The aspect ratio, music, essential established costume
and production design trademarks but I would love to bring a lot of new
flavours to the table. THE HOBBIT is, in essence, an overture to a
massive Symphonic work so main themes are reprised but new modulations
and new colors are introduced, thematically and texturally.
Peter_Jackson: I love Guillermo`s symphonic allusion. The "overture" can have a
different flavour, a different texture, yet be a carefully crafted
introduction to what`s to follow. Film Two is perfect to dramatise the
shift in Middle-earth that propells us into the dark days of LOTR. If LOTR is World War One, then the Hobbit is like an Edwardian
adventure tale, set in the days before world notices the looming storm
clouds.
Junaid: Is The Hobbit harder or easier than LOTR to adapt as a script?
Peter_Jackson: Hi Junaid - Both are equally difficult to be completely honest. The Hobbit has its own unique problems, different to those of LOTR.
Guillermo_del_Toro: Not easy- I tell you that-
eter_Jackson: Here comes Q6 ...
wetahost: 6 - Will Weta be releasing figures for this film like it did with
Kong and Narnia?
Guillermo_del_Toro: I would hope so!! I want them all!!
Galdor_Felagund: How does Christopher Tolkien feel about the two new films?
Peter_Jackson: Hi Galdor - Christopher Tolkien did not wish to be involved in the LOTR movies and I would assuem his feelings are the same with these two films. I totally respect him for that since he is looking after the legacy of his father`s books and does not wish to be involved in someone else`s interpretation of those stories.
Peter_Jackson: Here comes Q5
wetahost: 5 - Having recently reread the Hobbit with my children, it strikes me
that the Hobbit contains a fairly linear story that doesn`t necessarily
follow the "three act" formula typical of movies. What do you see as
the biggest challenge adapting the story to the big screen?
Guillermo_del_Toro: There are so many- I am all for trying to preserve every idiosyncrasy
the novel has- the very things that seem “unfilmable” and that – in my
mind- will make it thrilling as a film. The novel is much, much more
inventive and dislocated in its narrative (Bilbo being hit by a rock
during the Battle) than you may think at first. I think that you can
treat a classic like a museum piece –stuffed and mounted- or you can
make it a living, breathing narrative that is unfolding right then and
there.
Peter_Jackson: Structure is important in film, but as Guillermo says, there`s
often structure to be found in the most unlikely of places! It`s quite
possible to build a structured story and retain idiosyncrasy. It`s
going to be part of the joy of writing this.
Lukas-Eldarion: Will you do another chat later on in the process?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Gladly- gladly- Im in!!
Peter_Jackson: Hi Lukas - we would love to this has been a lot of fun. Let us just get the last of the official questions out because we are working down to the most popular ones in the final few
Peter_Jackson: Now for Q4
wetahost: 4 - Will Gollum play a role in the second film? If not, any plans
to find a different role for Andy Serkis? Because, and I think most
will agree with me, everything is better with more Serkis.
Guillermo_del_Toro: Yes! As all of you know, Gollum has a rather fascinating arch to go through
and his alliance to Shelob or his period of imprisonment in
Thranduil`s, etc but it is early still- so early in fact that to reveal
more would tie our hands and be counterproductive.
Guillermo_del_Toro: There can never be "too much Andy"
Peter_Jackson: Now for Q 3
wetahost: 3 - Hello from New Orleans! What production challenges do you feel
will be different for The Hobbit and the sequel compared to the experience of making The LOTR?
Peter_Jackson: Yikes! Every film is a challenge. I always say that making a movie
is like film school - you`re always learning. But unlike most schools,
you never get done with it. You never learn everything. Over time, you
get to anticipate problems a little better - but new ones hit you. You
get to figure out solutions, but there are always extreme problems you
could never guess.
One of the things I`m going to enjoy in this experience, is that I`ll
be better placed to help anticipate the problems and fix them. When
you`re directing, you`re right at the coal face, always exhausted,
often emotional - and I`ll enjoy being a couple of steps back from that
and simply helping where I can. Having done it 3 times as director,
there`s a lot I know that can help smooth the way for Guillermo.
Peter_Jackson: And we will now do 2
wetahost: 2 - Hello Mr. Jackson and Mr. Del Toro! Thank you very much for this
time. My question is one that I think you will hear alot of from many
of us...from what material will you pulling the second movie from? I
know it`ll be great with you two on board, but I am mighty curious. I
am a huge fan of both of you and I look foward to more Tolkien films!
Guillermo_del_Toro: The idea is to find a compelling way to join THE HOBBIT and FELLOWSHIP
and enhance the 5 films both visually an in their Cosmology. There’s
omissions and material enough in the available, licensed material to
attempt this. The agreement is, however, that the second film must be
relevant and emotionally strong enough to be brought to life but that
we must try and contain the HOBBIT in a single film.
Peter_Jackson: I`m really looking forward to developing Film Two. It gives us a
freedom that we haven`t really had on our Tolkien journey. Some of you
may well say that`s a good thing of course! The Hobbit is interesting
in how Tolkien created a feeling of dangerous events unfolding, which
preoccupy Gandalf. There`s an awful lot of incident that happens during
that 60 year gap. At this stage, we`re not imagining a film that
literally covers 60 years, like a bio-pic or documentary. We would
figure out what happens during that 60 years, and choose one short
section of time to drop in and dramatise for the screen. I`m really
interested in how it effects The Hobbit - do we show what happens to
Gandalg during his trips away? We`ll see. We may well have seeds for
Film Two that we`ll subtly sow during The Hobbit.
Peter_Jackson: Lets do a few more random questions before the final grand question.
wetahost: Hi Guys my question comes in two parts. Firstly will we notice a
significant shift in visual style from LOTR
to the Hobbit due to Guillermo`s unique asthetic? And if so will there
be a complete re-imagining in the design of places seen in both books
(ie Bag End and Rivendell) due to this differing style?
Guillermo_del_Toro: GDT The basic designs, the preestablished designs will be only “updated” insofar as the epoch difference. Half a century more or less which in Middle Earth terms is not that much but- think about how much our world has changed from – say 2001 to now… The new settings and designs should blend in enough not to feel like a completely different world but yes, the movies are bound to have some distinctive stylistic imprint.
wetahost: Gentlemen, a two part question. 1st, shooting on film or HD? 2nd,
scope or flat?
Guillermo_del_Toro: I normally use 1:85 but I thoroughly plan to respect Peter’s choice of format used in the Trilogy (2:35:1) but it is my intention, for now, to shoot this on film, not HD.
wetahost: How will the new Gollum differ from the
Gollum of the LOTR trilogy, if at all?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Once again, only in the passage of time (he’s half a century “younger”) but it will be Andy and the established design will be our Template
wetahost: Will the Mirkwood Elves be different from
the Rivendell Elves of the LOTR trilogy?
Guillermo_del_Toro: That is definetly my intention but I cannot reveal anymore at the moment.
wetahost: Considering that you`re stretching The Hobbit into 2 movies can we assume that Beorn will be featured and
will not be given the Tom Bombadil treatment?
Guillermo_del_Toro: I may be in the minority, but I absolutely LOVE Beorn and I intend to feature him in the films. BTW I also like TB quite a bit…
wetahost: I would love to know how you are going to
deal with goblins in the movie. Will they look like the smaller orcs
in the
LOTR movies or are you going to make a completely new design?Also
will everything look like it did in the LOTR movies or will you be
redesigning it to fit your vision?
Guillermo_del_Toro: This is an area in which I hope we can expand and enhance a LOT from the established designs in the Trilogy. I plan to come up with a very strong, new treatment for the Goblins. I also think the Wargs should be readdressed for their role in The HOBBIT.
wetahost: One thing I love about watching movies
from different film makers is seeing their own visions put on
screen. But since these HOBBIT movies are
being made to tie in with the LOTR series, does this mean Mr. Del
Toro`s wonderfully imaginitive vision will be limited to follow the
rules set up by Mr. Jackson?
Guillermo_del_Toro: It is my privilege to roam through roads previously traced but I definetly intend to take you to new and exciting places that the Trilogy did not explore. Nevertheless it is our intention that, once done, the 5 films will play like a symphonic work that seamlessly transports you through this world.
wetahost: Hi there,i`m Beren from Romania and i`d
like to ask Mr. GDT if he plans to use(as PJ did) extensive matte
paintings
and "big-atures" to portray the vast panoramas and cities of
Middle-earth or the more simpler CG effects?Thanks and cheers.
Guillermo_del_Toro: Peter and I both love “old school” techniques. I adore physical miniatures and try to use them as much as I can and have a bit of a fetish about that. Matte Paintings and “Big-atures” will definetly be in these.
wetahost: Question for Guillermo, assuming they are all returning to write the screenplay, will you be writing alongside Peter, Philippa and Fran also?
Guillermo_del_Toro: I intend to. Their input in the literary creation of the screenplay is a must. I depend on them and expect to spend many delightful months wandering through Middle Earth.
Peter_Jackson: Writing a screen play with a group of collaborators is like the Lennon McCartney collaboration .... sometimes one or two people do more than others on certain parts of the process and vice versa, it all comes out in the wash and we share equal credit in what everyone has done, with 4 of us we will be able to divide the work up in interesting ways and everyone will be able to help craft these films.
wetahost: I`d comment on the awesomeness of director
choice, but I`m sure that gets old. Concerning The Hobbit and the numerous Dwarves, I was wondering if all of them are going to find their way into the film. In Lord of the Rings, you had 9 in the Fellowship, but you had three movies to flesh them out. In the Hobbit, you have 13 Dwarves and one film to throw them all in. I`m definitely hoping to see all 13 make their way in, but what are you doing about this?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Tolkien wrote 13 dwarves and I intend to use 13 dwarves. I am, in fact, thrilled to keep them all and have them be distinguishable and affecting as characters. Much of the drama and emotion in the last third of the book and film will come from them.
wetahost: Guiilermo, I have always thought of you as a visionary director, and I love your work- could you please tell me what was the deciding factor that made you agree to direct The Hobbit?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Of all of Tolkien literary work I was only familiar with THE HOBBIT. I purchased it at age 11 and it struck a chord with me but, back then, I failed to connect with the Trilogy and the Silmarillion (Which now I find delectable) eluded me. I found them –unlike the HOBBIT- to be “too dense” for my young mind. I dreamt of Mirkwood and Smaug for ages (in fact, a Smaug-like dragon was scripted as part of the “fairy tale” Ophelia narrates to her brother in PANS LABYRINTH and was sculpted but was cut for budget reasons) but when I saw Peter undertake the Trilogy I thought thet the HOBBIT would never come to be for me. The proposition of spending half a decade crafting these films received- as Peter will atest- a 5 second “YES” from me. To people in my industry I’m usually a guy that tries to generate his own projects and I remain very elusive when people try and attach me to big projects. For decades I have passed on films of enormous scope but this is a fantastic privilege and I immediately said “Yes”.
wetahost: My question is, when Del Toro has acknowledged his disdain for
Hobbits and "sword and sandals" fantasy, how can he do justice to the
movie? Why can`t Peter direct it himself after The Lovely Bones? He can
direct these 2 movies and then direct the 3rd Tintin movie.
Peter_Jackson: Writing a screen play with a group of collaborators is like the Lennon McCartney collaboration .... sometimes one or two people do more than others on certain parts of the process and vice versa, it all comes out in the wash and we share equal credit in what everyone has done, with 4 of us we will be able to divide the work up in interesting ways and everyone will be able to help craft these films.
wetahost: I`d comment on the awesomeness of director
choice, but I`m sure that gets old. Concerning The Hobbit and the numerous Dwarves, I was wondering if all of them are going to find their way into the film. In Lord of the Rings, you had 9 in the Fellowship, but you had three movies to flesh them out. In the Hobbit, you have 13 Dwarves and one film to throw them all in. I`m definitely hoping to see all 13 make their way in, but what are you doing about this?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Tolkien wrote 13 dwarves and I intend to use 13 dwarves. I am, in fact, thrilled to keep them all and have them be distinguishable and affecting as characters. Much of the drama and emotion in the last third of the book and film will come from them.
wetahost: Guiilermo, I have always thought of you as a visionary director, and I love your work- could you please tell me what was the deciding factor that made you agree to direct The Hobbit?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Of all of Tolkien literary work I was only familiar with THE HOBBIT. I purchased it at age 11 and it struck a chord with me but, back then, I failed to connect with the Trilogy and the Silmarillion (Which now I find delectable) eluded me. I found them –unlike the HOBBIT- to be “too dense” for my young mind. I dreamt of Mirkwood and Smaug for ages (in fact, a Smaug-like dragon was scripted as part of the “fairy tale” Ophelia narrates to her brother in PANS LABYRINTH and was sculpted but was cut for budget reasons) but when I saw Peter undertake the Trilogy I thought thet the HOBBIT would never come to be for me. The proposition of spending half a decade crafting these films received- as Peter will atest- a 5 second “YES” from me. To people in my industry I’m usually a guy that tries to generate his own projects and I remain very elusive when people try and attach me to big projects. For decades I have passed on films of enormous scope but this is a fantastic privilege and I immediately said “Yes”.
wetahost: My question is, when Del Toro has acknowledged his disdain for
Hobbits and "sword and sandals" fantasy, how can he do justice to the
movie? Why can`t Peter direct it himself after The Lovely Bones? He can
direct these 2 movies and then direct the 3rd Tintin movie.
Guillermo_del_Toro: Okay- If by “Sword and Sandal” you mean “Sword and Sorcery” I stand by the general lines of my statement in 2006. But allow me to reproduce the following paragraph from ONERING.net and expand it-
Since the age of 4 I became an avid reader and collector of books; manuscripts, pamphlets, first editions, small press or worn-down paperbacks... they all find a home at my library which has grown so cumbersome and obtrusive that I had to move to a separate home from the family one...
For many decades my main area of interest has been horror fiction: Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, MR James, LeFanu, etc and classic Fairy tales and literature about the engines of Myth: unabridged Grimm, Andersen, Wilde, Bettelheim, Tatar, etc
Now and then I indulge in Science Fiction (not hardware oriented but more humanistic things) and thus I count Bradbury, Ellison, Sturgeon and Matheson amongst my favorites.
My area of interest gets much narrower when we deal with another genre... the genre that is shelved under Fantasy.
As a youngster I read Moorcock, Clark Ashton Smith, Lord Dunsany, Lloyd Alexander, Fritz Leiber, Marcel Schwob, RE Howard and a few others.
Nevertheless I was never propelled into an aleatory addiction to sub-genres like Sword & Sorcery or indiscriminate fantasies about magical this or that- Like any other genre or subgenre there`s a great abundance that makes it hard to discern when a new "trilogy" or "chronicle" comes from as genuine a place as Tolkien`s or derives from genuine fervor -religious or otherwise- like C.S. Lewis` did.
But here I am now: reading like a madman to catch up with a whole new land, a continent of sorts- a Cosmology created by brilliant philologist turned Shaman.
As if he grasped an existing universe outside our Platonic cave, Tolkien channels an entire world, weaving expertly from myth and lore. The oustanding virtue is that all this scholarly erudition doesn`t reduce his tales to mere Taxidermy. He achieves an Alchemy all of his own: he writes new life in the freshly sculpted clay of his creatures.
I have, through the years become familiar with the very roots of Tolkien`s myths and the roots of Fafhrd or Elric or Hyperborea and many a time I have relished the intricate ways in which demonic wolves, shape-shifter and spindly-limbed pale warriors can be woven into those many tales that become, at the end, the single tale, the single saga- that of what is immortal in us all.
In creating Pan`s Labyrinth I drank deep of the most rigid form of Fairy Lore and tried to contextualize the main recurrent motifs in an instinctive rhyme between the world of fantasy and the delusions of War and Politics (the grown man`s way of playing make-believe) and in re-reading THE HOBBIT just recently I was quite moved by discovering, through Bilbo`s eyes the illusory nature of possession, the sins of hoarding and the banality of war- whether in the Western Front or at a Valley in Middle Earth. Lonely is the mountain indeed.
When that statement was made- at different times during PANS LABYRINTH’s promotion, many a time I made the distinctive call to say that althought I had not read Tolkien outside THE HOBBIT I had been fascinated by the Trilogy films. A statement that I already had the chance to make in 2005 when PJ, Fran and I met about HALO.
So, no, generally I am NOT a “Sword and Sorcery” guy or a “Fantasy” guy- By the same token, I`m not a sci-fi guy but I would make a film based on Ellison in a second- or on Sturgeon or Bradbury or Matheson. I`m not into Barbarians with swords but i would kill to tackle Fafhrd and Grey Mouse... and so on and so forth... I`m a believer but not a Dogmatic.
Allow me to put a final, finer point to our discussion. The aesthetics of HELLBOY II are completely Pop and color-saturated, much more comic book / modern than I would ever use in THE HOBBIT but- I spend two years creating a world of Fairies, Elves, Trolls, etc
Two Years. A career / creative decision that precedes any inkling of THE HOBBIT. I wrote the script years before I met with PJ or Fran. In other words I dedicated the last 6 years of my career (between PL and HBII) to create Fantastical world inhabited by Fairies, Fauns, Ogres, Trolls, Elves, etc
In that respect- I guess I am a Fantasy guy when the particular world appeals to me. Back in the Jurassic Period (1992 / 1993) when CRONOS won the Critic’s Week at Cannes I was referred to as an “art house guy”- I followed that with a giant cockroach movie that proved successful enough to spawn two sequels and allow me to co-finance THE DEVILS BACKBONE which send me back to being an “art house guy”. Then I did BLADE II and people thought of me as an “Action guy”- PJ went through a similar mercurial career with HEAVENLY CREATURES, BAD TASTE, DEAD ALIVE, etc I squirm away from a tag and I hope I can avoid being just a “Fantasy guy” after PL, HBII and H…
I do the tales I love (regardless of what shelf Barnes & Noble classifies the book under) and I love the HOBBIT.
I love it enough to give it half a decade of my life and move half a world away to do it.
Peter_Jackson: Having directed the LOTR Trilogy, I really felt that I put my heart and
soul into dramatising this world and story, only a few years ago. The idea
of going back in and essentially competing against my own movies, seemed to
be an unsatsifying way to spend the next 5 years. However, I love Tolkien
and care deeply about the movies we made. I couldn`t bear the idea of
somebody else making them without our involvement. Being a writer and
producer is the perfect way for me to work here. Guillermo has the ultimate
responsibility of directing, and for him it`s easier to make these movies
feel different, simply because he`s not me, and he therefore has an original
vision, with new ideas to offer.
Believe me, I thought long and hard about this, and what we`re doing here
will result in better movies, I promise you. And that`s all that counts!
Peter_Jackson: OK we are almost done here folks and we have our last Q which was the most popular Q from the 1000s of people who sent Qs in advance.
wetahost: 1 - Which of the actors from LOTR will be back to reprise their roles
in The Hobbit and its companion film?
Guillermo_del_Toro: Obviously, at this stage, the second film is still being figured out-
so the actors that have been approached may or not have appeared in the
HOBBIT as a literary work but still may appear in the second film as it
“blends” into the Trilogy and expands. Therefore what can be said is:
Unequivocally, every single actor that originated a role in the Trilogy
will be asked to participate and reprise it. If Health, availability
or willigness become obstacles – and only in that case recasting would
be considered.
Peter_Jackson: Like Guillermo says, apart from extreme circumstances, we would
never recast a character who appeared in the LOTR trilogy. You can read
The Hobbit and pretty much see which characters play a part. The
unknown facter is Film Two, which we are still developing. If we wished
to write one of the LOTR characters into the narrative of Film Two, we
would only do that with that actors blessing, and willingess to take
part. Otherwise we`d take the writing in another direction.
Guillermo_del_Toro: Time is up-
But I can proudly say that only a FEW asked "How can I be an extra?" so my heart swell withy pride with the many questions that you were kind enough to submit- More chats and wandering in the message boards await us- See you soon...
Peter_Jackson: So that is it for us for this morning or this evening, or middle of the night wherever you are. We are sorry that is all we could get through but we did try to have each of the Qs represent similar things that many of you have asked. So hopefully it gives you a little bit of info. As I said the truth is there are a lot of unanswered Qs for us as well at this stage of the process. We will know a lot more once the scripts are written which is the next job that we will be doing and it will take most of the rest of this year I imagine. Hope this has been helpful and thank you for all the incredible support now and in years gone by. Best wishes, Peter J.
Guillermo_del_Toro: May the hair on your toes, etc-
Peter_Jackson: The transcript of this chat will be available here on the Weta site in a few hours time. Everyone here at Weta is looking foward to continuing this relationship with you throughout the hobbit experience and there are a lot of fun surprises to come over the next 4 years.
Guillermo_del_Toro: Viva WETA and the many "toys" they make! And may Cthulhu give me more shelves to put them on...
Bueno, eso es todo. De todos modos, copiaremos la transcripción "oficial" que se publicará en la página de Weta dentro de unas horas. Bien, ¿qué os ha parecido? ¿Alguien se anima a traducirlo para aquellos que no sepan inglés?
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Del Toro y Peter Jackson celebrarán un Chat con los fans.
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Como anuncian numerosos medios on-line, el productor de las películas que se basarán en ‘El Hobbit’, Peter Jackson, y el director, Guillermo Del Toro, tienen planteado realizar una sesión de chat con los internautas el sábado 24 de mayo de 2008.
El evento, que han denominado como ‘Una fiesta inesperada’, se podrá seguir a las 22h00 hora local de Madrid (21h00 GMT), y durará 60 minutos. Para registrarse, es necesario acudir a la web de Weta. Las normas son las siguientes: Los usuarios registrados podrán enviar una sola pregunta de antemano. PJ y Del Toro seleccionarán las 20 preguntas más frecuentes, que contestarán ambos durante la sesión. Adicionalmente, también participarán de manera informal en el chat, respondiendo a los comentarios y dudas en ese mismo momento.
La convocatoria completa puede leerse en Wired, donde destacamos cómo PJ cede ‘el bastón de mando’ al director mexicano, insistiendo en que Del Toro tendrá mucho que decir en la elaboración de las películas.
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