It seems that master filmmaker Peter Jackson is taking considerable license with the Tolkein mythos for his upcoming Hobbit prequel movies. Whilst it was expected that the new films would feature a mostly different cast to the Lord of the Rings, Jackson’s script has worked out ways to bring back favorites from the trilogy.
It’s is a stroke of genius by the filmmaker to cash in on the fondness of his original films and unite the sagas. Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett are all expected to reprise their roles to join Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins for the much anticipated return to Middle Earth.
In early December it was announced that Orlando Bloom would be returning as Elven archer Legolas, which had many fans scratching their heads as his character did not appear in the book. However Legolas was several thousand years old when the Rings story took place, therefore he could easily feature leading the ‘Battle of Five Armies ‘ for example.
Now news has been circulating that Elijah Wood will also be returning to the Tolkein universe but since Frodo would’ve only been an infant at best during the times of ‘The Hobbit’, he’ll be featuring in a slightly different capacity.
Peter Jackson is said to have consulted with Elijah during the scripting stage to include his character in what will be the opening / closing sequences of the films. The key to Frodo’s appearance is reportedly connected with the ‘Red Book of Westmarch’ which is featured in the Lord of The Rings and is written in by Bilbo and Frodo and handed off to Sam Gamgee. This strategic storytelling would see Frodo reading from this book and allow the audience to experience Bilbo’s story and learn the tale of ‘The Hobbit’. At this point these are just leaked story concepts and Jackson will surely have a more intricate narrative design in store for fans.
Warner Bros recently announced it’s international distribution plans for both ‘The Hobbit’ films including the television rights as well as fronting the bill for the production costs, reportedly set to exceed $500 million.
The films are currently in pre-production with shooting expected to commence in February with completion targeted for early next year.
The Hobbit Part 1 will be released in 3D on December 2012 and Part 2 December 2013.
via: One Ring.net Deadline
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