My Precious

[filkertom]

As everybody and their left aunt has reported, Peter Jackson is once more involved in the filming of The Hobbit. No decision yet as to who will direct, but obviously I'm holding out for PJ his own bad self.

Now then. Sir Ian Holm as Bilbo; Sir Ian McKellan as Gandalf; Andy Serkis as Gollum; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; most likely John Rhys-Davies as Gloin (as in Gimli Son Of). Who else would you cast? We've got a bunch of dwarves, three trolls, Beorn, the Elven King, Bard, the Master of Laketown, and probably Dain. Most specifically, who for Thorin and the voice of Smaug?

Comments

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

I'd cast Keith David as Smaug, myself... Or maybe Powers Boothe.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

Why not try out for Smaug yourself, bucko? You're trying to break into voice acting, go start out at the top.

::listens for a head-sploding sound from the north and east::

[skemono.livejournal.com]

I second the Keith David nomination.

We already know the man can bellow.

[jmthane.livejournal.com]

While I would love to see Sir Ian reprise Bilbo, you must remember that this is a much younger Bilbo, and I don't think Sir Ian is *that* well preserved...

[ginevra007.livejournal.com]

This is my feeling, too. Though I would love for him to do it, I think it would be a bit difficult....though, they did say Bilbo hadn't aged. However,we humans and even human actors, do age. So, sadly, I do not think he will get it.

I hope that the following is true,Sir Ian McKellan as Gandalf; Andy Serkis as Gollum; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; most likely John Rhys-Davies as Gloin (as in Gimli Son Of).

What I would like to see is a cameo by Orlando Bloom as Legolas, he was after all a prince of Mirkwood.

I do not watch the WWF or any 'professional wrestling", but I think you might find some good candidates for the trolls from there ranks. Only because they are already large bulked out men. (not trying to say wrestlers are trolls)

Way back when I first read LOTR and the Hobbit, my friends cast David Bowie as Elrond...perhaps he could play the Elven King.

[crwilley.livejournal.com]

In all honesty, I don't know if I'd go with Sir Ian Holm for Bilbo. He's six years older, and needs to look even younger than he did in the early scenes of Fellowship. I know there was a certain amount of CGI involved in all the LotR characters, but that might be pushing it.

So that leaves the poor casting director with instructions to "Find someone who looks like Ian Holm did 30-40 years ago". I will give that person a mental hug right now.

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

I've heard Guillermo Del Toro as director...

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

Who says all the Dwarfs are male? That near-Terry Pratchett moment inserted on the Road to Rohan, about Dwarf women having beards...

Kili is clearly a girl's name, and Bombur was pretty darned nelly if you ask me.

[jeffr23.livejournal.com]

So what the heck is this 'and a sequel' nonsense?

[eleri.livejournal.com]

something PJ mentioned way back when, IIRC, that he'd rather do Hobbit in two parts, than try to squish it all into 2 hours.

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

Smaug - Brian Blessed?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Very possibly. He also could do Beorn. Or, for that matter, Thorin.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

James Earl Jones for Smaug. With reverb.

Others ... must ponder.

(edited to correct typos. Gods, I love the new comment editing feature.)

[jrtom.livejournal.com]

James Earl Jones doesn't _need_ reverb. :)

And I have to admit that as much as I like my own suggestions (see below) for Smaug, Jones would do a better bellow.

[silentpheonix.livejournal.com]

Is it bad of me to want Peter Cullen (http://imdb.com/name/nm0191520/) to do Smaug? I think he'd do an excellent Smaug.

[bayushisan.livejournal.com]

I second Peter Cullen for Smaug :D

[rook543.livejournal.com]

For Smaug - Don LaFontaine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_LaFontaine

Before I am deluged with WTF messages, I am joking!

[eleri.livejournal.com]

In A World Where I Stole Gold From Dwarves, And Ate Them All For Breakfast...

[jrtom.livejournal.com]

I have two suggestions for Smaug, neither of which need be taken particularly seriously: Sean Connery (heh) and Alan Rickman (which actually has potential). I realize that Hugo Weaving as Elrond is sort of a gimme, but I'd actually rather have him do Smaug's voice than play Elrond.

I'm also rather fond of the notion of casting Johnny Depp as the (Wood-)Elven King. Might be distracting, though.

Master of Laketown: Wallace Shawn would be fun.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Connery already did the Draconic voice thing in Dragonheart. Rickman would, of course, be fantastic. Weaving would also be really good. Both would do an intense, quietly menacing Smaug.

Wallace Shawn: perfection.

[mrpsyklops.livejournal.com]

Tim Curry for Smaug. Ok, I'm still a fanboy.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

No, he'd be on my short list. :)

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

It's gonna be damn hard to beat Richard Boone for Smaug...

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Bwaha. I may have to put that DVD on tonight....

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Christopher Lee would make a great Smaug voice (and someone else stole my James Earl Jones suggestion).

Or perhaps Samuel L. Jackson: "There's motherf*cking dwarves in my motherf*cking mountain!"

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

And Bob Hoskins for the younger-looking Ian Holm. They wouldn't even have to use forced perspective.

[eruvanna.livejournal.com]

For Beorn? Oliver Platt

[eleri.livejournal.com]

ooh, yah.

[tandw.livejournal.com]

Someone else already suggested Brian Blessed for Beorn, but Robbie Coltrane would do a creditable job (except for the inevitable comparisons).

[hsifyppah.livejournal.com]

I think Adam Baldwin and Hugh Jackman should wrestle for who gets to play Beorn. I'm offering my living room as a no-charge venue for this competition. There could be oil involved.

[dragonscholar.livejournal.com]

Alan Rickman as Smaug.

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

Patrick Stewart for Smaug...considering he had to be told to dial down the projection when he started playing Picard.

Besides, read the lines, Smaug has to have a Very English Accent!

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

Maybe I just need to actually finish the books, but I'm confused; I thought Elrond was the king of the elves? If not, whothefugg is this Elven King bozo?

[jrtom.livejournal.com]

Elrond is not exactly a king, but arguably he functions as one at least to the elves in the general vicinity of Rivendell, and has considerable authority in Elvish society in general.

The "Elven King" mentioned here refers to the king (never named in _The Hobbit_, but revealed in LoTR as Thranduil, Legolas' father) of the elves of Mirkwood.

[arakasi1.livejournal.com]

I can't express how much I'm looking forward to this (with, of course, the obligatory fanboy's prayer: "Oh, dear gawd, please let it not suck"); especially considering that I'm giving my son his first copy of The Hobbit for Christmas this year. Admittedly, I'll have to read it to him for the first couple of times, seeing as he turns 17 months old on Christmas Eve, but I figure that we'll sort something out

[yaspis.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know I'm dreadfully, dreadfully late to the party, but Smaug's voice? Tom Waits. Can't go wrong there.