There’s a bunch of varied news from the Shire today, including, appropriately, a new image of the Shire.
First up is some minor casting clarification. While Ian McKellen has listed The Hobbit on his own website as a 201? project (that question mark is verbatim, not my typo) and therefore seemingly confirms his participation, Ron Perlman will not be in the film. The actor told ComingSoon that he’s not doing the movie. When Guillermo del Toro was directing there was talk of Mr. Perlman landing in the cast, but don’t expect that to happen at this point.
After the break, the latest trouble for the production: accusations of racism in the casting process. Read More »
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…aaand we’re back with another maybe-accurate report on plans for The Hobbit, courtesy of Sir Ian McKellen. This latest ‘news’ comes via statements the actor made to The Bolton News, to which he said he is definitely returning as Gandalf, and that “the aim is to start filming in January.” Last time we heard anything from the actor he sounded quite frustrated about the delays experienced by the film, and suggested that he might not be able to wait around much longer.
So what changed? For one, Spyglass Entertainment has made moves to take over MGM and restructure the studio, the short-term goal being to recapitalize and get two film projects rolling. Specifically, The Hobbit and a new James Bond film. More on Bond, after the break. Read More »
You knew news like this had to be coming. It is not difficult to believe that there is something like an ocean of good will between Peter Jackson and Sir Ian McKellen, especially when it comes to all things Middle Earth. Sir McKellen has been at the forefront of the casting and scheduling rumors for The Hobbit, and after his standard-setting work as the wizard Gandalf, there’s little question that he is a core element of the cast for the Lord of the Rings lead-in story in the film.
But no matter how much he’s game to reprise his wizarding ways for producer and possible director Peter Jackson, Sir McKellen has other projects to pursue. Now, finally, he sounds as if he’s nearing the endpoint of patience. Read More »
Last year we heard that Tom Tykwer was working to adapt David Mitchell‘s massive post-modern novel Cloud Atlas for producers the Wachowskis. At the same time we heard that Natalie Portman had been linked to the adaptation, but there was no official confirmation and things have been pretty solid on the Cloud Atlas front since then. (In part because Tykwer was directing another film, Drei, which wrapped at the end of November.)
Now we’re hearing that the Natalie Portman link is legit, and that offers have gone out to quite an impressive roster of additional actors. Read More »
The Peter Jackson-produced, Guillermo del Toro-directed two-film adaptation of The Hobbit will begin shooting in June.
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Last night saw a special marathon screening of the extended editions of all three Lord of the Rings films at London’s BFI IMAX cinema, which is where where I caught the Avatar Day footage as it happens. I wasn’t present for the Rings overnighter, but some friendly snoops were and they’ve tipped me off as to something very exciting that started the proceedings off with a bang.
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AMC has been on a roll recently. They may be new to the original content game, but after only two TV shows (Mad Men and Breaking Bad), they’ve already proven themselves to be worthy competitors of HBO and Showtime. Their next endeavor, a remake of the classic 1960s TV show The Prisoner, looks only to further this trend. But what else would you expect from a series that features such immensely talented actors as Ian Mckellen and Jim Caviezel?
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Earlier this week, AMC dropped a teaser for the channel’s upcoming remake of the classic Patrick McGoohan ITV series The Prisoner. I’ve been curious about how this would look, not to mention why exactly it’s being made, and the teaser at least gives an indication of the aesthetic. The six episode mini-series, which premieres in November, stars Jim Caviezel in Patrick McGoohan’s role as Number Six, and Ian McKellen as Number Two. See the teaser after the jump. Read More »
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