Evangeline Lilly joins The Hobbit cast

Last week, Peter Jackson announced two new cast members for The Hobbit. Barry Humphries will play the Goblin King, who will be a CGI character, and Lost star Evangeline Lilly will play a woodland elf created for the movie named "Tauriel," which Jackson says means "daughter of Mirkwood." (theonering.net)

No. "Tauriel" does not mean "daughter of Mirkwood." It means "daughter of the forest". "Taur" is a generic term for forest, and "-iel" is a generic female name ending, usually translated as "maiden of" or "daughter of". This name is so generic that it's actually the name I made up when I was 17 to use to sign my Quenya poems. (This was before I chose the name "Eleni", which is equally generic but has the advantage of looking like a real-person name.)

Hobbit purists can debate the wisdom of adding yet another character who wasn't in the original book. I will reserve judgment until I see the film; Peter Jackson has earned my trust. And I don't really mind made up characters getting generic names easily constructed from a few minutes with an English-to-Elvish glossary (for example, the one in this book). But at least be honest and translate the name correctly. Claiming "Tauriel" means something more specific than it does comes off as pretentious. "Mirkwood", by the way, would be "Taur e-Ndaedelos". Hmm, "Tauriel e-Ndaedelos"... I guess that's a bit of a mouthful.


P.S. The second thing that went through my mind upon hearing this news, after my disdain over the name "Tauriel", was "Lord of the Rings--Dominic Monaghan--Lost--Evangeline Lilly--The Hobbit--squeeee!"

Galadriel in The Hobbit, and more Game of Thrones

Cate Blanchett has signed on to reprise her Lord of the Rings role as Galadriel in the two planned Hobbit movies (EW, Variety). This is somewhat of a surprise since, unlike Gollum and Gandalf, Galadriel does not appear in The Hobbit book. We are left to suppose that because The Hobbit has virtually no female characters, Galadriel is being pulled in to offer a little bit of variety. We'll have to wait to see what part Galadriel will play in the story.

Next, I just watched this awesome video on HBO's adaptation of George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones. If you're a fan of the series, you have to take a look. If you're unfamiliar with the series, you have to take a look.

Inside Game of Thrones

Before this I'd seen only photos from the set, so this has me unbelievably excited. We at least get glimpses of the Stark children (and widdle wolf puppies!), as well as a good look at Ned Stark (looks...like...Boromir), Robert Baratheon, Cersei (her blondness didn't bother me as much as it had in the photo), Tyrion, Jaime Lannister (so handsome), Jon Snow, and Daenerys. I'm still a little unsure about how old Emilia Clarke, the actress playing Daenerys, looks (though she does look good), but still I think I was most intrigued by the footage of her part of the story. It's all going to be awesome.

The TV series will premiere on HBO in April 2011. It looks like they're doing an amazing job. I can't wait.

The Hobbit will shoot in New Zealand

Sighs of relief everywhere:
After days of negotiations between New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Warner Bros. executives, it has finally been decided that the two Hobbit movies will be filmed in New Zealand (Variety). After a dispute and boycott (which has now been lifted) from an Australia-based New Zealand actors union, the studio says it lost confidence in the work climate of the country and considered moving it elsewhere. But now it's finally all settled, and Middle Earth will remain in New Zealand where all three Lord of the Rings movies were shot.

Peter Jackson is set to direct the movies, Martin Freeman has been cast as Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage (the very attractive Sir Guy of Gisborne from BBC's Robin Hood) will play Thorin Oakenshield.

New Zealand was such a perfect and beautiful location for the Lord of the Rings movies, it would have been a real shame to take the Hobbit movies somewhere else. I'm very much looking forward to seeing Hobbiton again. I can't wait.

Hobbit is finally greenlit!!! and Lee Pace is a vampire

At long last, New Line and MGM have given The Hobbit the green light to start shooting this February (Variety). MGM's financial troubles had been holding up the project, along with the Bond franchise. Peter Jackson is confirmed as the director of the two Hobbit films, since Guillermo Del Toro stepped down from the role last summer due to the delays. What has yet to be set in stone is the location of the filming. Since all the filming for the three Lord of the Rings films was done in New Zealand, it seemed only natural that the Hobbit films would also be shot in New Zealand. However, a dispute with a New Zealand/Australia actors' union resulted in half a dozen actors' unions (including SAG) boycotting the film (or at least advising members not to participate), so the studios began exploring other options for locations, particularly in Europe. The unions all just lifted the boycott, but it is unclear whether that will ensure that the films will be shot in New Zealand, or if the damage has been done and the studios are moving elsewhere (Variety, Studio Briefing). The other thing that has yet to be announced is who will play Bilbo Baggins, though Martin Freeman is a popular rumor.

***Edit 10/21/10: I wrote this post last night, but today it was finally confirmed that Martin Freeman will indeed play Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit (EW). I am so excited--he will be awesome!***

I am not a particular fan of the Twilight saga; I have read none of the books, though I have seen the first two movies in the franchise. But I am a fan of Lee Pace, the unbelievably adorable and appealing star of the sadly short-lived Pushing Daisies, as well as an incredibly handsome supporting cast member of the even shorter-lived Wonderfalls. So news that Pace has been cast in Breaking Dawn has suddenly renewed my interest in the series. He will be playing Garrett, a longtime friend of Carlisle Cullen. A good vampire, but not a softy "vegetarian" like the Cullens. A bunch of other new cast members were announced as well (I guess the book has a lot of new vamps?), including Andrea Gabriel, Toni Trucks, Omar Metwally, and Noel Fisher (E Online). All gorgeous, of course, but none quite so much as Lee Pace.

The Hobbit, Wonder Woman, and geeky parodies

A few quick things to share today.

For those of you with an interest in the two planned Hobbit movies, there may be hope. After being delayed due to MGM's debt and failure to find a buyer, they lost director Guillermo Del Toro, though it looks like Peter Jackson will step in for him. Recently, the seven major actor unions boycotted the film due to the studio's failure to sign a deal with local actors. On the studio's side, they say that the union instigating the boycott is Australia-based, and its young New Zealand branch represents only 10% of New Zealand actors, and the trouble they're raising is just a ploy to allow them to extend their influence, blah blah blah (Variety). Anyway, things have been pretty rocky lately. However, sources close to the project have hinted that studios MGM and New Line may be close to greenlighting the project, though it's still not a certainty (Variety). Sets, wardrobe, animatics, and battle sequences have all been prepared. Here's hoping for some concrete good news soon.

David E. Kelley, best known for legal dramas including Ally McBeal, The Practice, and Boston Legal, is turning his eye towards superheroes. He is planning to work with Warner Bros. TV to create a new live action Wonder Woman TV series (Variety, MTV). We don't have any idea who will play her, what her outfit will look like, whether she'll have the invisible airplane, etc., but we do know that it will be a modern take on the superhero. While fans continue to wait for a Wonder Woman movie, maybe we'll at least have a TV show to hold us over.

Lastly, most of you have probably already seen the excellent Team Unicorn "Geek and Gamer Girls" parody of Katy Perry's "California Gurls". It's hilarious, clever, and sexy, and has a couple great cameos. For those of you who haven't seen it, check it out below, and for those of you who have seen it, well, it's always worth another watch:


Geek and Gamer Girls Song - Watch more Funny Videos

Anyway, I know I'm slow about these things, but I only recently discovered this other geek-themed parody, this one for the guys: "California Dorks" by JasonMundayMusic. The geekery is a little more towards the tech side, it has some California-specific details (as the name suggests), and it's less sexy than dorky, but I found it utterly endearing. This guy is awesome. "You can search Google Ma-aps..." Not as polished as the Geek and Gamer Girls (lower production values and all), but at least it's in tune (I've listened to a bunch of parodies out there that are a little bit painful). Enjoy!

Superhero casting and more Hobbit trouble

Things are a little busy with my parents visiting, but I have time to share a few news items, some of which are getting a little old. Most of these are about superhero movie casting, actually.

First, Tommy Lee Jones has joined the cast of Captain America: The First Avenger (Variety). He will be playing U.S. Army Colonel Chester Philips. He joins Chris Evans as Captain America, Hugo Weaving as Red Skull, Stanley Tucci as Dr. Abraham Erskine, as well as Hayley Atwell and Sebastian Stan.

This news is old by now, but Andrew Garfield has been cast as the new Spider-Man (IMDb). He is a relative unknown, though he had roles in Lions for Lambs, The Other Boleyn Girl, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and will soon be seen in The Social Network. Hopefully he'll do well in the role, and the revival of the not long gone franchise will be good.

I'm not freaking out yet, but it looks like The Hobbit might lose Ian McKellen (Studio Briefing). He's an actor with other things to do, particularly some stage shows, and he can't wait around forever for the stalled movie to get moving. The delays in production (tied to MGM's troubles) have already forced planned director Guillermo del Toro to step down. I really hope we don't lose more people.

Lastly, this is a bit of new news. Apparently, Ed Norton will not be joining the cast of The Avengers as the Hulk (Hitflix). The studio said that the decision was not based on money, but it sounded like they weren't satisfied with Norton's willingness to act as a team player. I like Edward Norton, but I can imagine that it can be difficult with so many big names on a team in one movie, especially if many of them had their own starring movies first. We'll have to wait and see who will be replacing him to join the Avengers along with Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Hobbit update, Dragon Age anime, and Scott Pilgrim

It has come to my attention that BioWare will be teaming with FUNimation to make an anime Dragon Age movie (EA.com). Production has supposedly recently started, and the movie is planned to be released on home video some time in 2011. Dragon Age may be a bit overshadowed by its BioWare sibling Mass Effect which, if all goes according to plan, will be getting the big screen treatment. Still, it is a strong young franchise itself, and the game is being kept fresh by considerable new downloadable content continually being made available (I may get around to playing some of it...after I've dealt with Mass Effect 2's latest DLC). Home video is a reasonable venue for a movie continuation of the world of Dragon Age, and anime should be a cool medium for the storytelling. I'll be keeping an eye out to see what comes of this.

Despite the fact that director Guillermo del Toro stepped down last month due to delays, production on The Hobbit goes on (Studio Briefing). Apparently, cave-like homes are being constructed near Matamata, New Zealand for use in the movie, though it's not apparent who is funding the construction. And now, the word is that Peter Jackson is in talks to take over the direction of the two planned films (EW). Nothing is set yet, and MGM, which owns half the rights to the film, continues to have financial troubles. Still, it is good news that The Hobbit is at least getting itself a new director. I was excited at the idea of del Toro bringing something new and different to the franchise, but Peter Jackson has more than proven himself capable of handling Middle-earth.

This last bit isn't so much news, but it's something on my mind I wanted to share. Today's daily poll at IMDb asks which of the many comedies being released before the end of the year we most want to see. At the top of the results--the only movie with more votes than "I am not interested in any of these movies"--is Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Even though I have never read the comics, I have to say I agree. I don't know what a few of the comedies on IMDb's list are, but of the ones I do know, the only one I'm actually excited for is Scott Pilgrim. I like a lot of the people involved, and I found the trailers hugely entertaining.

Furthermore, today I came across the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Avatar Creator site that has been linked to by many people of late, which, as its name suggests, allows you to create a Scott Pilgrim-esque avatar for yourself. Well, I couldn't resist...


Anyone recognize the outfit? (Sadly, pointe shoes were not an option).

As it says, in theaters August 13. It's supposed to be epic.

Hobbit troubles, Sir Patrick, and a funny video

A couple recent news items...

There is turmoil in Middle Earth as Guillermo del Toro over the weekend stepped down as director of the two planned Hobbit movies, prequels to the hugely successful Lord of the Rings trilogy. He will remain one of the writers, along with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens of the LotR trilogy. MGM's troubles are largely to blame for this; the studio, which shares financing rights to The Hobbit, has been trying to find a buyer since November, and its inability to do so thus far has put The Hobbit as well as other projects including the next James Bond film on hold. Because MGM is still in limbo, it hasn't been able to give an official green light to The Hobbit, and thus a start date for filming and a budget have yet to be set. Del Toro explained his decision in a statement: "In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming The Hobbit, I am faced with the hardest decision of my life. After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien's Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures." (Variety)

I am very saddened by this news. I thought del Toro would have been a great director for The Hobbit. And I can imagine how hard it must be for him. He was willing to commit three years to living in New Zealand working solely on this project. He had already worked on it for two years (he signed on in April 2008), designing sets and costumes and planning battle sequences, etc. And now, considering that it may instead take six years, he feels he has to walk away. That's rough.

There is, however, a small possibility that Peter Jackson will end up directing. He obviously cares a lot about the project and might be willing to direct if necessary. "If that's what I have to do to protect Warner Bros.' investment, then obviously that's one angle which I'll explore." He does have other projects, though, that might prevent him from directing. (Variety) Hopefully it will all work out. I'm looking forward to seeing Gandalf and Gollum on screen again.


On a lighter note, Patrick Stewart was knighted today by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. Sir Patrick Stewart. Though I know and love him as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies (playing opposite another knight, Sir Ian McKellen), I know that he has long been a key member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. I'd love to see him on stage. Ever gracious and admirable, he said of his knighting, "It was an unlooked-for honor but as I grew up as a child, falling in love with the theatre and Shakespeare, my heroes were Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Alec Guinness. The knights of the theater represented to me not only the pinnacle of the profession but the esteem in which the profession was held. And now to find myself, to my astonishment, in that company is the grandest thing that has professionally happened to me." (E! Online) A toast to Sir Patrick.


And now an amusing video:
Retro games destroy NYC

Thor and HP casting, WoW movie, etc.

My last assorted entertainment news post was three weeks ago. What's been happening since then? Lots! A few selected tidbits.

Natalie Portman has been cast as Jane Foster in Thor, starring opposite Chris Hemsworth's Thor (Variety). I adore Natalie Portman, and I've already expressed my, uh, enthusiasm for Chris Hemsworth. I have high hopes for this film. Please don't let me down.

Bill Nighy has finally gotten a spot in the Harry Potter roster as Scrimgeour in The Deathly Hallows (IMDb). The extensive character list throughout the series has turned the movies into a who's who of British film actors. Bill Nighy is great, and I think he'll be perfect for the part.

Here's some big news: Sam Raimi has signed on to direct a World of Warcraft movie (Variety). A WoW movie? Sounds like a terrible idea. But Sam Raimi? He's generally pretty great, giving some hope to the project. I'm kind of fascinated to see where they go with this. How do you structure a movie around an MMO? We shall see what becomes of it.

The third Christian Bale Batman movie will begin shooting next year (IMDb). Considering the money The Dark Knight made, the studio wasn't going to let a sequel go unmade. But there are a lot of busy people involved with other things to do, so it's taken a little while to get everyone to coordinate, I guess. I don't know how this upcoming movie can live up to the last one, but I hope it'll be good.

Dominic Monaghan has been revealed as a cast member of ABC's new fall drama FlashForward (Variety). Yes, it really seems that this is the fall substitute for Lost. But I'm happy to see him again. I love my hobbits!

Speaking of hobbits, some unsettling news: Peter Jackson has reminded us that the Hobbit prequels people are so excited about are not a sure thing. They have yet to deliver a script, so they have yet to get the green light (IMDb). Eek. We're all excited about seeing Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis again, but we might be getting ahead of ourselves. Hope it works out.

SyFy (ugh--the name) has set a date for the series premiere of Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica. It's January 22, 2010 (Variety). The network has ordered 20 hours in addition to the two hour pilot. Things are looking good. Can't wait.

That's all for now! Photos and Hawaii stuff to come!

Mary Janes, The Hobbit, Mars, and a new NWN MMO

Time for an update on entertainment news that has piqued my interest...

It has been confirmed that Kirsten Dunst will in fact be returning to the role of Mary Jane in Spider-Man 4 (IMDb). Tobey Maguire had already agreed to return for a fourth and fifth installment of the blockbuster franchise, but director Sam Raimi had said Dunst was reluctant to sign on for the threequel sequels. They are still looking for the perfect villain, with producer Todd Black saying "Trust me - people will appreciate who we pick, because it'll be a big part of New York." I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean... the villain will be the Empire State Building? Anyway, the third Spider-Man movie was a tad disappointing, so I hope they can pick it back up and make the fourth one good again.

Speaking of Spider-Man, we mustn't forget about Spider-Man: The Musical (more properly called Spider Man, Turn Off the Dark). Turns out that Evan Rachel Wood is going to star as Mary Jane in the stage musical, after all (IMDb). First there were substantial rumors that Wood (who worked with Spider-Man: The Musical's director Julie Taymor in the movie musical Across the Universe) had been cast, then Taymor denied this saying that she was still working on casting MJ, and now this. Apparently Peter Parker has yet to be cast.

Everyone kind of already assumed that this would happen, but Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis, and Ian McKellen have all been confirmed for the cast of The Hobbit, reprising their roles as Elrond, Gollum, and Gandalf, respectively (IMDb). We are still awaiting to hear who will play the titular hobbit Bilbo himself (Ian Holm, who played Bilbo in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, is too old to come back for the younger prequel role, unlike the other three whose ageless or semi-ageless roles let them get away with it). Here's hoping director Guillermo del Toro finds someone great. I'm a bit anxious waiting.

Wolverine stars Taylor Kitsch (Gambit) and Lynn Collins (Kayla Silverfox) are both set to star in Walt Disney Pictures' John Carter of Mars, a fantasy epic based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs series that began with the novel "The Princess of Mars" in 1911 (Variety). Wall-E writer-director Andrew Stanton will be directing the film as his first live-action pic. The story is about a damaged Civil War veteran named John Carter (Kitsch) who is mysteriously transported to Mars where his interactions with the warring races of the dying planet, which presumably include meeting the Princess of Mars (Collins), help him to rediscover his humanity. I don't know what to think of the casting (I actually haven't seen the Wolverine movie yet), but I have great respect for Stanton (I loved Wall-E) and the period-piece-meets-sci-fi-epic aspect of the project is very intriguing. I'll be watching for this one.

Lastly, in gaming news, recent Atari acquisition Cryptic Studios is working on developing an MMO for Atari property Neverwinter Nights (Variety blog). This is really big news for me. For those who don't know, Cryptic Studios is the company behind (among other games) Champions Online, the game currently in its beta testing stage that recently became the first MMO I had ever played. Neverwinter Nights is a Dungeons & Dragons-based Forgotten Realms-set series of computer RPGs. I played through the single-player campaigns of NWN and its two official expansions as well as NWN2 and one of its expansions. But one of the most distinctive features of the Neverwinter Nights series, which I never took advantage of, was the multiplayer component that allowed players to design their own missions in their own persistent worlds--essentially hosting their own mini-MMOs (would these be called "not-so-massively multiplayer online" games or something?). Anyway, there were plenty of people who did take advantage of this feature, making NWN quite a popular success. The news that a proven MMO developer is planning to create an MMO for Neverwinter Nights is intriguing indeed, though they have a tough road ahead of them, since even MMOs based on strong franchises sometimes fail to catch on. Word is they are hoping for a 2011 release... 'round 'bout the time that BioWare is planning to release The Old Republic (more history for those who aren't gamer geeks: BioWare, which developed the original NWN but not the sequel, will not be involved in the NWN MMO). I'd say I see conflict ahead, but I'm already fairly certain I'd pick TOR if forced to choose. But there's time. We'll see how the NWN MMO develops.

Weekend box office comments - 7/13/08 - Hellboy II

Oh, before I head off to bed, I'd just like to praise the triumph of Hellboy II. The well-reviewed superhero flick was able to edge out the second weekend of the poorly reviewed Will Smith superhero movie Hancock. Best wishes for Guillermo del Toro in New Zealand.

On the other end of the spectrum, I'd like to praise the defeat of Meet Dave. Okay, I feel bad for some of the people who worked on it, but for certain stars who will still have plenty of money and fame and glory anyway, I've just got to say I'm feeling a little--sing it with me now--SHADENFREUDE!