Barnald

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-war-of-the-rohirrim-peter-jackson-brian-cox-andy-serkis-and-miranda-ottos-triumphant-return-to-middle-earth-and-whats-next/6XQPFC34SRFKLL6IDMGKWYA7A4/ This is... concerning. No one expects big battles, but putting the focus on Gollum would be a mistake.

https://theplaylist.net/the-hunt-for-gollum-philippa-boyens-says-the-lotr-brain-trust-really-wants-viggo-mortensen-20241204/

Nice blast of Gondor in 'Who Dares Occupy Isengard?' 'Lament for Helm' sounds familiar...

No other reason other than I'd like to see them looking as good as they possibly can (obviously no one's expecting any green-screen or effects work to be completed if they're intended to stay deleted). Plus that way people can more easily do their own 'extra extended' edits if so inclined.

WB essentially cheaped out with the 4Ks and didn't go back to do fresh scans of the original negatives, presumably due to the expense involved (especially if they elected to 'rebuild' the effects work). If they had, surely we'd have got the deleted footage and other goodies scanned as well. So maybe for the 25th (and with the new film coming), they'll do it properly, so we get the films properly scanned (PJ's subsequent tinkering notwithstanding), and we'll finally get the deleted scenes, hopefully cleaned up and without timecodes and such. I've often wondered if the best incentive for getting WB to do this would be to have each film re-edited as a mini-series (say 4 parts) for HBO Max (heresy I know). I don't know if there's enough additional footage to make this worthwhile (I figure you'd need at least 20-30 minutes for each film), but it would certainly generate some buzz. And of course, we'd need (well, hope for) new music...

IIRC someone at WETA once touted the prospect of doing Hobbit 'Chronicles' style books for the LOTR films, but nothing came of that (yet anyway), which is a shame.

We didn't imagine it: https://www.thewrap.com/lord-of-the-rings-war-of-rohirrim-peter-jackson-animated-footage/ I suppose it depends what exactly they mean by 'power'.

Didn't someone also mention a lost 'tribe' of Amazonian Rohirrim being in this? Can't help but think this one looks, walks and quacks like... something.

Well, like I said before, better the Devil. If Tauriel fulfills that quota, so be it. I was talking more from a 'logical' perspective rather than a 'modern filmmaking' one. Probably safe to say it's the latter that has us all mighty apprehensive when it comes to this project.

You (somewhat) jest, but I think you've hit upon the issue of Tauriel being in this. It appears for all the world pointless, since we can only envisage a retread of certain threads from The Hobbit and ultimately her death. Even if she lived, what would be the point? If you're going to make big exceptions for her, then this thing is at risk of becoming the Tauriel show, which would be absurd. I've no issue with her as a glorified background character, but I'd worry the writers would feel compelled to do something more substantial with her, which would be a big mistake. And yes I realize you could say 'what is the point' of this film in general, but since it's happening I'd at least rather they stuck to non-invented characters.

They might be tempted to go for a similar characterization with Thranduil, in that he isn't happy about Gandalf and Aragorn coming to his door and doesn't permit Legolas (and say Tauriel) to join them in hunting Gollum (or even bringing him back to Mirkwood eventually). Yet they can't push this tension too far, since Legolas will be Thranduil and the Woodland Realm's representative at the Council of Elrond after all. I can't imagine Thranduil would be too happy if he's of the mind that the Orc attack was not coincidental, and was intended to help free Gollum (I believe Tolkien does suggest the attack might have conducted for this purpose, though I may be wrong about that).

I'm genuinely curious to know where exactly they think that 'thread' would go, and why it would be worth exploring. Let's see: - Presumably she stuck around in Mirkwood, moping? Do we presume she was forgiven by Thranduil, and has remained favoured in his military? - Presumably Legolas would have gone off to find Aragorn at some point, though I think it definitely best if he's back at Mirkwood when this film begins. - So what's the situation? Are Tauriel and Legolas now together? Would Thranduil approve? Is she still in the business of defying Thranduil? Has anything really changed? Would people care? The writers are seemingly constrained by the parameters of a 'Hunt for Gollum' film. In this scenario, one suspects Legolas and Tauriel would accompany Gandalf and Aragorn from Mirkwood to the outskirts of Mordor. Legolas and Tauriel would take Gollum back to the Woodland Realm, or at least Mirkwood if they feel Thranduil won't be best pleased. One imagines Tauriel dies in the attack that frees Gollum. Legolas can have his 'why does it hurt so much?' moment.

If it's a case of Tauriel over a new invented character, I'll take the Devil I know. And she'd be more palatable without Kili around. Radagast, sure, I think if you're doing this 'properly' there's definitely a place for him. Just tone down the antics. And Thranduil is absolutely necessary given Mirkwood has to be prominent. In terms of notable 'new' characters, where's the scope? Book characters, maybe Halbarad, even Elladan and Elrohir, though people would then ask where they've been before now (in a Jackson film sense). The Blue Wizards? As for invented characters, in an organic sense I'm struggling. Some ranger of the north? Another Elf? It would require drastic shoehorning for anything else, let's be honest, though you wouldn't discount anything these days. On the evil side of things, I suppose some new big bad Orc might be required, given the climactic attack on the Woodland Realm that allows Gollum to escape. I know people would like to see Khamul in Dol Guldur, but I don't know how this could be done, given 'the Nine' leave Minas Morgul, and appear to remain as one until they're washed away at Bruinen. I do think there's room to have him lead Sauron's forces in the War in the North if they choose to do a film about that, since I'm not sure if we see all 9 together even in ROTK, but that's another matter.

Maybe the appeal of this film will be its familiarity? As you've said before, we've had Amazon's Middle-earth, so WB and PJ could be looking at it like 'here's the "real deal", with the characters and places you know'. True there's not much scope for new places and people, but in the case of the latter, that can hardly be a bad thing... I think they should show some of Gollum's earlier wanderings post-Hobbit (leaving the Misty Mountains, going to Laketown and Dale) via flashbacks (you could have Gandalf talking about various reports and rumours to Aragorn and show some of it). Say the last place he was glimpsed was in Mirkwood, then pick up his story from there, so we see his brush with the Mirkwood Elves (Legolas) and my idea about him hiding in Dol Guldur and looking in the Palantir before heading off south (like I said before - PJ, Boyens, Walsh - if you're desperate and inexplicably browse these forums, feel free to use it. You know it makes sense).

I see Boyens mentioned having an idea for a second animated feature if this one goes well (erm...). Anyone else think this would be a 'Young Aragorn' film? I'm not convinced this will be the route they go for the second live-action film, so it seems like the best medium for it.