We have some of Guillermo Del Toro’s thoughts on the Hobbit’s casting, creatures and story today thanks to the fabled caves of Yahoo:
First of all, expect some crazy new creatures. If you’ve seen Hellboy or his epic Pan’s Labyrinth, you know del Toro would go beyond Orcs and talking trees. He promises to respect J.R.R. Tolkien’s and Peter Jackson’s creations, but sees many more new ones. “I plan to bring myself to The Hobbit,” he said. “No doubt about that.”
And even though The Hobbit was Tolkien’s tot-sized adventure, the film version will not be The Lord of the Rings for Kids. “Tolkien had, in the last third of the book—I wouldn’t say an edge, but had a somber tone that normally would not conjure the term ‘family.'”
“We’ll cast whoever seems to fit the pages,” del Toro said. Wannabe Hobbits may have to chase him down to New Zealand, though, where he’ll be spending much of the rest of the year, checking in with the creature designs and the Middle Earth set.
I am quite excited to see the monsters that Guillermo will make for The Hobbit. I am most excited about Smaug the dragon and cannot wait to see the battle against him. Killing a dragon is a goal that I achieved once in D&D, (The Ruins Of Undermountain) but have yet to accomplish in real life. Del Toro’s makeup/monster team is among the best I have ever seen, and I look forward to their creations. The man in suit is cinematic power!
I am pleased that Gillermo isn’t going to cater this film to children any more than the other Lord Of The Rings films. The Hobbit was intended to be a children’ s book but I think it’s wise to avoid making it overly “kid friendly”. Sombre suits me just fine.
I am on board with what Mr. Del Toro has said above and could not be more excited to see what he has in store for us. This should be a treat indeed!
