Blackwolf the Dragonmaster's Diary of Magecraft

Being a Chronicle of the Inner Secrets of, and Spells of Magick as Wielded by, the Philosopher of the Internet and Unofficial Sorcerer-in-Residence of the City of New York

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Location: New York, New York, United States

As New York's Unofficial Wizard, my mission is to encourage the Mortals of Manhattan to imagine responsibly!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

HOBBIT UPDATE: Boy, Everybody's Almost Back! Now, Saruman's On Board, Too!

Well, well! Just when you thought things couldn't get any more incredible, dearests, check ye this out: Sir Christopher Lee is negotiating to return as Saruman the Black, whom we all booed furiously at in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Presuming that his good health holds up, Sir Christopher will indeed return, though I'm not sure how he'll figure in the saga.

Also, despite the fact that I can't as yet put me finger on it, methinks we may have all 13 members of Thorin Oakenshield's Company together. Based on TheOneRing.net's postings, here's who's portraying each of the members:

Graham McTavish as Dwalin
Kenneth Stott as Balin
Aidan Turner as Kili
Rob Kazinsky as Fili
Mark Hadlow as Dori
Jed Brophy as Nori
Adam Brown as Ori
John Callen as Oin
Peter Hambleton as Gloin
William Kircher as Bifur
James Nesbitt as Bofur
Stephen Hunter as Bombur

Richard Armitage, is of course, Thorin himself. (I think our good friend King Magni Bronzebeard of Dun Morogh and Ironforge will be especially happy about all 13 Dwarf roles being filled; I hear he's already in party mode himself about having recently being given the status of being an action figure! The Blizzard Store would, if memory serves, have the full details and stuff.)

So, we now have McKellen, Wood, Serkis, Lee and Blanchett back in the saddle for the Hobbit project. I'm sure you Mortals will now start dreaming of THAT POSTER: Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage and Martin Freeman in full costumed splendor as Middle-earth's Three Musketeers --- Bilbo, Thorin and Gandalf --- together, just the way you want them. Truth be told, I want it that way, too. Ah, me.

The Main Mage Returns: Gandalf is Heading Back to the Big Screen Where He Belongs! Yessss!

Well, Mortals, it's official: Sir Ian McKellen has re-upped as our Exalted Brother Gandalf for Peter Jackson's upcoming two-part The Hobbit. Doubtless me Brother and Sister Mages at TheOneRing.net are in party mode, because PJ has thus far gotten some of the old gang from the Trilogy back on board: Elijah Wood as Frodo, whose scenes in the film will be set before he, Bilbo and Gandalf will depart from the Grey Havens; Andy Serkis as Gollum (who will, I suspect, once again attempt to slither his way into stealing the show); and Cate Blanchett as Queen Galadriel, who stole Frodo's heart early on in the Trilogy. PJ is next hoping to land Orlando Bloom to return as Legolas, son of Thranduil, Elvenking of Mirkwood. Here's hoping.

This is precisely the good news YOU, loyal Hobbit fans, have long wished for. Now, if only we could get everything in greenlight mode, to say nothing of getting Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer financially back on track as well, maybe this whole business could get started in terms of principal photography and we could get at least ONE party happening!

But mine is not to reason why, much less speculate. Mine is to tell you Mortals what's what, who's who, and what in Merlin's name is going on in the world of Magecraft. Shall we boogie, then, goodly gentles?