The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
14 Dec 2012 ● English ● 2 hrs 43 mins
Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever ... Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities ... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to
Cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage
Crew: Peter Jackson (Director), Andrew Lesnie (Director of Photography), Howard Shore (Music Director)
Rating: U/A (India)
Release Dates: 14 Dec 2012 (India)
Tagline: From the smallest beginnings come the greatest legends.
Did you know? Radagast allows animals to hide in various parts of his robes. While his friendship with animals is consistent with the book, this may also be a nod to McCoy's earliest role, Sylveste McCoy, in which he stuffed ferrets down his trousers. Read More
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as Gandalf
as Bilbo
as Thorin
as Ori
as Kili
as Gollum
as Great Goblin
as Necromancer
as Lindir
as Galadriel
as Saruman
as Bolg
as Fili
as Frodo
as Dwalin
as Elrond
as Old Bilbo
as Bofur
as Nori
as Thror
as Oin
as Yazneg
as Balin
as Goblin Scribe
as Thranduil
as Azog
as Dori / Bert Troll
as Gloin / William Troll
as Goblin
as Bombur
as Radagast
as Young Thrain
as Bifur / Tom Troll
Production
Co-Producer
Production Company
Executive Producer
Associate Producer
Writers
Screenplay Writer
Novelist
Camera and Electrical
Director of Photography
Art
Art Director
Production Designer
Set Decorator
Costume and Wardrobe
Costume Designer
Editorial
Editor
Makeup and Hair
Film Type:
Feature
Language:
English
Colour Info:
Color
Sound Mix:
Datasat Digital Sound, Dolby Atmos, Sony Dynamic Digital Sound
Camera:
Red Epic
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1
Stereoscopy:
No
Taglines:
From the smallest beginnings come the greatest legends.
One journey started it all.
One journey started it all.
Movie Connection(s):
Followed by: The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (English)
Follows: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (English)
Followed by: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (English)
Follows: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (English)
Follows: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (English)
Followed by: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (English)
Follows: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (English)
Filming Locations:
Hinuera Valley, Matamata, Waikato
Wellington
Rock and Pillar Range, Otago
Braemar Station, Tekapo
Mangaotaki, Waikato
Eweburn Station, Te Anau
Piopio, Waikato
Earnslaw Burn, Glenorchy, Otago
Lake Pukaki, Canterbury
Mount Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park, Central Plateau
Paradise, Glenorchy, Otago
Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire
Stone Street Studios, Stone Street, Miramar, Wellington
Strath-Taieri, Dunedin
Tongariro National Park, Central Plateau
Wellington
Rock and Pillar Range, Otago
Braemar Station, Tekapo
Mangaotaki, Waikato
Eweburn Station, Te Anau
Piopio, Waikato
Earnslaw Burn, Glenorchy, Otago
Lake Pukaki, Canterbury
Mount Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park, Central Plateau
Paradise, Glenorchy, Otago
Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire
Stone Street Studios, Stone Street, Miramar, Wellington
Strath-Taieri, Dunedin
Tongariro National Park, Central Plateau
Goofs:
Miscellaneous
When everyone turns to go back into the dining room at Bag End after Thorin says that Bilbo looks more like a grocer than a burglar, Richard Armitage whacks his head on the ceiling.
Miscellaneous
When the party is captured by the Goblins and Bilbo crawls away, a Goblin's CGI foot passes through the bridge he's walking on.
Miscellaneous
Gandalf's contacts are visible in close-up shots, particularly scenes around the table at Bilbo's.
Continuity
As Thorin addresses the group at Bilbo Baggins' dinner table, the arrangement, color, and texture of items in a plate (cookies or biscuits) changes.
Continuity
Scenes with Galadriel make a point of showing that she turns in place so that the bottom of her dress wraps beautifully around her legs. When she and Gandalf say goodbye, she turns around and in the process spreads her feet and legs apart, but at the very next shot see that her legs are together and beautifully wrapped by her dress again.
Continuity
Bilbo's sword does not glow blue during the Orc/Warg attack on the cliff.
Continuity
Thorin runs from the pine tree towards Azog with another 'oaken shield'. But when they meet, Thorin's left hand is clearly seen without the branch covering.
Continuity
When the Stone Giant separates the group, half of them (including Thorin) escape while the other half is still on the Giant. When they smash into the mountain, Thorin screams 'No, Kili!'. Kili is however safe with him, it is Fili who is being smashed into the mountain.
Continuity
Just before the Eagles rescue Thorin and Company, Thorin's sword is lying to the side of him, too far for him to reach. Yet when the Eagle scoops him up, the sword lies on top of him.
Continuity
When Bilbo is attempting to save the ponies from the trolls, the real horses are bridled and tied to the posts. When the ponies are computer generated, they are loose and unbridled.
Continuity
In the first scene with the elf queen, her tiara is off center. A moment later, it is perfect when you see her again.
Continuity
Saruman's beard changes color. From white to black to dark gray.
Continuity
The sharp end of Thorin's sword is lying parallel to his face, out of his reach on the boulder where the white warg flings him to. When the eagle flies Thorin off to the Carrock, it is carrying the sword gathered by his side with the handle pointing towards his face.
Continuity
Immediately before Bofur throws the egg to Bombur in Bag End, Fili is sitting to Bombur's left. When he catches it, Ori is sitting there.
Continuity
After Galadriel questions Gandalf "Why the Halfling?" in Rivendell, his hair changes of position some times: at the beginning he has a lock of fair falling by his left side, but later all his hair is slicked-back. Finally, a few hair cross his face, which are removed by Galadriel.
Continuity
When Gandalf shows the Morgul's blade in the White Council, the sword's covering changes of position some times.
Continuity
When Gandalf is speaking to Bilbo outside Bag End, we can see a woman in the background putting clothing on a line, the clothing changes position depending on the shot of Gandalf we see.
Continuity
In various scenes in Goblin Town, as Gandalf is using his sword, the same sword is also sheathed in his scabbard, however in the last scene before they make it out, the scabbard is empty.
Continuity
When Thorin speaks to Balin in Bagend, the key he is holding changes orientation in his hand between shots.
Continuity
Shortly after the team meet Radagast the brown, they are chased out of the forest and into a tundra, but when the camera pans around the dwarfs, there is no forest in sight.
Continuity
While the White Council is gathered in Rivendell, Saruman is being shot from his left side, where you can see that his hair is a bit 'wavy' but when the camera turns back to shoot right in front of him - you can see his hair is utterly smooth.
Continuity
Bilbo's height in comparison to Gandalf's changes throughout the movie. This is also visible in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
Continuity
When the dwarves are seen around Bilbo's table before Thorin appears, Fili is sitting next to Kili on the right hand side. A shot later, Ori has taken Fili's place, as Fili is walking along the table handing out ales.
When everyone turns to go back into the dining room at Bag End after Thorin says that Bilbo looks more like a grocer than a burglar, Richard Armitage whacks his head on the ceiling.
Miscellaneous
When the party is captured by the Goblins and Bilbo crawls away, a Goblin's CGI foot passes through the bridge he's walking on.
Miscellaneous
Gandalf's contacts are visible in close-up shots, particularly scenes around the table at Bilbo's.
Continuity
As Thorin addresses the group at Bilbo Baggins' dinner table, the arrangement, color, and texture of items in a plate (cookies or biscuits) changes.
Continuity
Scenes with Galadriel make a point of showing that she turns in place so that the bottom of her dress wraps beautifully around her legs. When she and Gandalf say goodbye, she turns around and in the process spreads her feet and legs apart, but at the very next shot see that her legs are together and beautifully wrapped by her dress again.
Continuity
Bilbo's sword does not glow blue during the Orc/Warg attack on the cliff.
Continuity
Thorin runs from the pine tree towards Azog with another 'oaken shield'. But when they meet, Thorin's left hand is clearly seen without the branch covering.
Continuity
When the Stone Giant separates the group, half of them (including Thorin) escape while the other half is still on the Giant. When they smash into the mountain, Thorin screams 'No, Kili!'. Kili is however safe with him, it is Fili who is being smashed into the mountain.
Continuity
Just before the Eagles rescue Thorin and Company, Thorin's sword is lying to the side of him, too far for him to reach. Yet when the Eagle scoops him up, the sword lies on top of him.
Continuity
When Bilbo is attempting to save the ponies from the trolls, the real horses are bridled and tied to the posts. When the ponies are computer generated, they are loose and unbridled.
Continuity
In the first scene with the elf queen, her tiara is off center. A moment later, it is perfect when you see her again.
Continuity
Saruman's beard changes color. From white to black to dark gray.
Continuity
The sharp end of Thorin's sword is lying parallel to his face, out of his reach on the boulder where the white warg flings him to. When the eagle flies Thorin off to the Carrock, it is carrying the sword gathered by his side with the handle pointing towards his face.
Continuity
Immediately before Bofur throws the egg to Bombur in Bag End, Fili is sitting to Bombur's left. When he catches it, Ori is sitting there.
Continuity
After Galadriel questions Gandalf "Why the Halfling?" in Rivendell, his hair changes of position some times: at the beginning he has a lock of fair falling by his left side, but later all his hair is slicked-back. Finally, a few hair cross his face, which are removed by Galadriel.
Continuity
When Gandalf shows the Morgul's blade in the White Council, the sword's covering changes of position some times.
Continuity
When Gandalf is speaking to Bilbo outside Bag End, we can see a woman in the background putting clothing on a line, the clothing changes position depending on the shot of Gandalf we see.
Continuity
In various scenes in Goblin Town, as Gandalf is using his sword, the same sword is also sheathed in his scabbard, however in the last scene before they make it out, the scabbard is empty.
Continuity
When Thorin speaks to Balin in Bagend, the key he is holding changes orientation in his hand between shots.
Continuity
Shortly after the team meet Radagast the brown, they are chased out of the forest and into a tundra, but when the camera pans around the dwarfs, there is no forest in sight.
Continuity
While the White Council is gathered in Rivendell, Saruman is being shot from his left side, where you can see that his hair is a bit 'wavy' but when the camera turns back to shoot right in front of him - you can see his hair is utterly smooth.
Continuity
Bilbo's height in comparison to Gandalf's changes throughout the movie. This is also visible in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
Continuity
When the dwarves are seen around Bilbo's table before Thorin appears, Fili is sitting next to Kili on the right hand side. A shot later, Ori has taken Fili's place, as Fili is walking along the table handing out ales.
Trivia:
Daniel Radcliffe, Shia LaBeouf, James McAvoy, Erryn Arkin and Tobey Maguire were considered for the role of Bilbo Baggins.
Both Ian Holm and Christopher Lee filmed their scenes at London's Pinewood Studios because health concerns left them uncomfortable with flying to New Zealand.
Despite appearing in all three films of the trilogy, Cate Blanchett was on set for only 8 days of the production.
Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch had both star together in the BBC production of Sherlock, where Cumberbatch plays the title role with Freeman playing Dr. Watson.
Dwarvish was designed by J.R.R. Tolkien to sounds like a Semitic language, and the history of the dwarves themselves resembles that of the ancient Hebrews.
Radagast allows animals to hide in various parts of his robes. While his friendship with animals is consistent with the book, this may also be a nod to McCoy's earliest role, Sylveste McCoy, in which he stuffed ferrets down his trousers.
Like the previous adaptation, The Hobbit (1977), made for television, the trolls in this film are played by actors who also play members of the company of dwarves.
The 3D IMAX prints consisted of 98 reels (49 per eye), totaling over 21.5 miles of combined film length.
There are no curves or circles in Dwarvish architecture, and most objects of Dwarvish origin are polygonal. This also is evident in the Dwarvish script which appears on the map of the Lonely Mountain.
The first of Peter Jackson's Middle-earth films that does not incorporate the film's subtitle into a line of dialogue.
The subtitle "An Unexpected Journey" does not appear until 13 minutes into the film.
While filming the Battle of Azanulbizar, Richard Armitage (I) smacked himself in the face so hard with his shield that he managed to bite completely through his lower lip.
Dwalin uses two large battle axes in combat. Graham McTavish suggested to Peter Jackson that the axes each be named after Emily Brontë's dogs, "Grasper" and "Keeper". Jackson went for the idea & Dwalin's axes were engraved with both names in Dwarvish runes.
Richard Armitage has said that his first experience acting on stage was playing an elf in a theatrical production of The Hobbit.
Thranduil, the father of Legolas, first appeared in the Hobbit book simply as "The Elven King" with no mention of his real name. Is it only in The Lord of the Rings, when Legolas first appears in the books, that he is identified as the Son of Thranduil of Mirkwood. When Legolas enters Lothlorien in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring(2001), Haldir greets him in Elvish as "Legolas Thranduillion."
Bill Bailey auditioned for the role of Gloin. In Spaced (1999) he plays a character named Bilbo, named after this film's title character.
This film was shot on thirty Red Epic cameras, the newest model of the Red Camera available at the time.
This movie went through several stages of pre-production hell, including separate legal disputes between New Line Cinema, Peter Jackson and Tolkien's estates which complicated production. When MGM finally moved the project forward in 2008 more complications ensued when MGM entered bankruptcy and froze production, causing director Guillermo del Toro to step down after three years of pre-production. Later, it was almost cast out of New Zealand when several unions and guilds blacklisted the project and shooting was delayed again while Peter Jackson recovered from surgery from a perforated ulcer.
In the second trailer, Gandalf can be heard saying, "Home is behind you, the world ahead..." this is a quote from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, written by J.R.R. Tolkien for the books; it is part of the song which Pippin sings to Lord Denethor in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Some chapter titles from the book are mentioned in dialogue, such as "a merry gathering" and "out of the frying pan and into the fire" and "roast mutton."
Jed Brophy, who plays Nori, is the only dwarf who also appears in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, although this is the first time we see his face. If you listen to the Writers and Director commentary on the extended version of The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson identifies him several times as playing various orcs and background people, including the orc that Aragorn fights in The Two Towers before being thrown off the cliff.
Azog was a last minute digital addition to the film. He was originally an actor in prosthetics, but Peter Jackson found the effect lacking presence, and had Weta create a digital character, mo-capped by actor Manu Bennett, and insert the character over the previously-filmed live Azog footage. The original Azog appears in the film as Yazneg, the ill-fated Orc lieutenant.
Jed Brophy appears in this film as Nori. His son Sadwyn Brophy appeared as Eldarion inThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Jed himself also appeared in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) as various Orcs.
David Tennant was rumored to be play Thranduil before Lee Pace was cast.
The voice of the ailing hedgehog was provided by Teddy Bear the porcupine from Zooniversity in Texas.
Bombur doesn't say a word during the entire movie.
This is the second "prequel trilogy" that Richard Armitage and Christopher Lee have been involved in. Armitage appeared in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), while Lee appeared in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005).
Ken Stott's character, Balin, is the same character whose tomb is visited by the Fellowship in Moria in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).
WILHELM SCREAM: Heard when the group are fighting their way out of Goblin Town, one of the goblins knocked off the gangway makes the sound.
This film and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) wrapped on July 6, 2012 after 266 days of principal photography.
This is the second film in which Saruman considers a fellow wizard to be mentally inept due to plant consumption. In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) he suggests that pipeweed has slowed Gandalf's mind. Here, he suggests mushrooms have rendered Radagast a fool.
Saruman, Gandalf and Radagast are also known as "the white", "the gray" and "the brown", respectively. These nicknames match straightly with their clothes and hair. In addition, Saruman is the only one not having hat or cloak over his head, a symbol of his status as leader of the wizards.
The first movie in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings franchise not to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.
Gloin, played by Peter Hambleton, is father of Gimli, the character portrayed by John Rhys-Davies in the Lord of the Rings films.
The opening scenes, in which Ian Holm plays the older Bilbo, do not appear in the book, which is told in present-time, not as a flashback. Shortly after the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Holm recorded similar scenes; this time as Frodo; for inclusion in a new boxed set version of the BBC Radio version of The Lord of the Rings.
Jed Brophy is the only actor to appear as two different characters in both a Lord of the Rings film and a Hobbit film. He previously played Sharku, the lead Warg rider in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and plays Nori in this trilogy.
James Nesbitt's daughters Peggy and Mary have uncredited roles in the film as children in the city of Dale.
Richard Armitage (I)'s wig was the only one to be made entirely of human hair.
One of the dwarves tells Bilbo that his sword is "more of a letter opener." One of the merchandise items sold in connection with the film is, in fact, a letter opener modeled after Sting.
Martin Freeman previously appeared in Hot Fuzz (2007), which featured cameos by director Peter Jackson as "Santa Claus," Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) as a CSI, and Bill Nighy (who played Sam Gamgee on BBC Radio) as a police officer. He also appeared inShaun of the Dead (2004), also opposite Nighy, as well as Penelope Wilton, who had been married to the previous Bilbo, Ian Holm.
Ron Perlman was up for a role when Guillermo del Toro was set as director, but left after del Toro did as well.
Robert Kazinsky was cast as Fili and had filmed a few scenes, but left the project and returned to England about a month after filming started due to personal reasons. He was replaced by Dean O'Gorman.
Luke Evans (Bard) and Orlando Bloom (Legolas) also appeared together in The Three Musketeers (2011). A previous version of this story, The Three Musketeers (1973)/The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974) featured Christopher Lee (Saruman) as Count Rochefort.
Sylvester McCoy (Radagast the Brown) was previously considered for the role of Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).
Saoirse Ronan was considered for the role of a young elf, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and long production schedule.
Adam Brown (Ori) originally auditioned for the role of Bilbo Baggins.
John Callen (Oin) auditioned for the role of Radagast and the voice of Smaug.
In 2009 an Internet rumor linked David Tennant to the role of Bilbo Baggins, after he and Peter Jackson both appeared at Comic Con. Both Tennant and Jackson denied this rumor, stating he was never under consideration for the role. However, in 2010 Tennant was considered for the role of Thranduil, but had to turn it down when his then-girlfriend unexpectedly became pregnant which prevented him from taking part in film's lengthy New Zealand shooting schedule.
The method of creating hobbit feet was changed for this film. For the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the prosthetic feet only fitted over the actors' feet, requiring them to be re-applied after periods of walking in them. For this film, the prosthetic went all the way up to the actors' (Martin Freeman, Ian Holm and Elijah Wood) knees.
Gandalf makes a count of the dwarfs by three times: in Bilbo's house, when they arrive in the Hidden Valley (just before they arrive in Rivendell) and when they leave the Goblin King's cavern.
In the Italian dubbed version, actor Gigi Proietti assumed the role of Gandalf after Gianni Musy, who voiced Ian McKellen in "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy", died on October 7, 2011.
The meeting between the orcs and Azog happens in the Weathertop, the same place where Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin are attacked by the nazguls in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).
When Bilbo, Gandalf and the dwarfs arrive to the edge of the cliff just before of the fight against Azog and his orcs, a familiar landscape can be seen in the distance. This landscape is the same seen by Merry, Pippin and Treebeard in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) when these three see the Saruman's Uruk-hai armies moving to Helm's Deep.
When Gandalf, Bilbo, and the dwarves arrive at Rivendell the wizard mentions it's also known as "Imladris". This name is a word in Elvish (a fictional language created by Tolkien) and both names mean "deep valley of the cleft". Rivendell was established and ruled by Elrond in the Second Age of Middle-Earth, about four or five thousand years previous to the Lord of the Rings events.
When Elrond examines and gives the sword Orcrist to Thorin, in the middle finger of his left hand can be seen a ring. This ring is Vilya, one of the three rings given to the Elves at the beginning of the Second Age of the Middle-Earth, and seen in the prologue of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Vilya is a word in Quenya, a fictional language created by Tolkien, and means "air".
The ghost who attacks Radagast in Dol Guldur is Witch-King of Angmar, the same who stabs Frodo on Weathertop in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). The Necromancer spotted by Radagast is the first sign of Sauron's re-manifestation in Middle-Earth.
The explanation of Elrond about Orcrist and Glamdring, the swords found in the troll cave by Gandalf and Thorin, is suddenly cut by a dialogue between Bilbo and Balin. Orcrist and Glamdring were forged in the First Age of the Middle Earth for Ecthelion and king Turgon respectively, to fight against the Balrogs sent by Morgoth (the first Dark Lord before Sauron) to rule the Middle Earth.
The movie ends with a close-up of the Smaug's eye, which has a strong resemblance to that of Sauron's eye in the original the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The answers to riddles proposed by Gollum and Bilbo, including the first riddle said by Gollum after the game, are these: 1st - a mountain, 2nd - teeth, 3rd - wind, 4th - eggs, 5th - time, and 6th - The One Ring.
Both Ian Holm and Christopher Lee filmed their scenes at London's Pinewood Studios because health concerns left them uncomfortable with flying to New Zealand.
Despite appearing in all three films of the trilogy, Cate Blanchett was on set for only 8 days of the production.
Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch had both star together in the BBC production of Sherlock, where Cumberbatch plays the title role with Freeman playing Dr. Watson.
Dwarvish was designed by J.R.R. Tolkien to sounds like a Semitic language, and the history of the dwarves themselves resembles that of the ancient Hebrews.
Radagast allows animals to hide in various parts of his robes. While his friendship with animals is consistent with the book, this may also be a nod to McCoy's earliest role, Sylveste McCoy, in which he stuffed ferrets down his trousers.
Like the previous adaptation, The Hobbit (1977), made for television, the trolls in this film are played by actors who also play members of the company of dwarves.
The 3D IMAX prints consisted of 98 reels (49 per eye), totaling over 21.5 miles of combined film length.
There are no curves or circles in Dwarvish architecture, and most objects of Dwarvish origin are polygonal. This also is evident in the Dwarvish script which appears on the map of the Lonely Mountain.
The first of Peter Jackson's Middle-earth films that does not incorporate the film's subtitle into a line of dialogue.
The subtitle "An Unexpected Journey" does not appear until 13 minutes into the film.
While filming the Battle of Azanulbizar, Richard Armitage (I) smacked himself in the face so hard with his shield that he managed to bite completely through his lower lip.
Dwalin uses two large battle axes in combat. Graham McTavish suggested to Peter Jackson that the axes each be named after Emily Brontë's dogs, "Grasper" and "Keeper". Jackson went for the idea & Dwalin's axes were engraved with both names in Dwarvish runes.
Richard Armitage has said that his first experience acting on stage was playing an elf in a theatrical production of The Hobbit.
Thranduil, the father of Legolas, first appeared in the Hobbit book simply as "The Elven King" with no mention of his real name. Is it only in The Lord of the Rings, when Legolas first appears in the books, that he is identified as the Son of Thranduil of Mirkwood. When Legolas enters Lothlorien in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring(2001), Haldir greets him in Elvish as "Legolas Thranduillion."
Bill Bailey auditioned for the role of Gloin. In Spaced (1999) he plays a character named Bilbo, named after this film's title character.
This film was shot on thirty Red Epic cameras, the newest model of the Red Camera available at the time.
This movie went through several stages of pre-production hell, including separate legal disputes between New Line Cinema, Peter Jackson and Tolkien's estates which complicated production. When MGM finally moved the project forward in 2008 more complications ensued when MGM entered bankruptcy and froze production, causing director Guillermo del Toro to step down after three years of pre-production. Later, it was almost cast out of New Zealand when several unions and guilds blacklisted the project and shooting was delayed again while Peter Jackson recovered from surgery from a perforated ulcer.
In the second trailer, Gandalf can be heard saying, "Home is behind you, the world ahead..." this is a quote from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, written by J.R.R. Tolkien for the books; it is part of the song which Pippin sings to Lord Denethor in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Some chapter titles from the book are mentioned in dialogue, such as "a merry gathering" and "out of the frying pan and into the fire" and "roast mutton."
Jed Brophy, who plays Nori, is the only dwarf who also appears in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, although this is the first time we see his face. If you listen to the Writers and Director commentary on the extended version of The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson identifies him several times as playing various orcs and background people, including the orc that Aragorn fights in The Two Towers before being thrown off the cliff.
Azog was a last minute digital addition to the film. He was originally an actor in prosthetics, but Peter Jackson found the effect lacking presence, and had Weta create a digital character, mo-capped by actor Manu Bennett, and insert the character over the previously-filmed live Azog footage. The original Azog appears in the film as Yazneg, the ill-fated Orc lieutenant.
Jed Brophy appears in this film as Nori. His son Sadwyn Brophy appeared as Eldarion inThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Jed himself also appeared in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) as various Orcs.
David Tennant was rumored to be play Thranduil before Lee Pace was cast.
The voice of the ailing hedgehog was provided by Teddy Bear the porcupine from Zooniversity in Texas.
Bombur doesn't say a word during the entire movie.
This is the second "prequel trilogy" that Richard Armitage and Christopher Lee have been involved in. Armitage appeared in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), while Lee appeared in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005).
Ken Stott's character, Balin, is the same character whose tomb is visited by the Fellowship in Moria in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).
WILHELM SCREAM: Heard when the group are fighting their way out of Goblin Town, one of the goblins knocked off the gangway makes the sound.
This film and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) wrapped on July 6, 2012 after 266 days of principal photography.
This is the second film in which Saruman considers a fellow wizard to be mentally inept due to plant consumption. In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) he suggests that pipeweed has slowed Gandalf's mind. Here, he suggests mushrooms have rendered Radagast a fool.
Saruman, Gandalf and Radagast are also known as "the white", "the gray" and "the brown", respectively. These nicknames match straightly with their clothes and hair. In addition, Saruman is the only one not having hat or cloak over his head, a symbol of his status as leader of the wizards.
The first movie in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings franchise not to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.
Gloin, played by Peter Hambleton, is father of Gimli, the character portrayed by John Rhys-Davies in the Lord of the Rings films.
The opening scenes, in which Ian Holm plays the older Bilbo, do not appear in the book, which is told in present-time, not as a flashback. Shortly after the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Holm recorded similar scenes; this time as Frodo; for inclusion in a new boxed set version of the BBC Radio version of The Lord of the Rings.
Jed Brophy is the only actor to appear as two different characters in both a Lord of the Rings film and a Hobbit film. He previously played Sharku, the lead Warg rider in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and plays Nori in this trilogy.
James Nesbitt's daughters Peggy and Mary have uncredited roles in the film as children in the city of Dale.
Richard Armitage (I)'s wig was the only one to be made entirely of human hair.
One of the dwarves tells Bilbo that his sword is "more of a letter opener." One of the merchandise items sold in connection with the film is, in fact, a letter opener modeled after Sting.
Martin Freeman previously appeared in Hot Fuzz (2007), which featured cameos by director Peter Jackson as "Santa Claus," Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) as a CSI, and Bill Nighy (who played Sam Gamgee on BBC Radio) as a police officer. He also appeared inShaun of the Dead (2004), also opposite Nighy, as well as Penelope Wilton, who had been married to the previous Bilbo, Ian Holm.
Ron Perlman was up for a role when Guillermo del Toro was set as director, but left after del Toro did as well.
Robert Kazinsky was cast as Fili and had filmed a few scenes, but left the project and returned to England about a month after filming started due to personal reasons. He was replaced by Dean O'Gorman.
Luke Evans (Bard) and Orlando Bloom (Legolas) also appeared together in The Three Musketeers (2011). A previous version of this story, The Three Musketeers (1973)/The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974) featured Christopher Lee (Saruman) as Count Rochefort.
Sylvester McCoy (Radagast the Brown) was previously considered for the role of Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).
Saoirse Ronan was considered for the role of a young elf, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and long production schedule.
Adam Brown (Ori) originally auditioned for the role of Bilbo Baggins.
John Callen (Oin) auditioned for the role of Radagast and the voice of Smaug.
In 2009 an Internet rumor linked David Tennant to the role of Bilbo Baggins, after he and Peter Jackson both appeared at Comic Con. Both Tennant and Jackson denied this rumor, stating he was never under consideration for the role. However, in 2010 Tennant was considered for the role of Thranduil, but had to turn it down when his then-girlfriend unexpectedly became pregnant which prevented him from taking part in film's lengthy New Zealand shooting schedule.
The method of creating hobbit feet was changed for this film. For the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the prosthetic feet only fitted over the actors' feet, requiring them to be re-applied after periods of walking in them. For this film, the prosthetic went all the way up to the actors' (Martin Freeman, Ian Holm and Elijah Wood) knees.
Gandalf makes a count of the dwarfs by three times: in Bilbo's house, when they arrive in the Hidden Valley (just before they arrive in Rivendell) and when they leave the Goblin King's cavern.
In the Italian dubbed version, actor Gigi Proietti assumed the role of Gandalf after Gianni Musy, who voiced Ian McKellen in "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy", died on October 7, 2011.
The meeting between the orcs and Azog happens in the Weathertop, the same place where Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin are attacked by the nazguls in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).
When Bilbo, Gandalf and the dwarfs arrive to the edge of the cliff just before of the fight against Azog and his orcs, a familiar landscape can be seen in the distance. This landscape is the same seen by Merry, Pippin and Treebeard in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) when these three see the Saruman's Uruk-hai armies moving to Helm's Deep.
When Gandalf, Bilbo, and the dwarves arrive at Rivendell the wizard mentions it's also known as "Imladris". This name is a word in Elvish (a fictional language created by Tolkien) and both names mean "deep valley of the cleft". Rivendell was established and ruled by Elrond in the Second Age of Middle-Earth, about four or five thousand years previous to the Lord of the Rings events.
When Elrond examines and gives the sword Orcrist to Thorin, in the middle finger of his left hand can be seen a ring. This ring is Vilya, one of the three rings given to the Elves at the beginning of the Second Age of the Middle-Earth, and seen in the prologue of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Vilya is a word in Quenya, a fictional language created by Tolkien, and means "air".
The ghost who attacks Radagast in Dol Guldur is Witch-King of Angmar, the same who stabs Frodo on Weathertop in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). The Necromancer spotted by Radagast is the first sign of Sauron's re-manifestation in Middle-Earth.
The explanation of Elrond about Orcrist and Glamdring, the swords found in the troll cave by Gandalf and Thorin, is suddenly cut by a dialogue between Bilbo and Balin. Orcrist and Glamdring were forged in the First Age of the Middle Earth for Ecthelion and king Turgon respectively, to fight against the Balrogs sent by Morgoth (the first Dark Lord before Sauron) to rule the Middle Earth.
The movie ends with a close-up of the Smaug's eye, which has a strong resemblance to that of Sauron's eye in the original the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The answers to riddles proposed by Gollum and Bilbo, including the first riddle said by Gollum after the game, are these: 1st - a mountain, 2nd - teeth, 3rd - wind, 4th - eggs, 5th - time, and 6th - The One Ring.
