See story above posted by maq!
Posted on 05/19/2002 5:01:59 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
Finally got round to checking out the new TTT teaser yesterday. I love it, and the Surf's Up At The Deep scene doesn't appear to be too bad. Phew!
Can't wait for this movie!
Yeah, the old Hammer days.
I don't know if you know this or not, but Lee is a huge Tolkien fan. He once said in an interview that he always knew he was destined for a role in a movie version of LOTR if it were ever made. He has read the book once a year, every year, since it was published.
Yeah, I think it is cool... goes by really fast...
[big collective sigh] hehehe
The ancient Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, 'The Land of the Long White Cloud' and, flying low out of Auckland airport in the North Island last week, I could see why. An hour of murk south to Wellington and bumping through the depression, rain splattering the windows, we safely landed on the sodden runway. Northern hemisphere readers should remember it's winter here. Matt Cutfield, my driver, was there waiting, as he has been so often on this job - because I was back in Middle-earth, to complete work on 'The Two Towers' movie. Gandalf was home again for a couple of weeks.
Home with friends from the cast - only Orlando Bloom, filming 'Ned Kelly' in Australia, was too busy to return, but the rest of us have made it back. Elijah Wood and Liv Tyler look ever so slightly older than 18 months ago and John Rhys-Davies has been losing weight, but make-up and padding will disguise these developments. Little else has changed as the local crews return to work, but there is a new shared confidence that with one success out in the world, another one can't be far behind. Peter Jackson may be exhausted but is still smiling, even relaxed. He tells me 'It feels like we are making a home movie rather than a blockbuster,' a point I made when we were filming 18 months ago.
The Oscar winners are back - Peter Owen overseeing make-up and Richard Taylor still busy at WETA workshops overseeing those collectible mementoes (www.sideshowweta.com). Howard Shore has also been here, scoring the extra footage which has been added to 'The Fellowship of the Ring' for the extended DVD version, which I shall see before I leave. Andrew Lesnie is back too, still mourning his gaffer Brian Bamsgrove. We all have a commemorative t-shirt for Brian holding a scaly catch: 'Woman want me. Fish fear me'. Ngila Dickson has escaped from pre-production on 'The Last Samurai' which Tom Cruise will soon film in New Zealand, Japan and California - and her wardrobe team are the same as ever.
So why exactly am I here? Well, no one should think there is a problem with the second movie but there is so much yet to be done. All those blue and green screens have to be replaced by scenery and background action. The special effects - don't ask me how! - are being created. The music will be recorded in London in August.
Andy Serkis has been here for weeks helping to perfect the digitialised Gollum for whom he provides the action, facial expressions and of course the voice. Over lunch he explained how this is done - I encouraged him to write a book as it seems that transferring his performance into a computer and then out again onto film is pioneering stuff and his participation should confound anyone who thinks that actors will soon be unnecessary in digitalised film-making. Gollum will astonish, delight and move you - Cave Troll fans ain't seen nothing yet!
Once a rough assembly had been made, it was decided to adjust the story-telling of 'The Two Towers' marginally as far as Gandalf the White is concerned. So I have re-shot 3 brief scenes with Theoden, Aragorn and Shadowfax in the Golden Hall of Edoras and its stables, as well as (with Legolas and Gimli doubles in the Forest of Fangorn, which grew overnight in the airless studio in Wellington that once housed Bag End. It gives me a childish thrill to clamber over real rotting roots and moss and earth surrounded by polystyrene Ent-ish trunks and overhanging branches knowing that 12 hours previously the space was nothing but an old paint factory floor. Easy to sense that Treebeard is nigh.
Although no-one can see a full version, to get me in the mood and crucially remind me of what Gandalf the White looks and sounds like, Peter showed me all his scenes in 'The Two Towers'. (Incidentally the notion that that title should be changed in respect for New York City's sensibilities has rightly been resisted. Further, the North American premiere will be in Manhattan, with the European opening in Paris.)
So I have seen the Balrog again onscreen - wowee fans! - marvelled at the first heart-stopping entrance of the super-equine Shadowfax (Blanco the trusty white stallion) and some of the Helm's Deep battling as Gandalf commits himself samurai-like to the fray. When Bernard Hill and Brad Dourif introduce the central saga of Theoden and Wormtongue with total confidence they match the magnificence of the Edoras sets below the snowy alps of the South Island. It is all looking up to, even beyond, the standards of the first movie.
The rain has continued but who cares? Last Friday in a corner of the dining tent for 400, the string quartet who dropped by a few times during principal photography, was back with selections from the score to cheer us up during lunch. And there have been other supportive distractions. Two Sundays ago, the crew re-grouped for free under Sean Astin's direction to shoot a short film 'A Tall Story' playing on the Tolkien theme of disparate heights. Another home movie from the Jackson family.
Thats what I like to hear...and it's not the first time I've heard it too. Great!
Great find Hair! It's a while since I've seen his online diary, so this would have passed me by.
Glad to hear that the movie will include the Balrog Vs Gandalf struggle. I wonder how they'll deal with it.
Flashbacks I presume.
That would be an interesting find.... Keep your little spy eyes out. ;~D
From TORN
Okay, I went to Games Day. Today there was a lecture type thing about Lord of the Rings. Some of it focused on the games from Games Workshop, some on the movies. The guy giving the lecture had actually seen the next movie(I guess in a rough cut form). Anyway, we got to see a special preview, with new scenes. In fact we got to see it twice, once at the beginning and once at the end. It was funny, because at first the guy offered to answer questions about Fellowship, but said "remember, the longer we take answering questions about Fellowship the longer it will be before we can get to the footage from Two Towers." Everyone shut up, no-one asked any questions at that point.
Anyway, I asked two questions, and after I give them I will get to other things I learned either from others asking questions, footage from the films, or stuff the guy said on his own.
My first question was "Where does the movie end in relation to the book? Peter Jackson said it would end earlier, before Shelob." He would not give a direct answer, but said that if we thought the first movie had a cliffhanger, this one was even worse. He seemed to imply in different parts that Shelob was in this one, because they were discussing releasing a Shelob model, so perhaps the movie ends after they are first attacked, or Frodo is bitten and left for dead or something, I don't know. I think it will end a little earlier though.
Second question was the following: "Sorry to ask two questions, but people'll kill me if I don't ask this(I was talking about you guys!)." Anyway, I asked him "Is it true that Saruman gets spiked in the next movie?" He looked at me and responded, "No comment." The audience laughed and he went to other questions. So there you have it.
Some other tidbits picked up: * Shadowfax will be really big. The guy said that New Line was supposed to loan them a cardboard standup of Gandalf on Shadowfax, but somehow there was a mixup and it got left in the warehouse. He said, however, that it was actual size and it was 14 feet tall. So Shadowfax is pretty big.
* The shield surfing scene is definately real. I guess this has already been confirmed but just wanted to make sure. It's not that bad, it's not really like it's really blatant in-your-face kind of "look at this!"
* The battle of Helm's Deep will be forty-five minutes, no interruptions at all.
* Haldir will appear at Helm's Deep with some Elves, contrary to the book where Legolas makes a comment about wishing his kinsman would appear. The guy giving the lecture said that it was a moving scene though: when the outer wall falls, the elves give their lives to hold up the Uruk-Hai and give the Riders time to retreat.
* On the opposite side, the battle at Isengard with the Ents will probably not be shown. The ents will be shown marching to Orthanc, and then later on you will see the results. The guy giving the presentation said that Peter will probably have extra footage of the assault on the Extended Edition, but personally I don't know if I believe this. Peter has a good idea how long the movie will run, and I doubt he actually filmed a lot of footage like this just to cut out later, but who knows.
* A lot of models for the game will be released shortly before the movie or at the same time as the movie, but Treebeard and Gollum will not be released until a while later, because New Line wants everyone to get a chance to see the movie before Treebeard and Gollum are revealed in a non-movie form(i.e. people will have to see the movie instead of just looking at the models or whatever).
* Someone asked if Gollum's origin would be revealed, and the guy didn't seem to really know for sure, but the answer seemed to be 'yes,' he said Peter figured people wouldn't remember enough of the first few minutes of the film to get confused if they re-did the story. He also said Peter wanted Gollum to be really slimy.
* Arwen will of course be at Helm's Deep, but the lecturer said it wasn't that bad and he didn't understand why everyone made a big deal out of it.
* The next film will have Oliphaunts and Wargs, and Games Workshop models will be made of both.
* Someone asked if Grom was to be in RotK but he didn't really know, because the film hasn't really been reviewed yet. He figures it will be, and either way they will probably make a model.
* Games Workshop has liscense to anything LotR or directly related, which means they may put out some Hobbit-based scenarios, like the Battle of Five Armies and maybe Balin in a scenario fighting with his men in Moria.
* He said Peter Jackson has said he wanted to make the Hobbit later, but he's working on two other films right now. Someone yelled out "What are they?" It got a laugh, but as it turns out the two films are actually not TT and RotK- Peter is now filming a WWI movie, that they are claiming will be "a WWI version of Saving Private Ryan." [Cool!]We'll see.
Also he said that Peter wanted to make the Hobbit but didn't say much because New Line wanted to see how LotR did first, and I guess Peter figured he would do the same instead of worrying about a possible 'prequel' or whatever.
* Someone asked if Peter liked the game. The lecturer said that he thinks it's kind of fun to see a game based on his movie, and he likes the models, but he's not interested in the game itself as such.
* He seemed to think Sauron would appear again in RotK in physical form, but this was an opinion since he has not seen RotK(how could he?).
* The Nazgul will appear in RotK(duh) but he hears they will look a little different.
From: Ringer Spy Taniwha
Okay, I wasn't going to tell you guys about this in case I got busted somehow, but I was in the shooting of Helm's Deep on one of the 'Riding the Shield' days (Legolas hanging ten), but I'm not going to tell you where in the shot I am.
BUT: The call sheet for Helm's Deep that day was titled "The Death Of Haldir"…only I didn't know who 'Helldeer' was (I only heard them talking about it), just that he got whacked by an Uruk hai before Aragorn could save him. So yes, he's at Helm's Deep, but I'm not sure how long he lasts…naturally, I was already LONG since dead in the shot, like all the other elves.
See story above posted by maq!
This is one where I hope PJ does NOT stick to the book... If he leaves me hanging with Frodo either "dead" or captured by Orcs for a whole year, I will cry... Seriously. I will burst into tears!
Second question was the following: "Sorry to ask two questions, but people'll kill me if I don't ask this(I was talking about you guys!)." Anyway, I asked him "Is it true that Saruman gets spiked in the next movie?" He looked at me and responded, "No comment." The audience laughed and he went to other questions. So there you have it.
No need to answer, we have seen it!
Some other tidbits picked up: * Shadowfax will be really big. The guy said that New Line was supposed to loan them a cardboard standup of Gandalf on Shadowfax, but somehow there was a mixup and it got left in the warehouse. He said, however, that it was actual size and it was 14 feet tall. So Shadowfax is pretty big.
Shadowfax will not be 14 feet tall, the writer is being ridiculously silly here trying to pull clues out of a cardboard standup being 14 feet tall.
An Andalusian stallion will stand 5'8" or so at the shoulder. Add the height of Gandalf sitting on him, and their combined height might be a bit over 10-11 feet, depending on the hat. Have the horse rearing or in motion and you might get him a couple more feet off the ground.
Fantastic to hear that Helm's Deep will be a solid 45-minute block, and what about Haldir being slain at the Gates?! Wow! Thats gonna be dramatic. And the confirmation that PJ is serious about doing The Hobbit!
Woo Hoo is all I can say!
I know someone who will especially like that part...
Yes, PJ planned to do a remake of King Kong back in 94 or 96 but then with Godzilla was out at that time and Universal thought it would be monster-overkill so they dropped the deal and PJ decided to concentrate on LOTR instead, but he always planned to come back to King Kong again some day.
I've read the entire screenplay he wrote for Universal back in the 1990's. It's fantastic, really funny, really fast moving comedy/action stuff. Very similar to the original at times....I hope he makes it cause if it's anything like the 1st draft version then it'll be an action classic to rival Indy.
I agree about not putting Shelob into TT. I think the movie would flow better if it just ends with Frodo and Sam heading toward Cirith Ungol. Since the actual story of RoTK is only a little over half of the book, it makes sense to pad it with the whole Shelob thing. That would be quite a bit of screen time. There's going to be enough going on in TT without that part.
Thanks for the ping, maq!
I thought you might have been interested! ;-)
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