LOTR Movie news archives from April 27, 2000 through May 16, 2000

LoTR Movie News Archives

From April 27, 2000 through May 16, 2000

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The Lord of the Rings movies

·Peter Jackson, with funding from New Line Cinema, produced three movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings". Filmed entirely in New Zealand, and starring actors such as Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Liv Tyler (Arwen), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), and Christopher Lee (Saruman), the movies approximately follow the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings with which most Tolkien fans are familiar: "The Fellowship of the Ring" (December 19, 2001), "The Two Towers" (December 18, 2002), and "The Return of the King" (December 17, 2003). Xenite.Org has been keeping fans informed about the progress of the movies since February 1998, longer than any other LoTR movie news site. We are also home to some of the best Tolkien and Middle-earth forums, fan fiction, and commentary on the Internet today.

LOTR Movie news archives from April 27, 2000 through May 16, 2000

May 16 news

· El Señor de los Anillos is reporting that two Andalusian horses were acquired for the movies, and these may in fact be used for Shadowfax and Arod (but they have no confirmatio). Amigos que hablan español. Deje por favor el elfenomo conocernos tienen más información sobre las heces de Nathaniel aquí. Tengo gusto del sitio mucho. Pero mi español no es tan bueno como era. Muchas gracias.

· John Howe's 2001 Tolkien Calendar goes on sale in August. Do you think it will have the release date for "The Fellowship of the Ring"?

· UK fans have a chance to meet Karl Urban, who is playing Eomer, this September at Hercules and Xena Panathenaea 2000. Karl plays Cupid and Julius Caesar on both television series (although H:TLJ has discontinued production and Kevin Sorbo has moved on to Andromeda). Thanks to Chris Corby for bringing this to our attention.

· Paul Person advised us that Humphrey Carpenter's Authorized Biography of J.R.R. Tolkien will be reissued on June 6 in paperback format. Carpenter's book is the most authoritative treatment of J.R.R. Tolkien's life.

· Ethan says he's in, Harry Knowles says he's out. Maybe Ethan tried out for the speaking part of the Lord of the Nazgul....

· Tolkien Online has an interesting spy report at fliming in the lower Hutt (sounds like a bad dream from Star Wars). The odd thing about this report is that the pony has "a saddle with a high pommel and cantle". That's not just a very medieval saddle, it sounds like a very special-purpose saddle, and there were no special purpose saddles in the original book. Are we in for a little night-time hobbit-jousting in the Shire? (Is the word "pony" used the same way in New Zealand as in the US?)

· Various Web sites are reporting that filming in the Mount Potts area will be covering a major battle scene in Rohan. Based on the topographical map at Tol Galen the region looks like a good match for filming the battles of the Fords of Isen. Theoden's son Theodred was killed in the second battle, and the West-Muster of Rohan was dispersed, allowing Saruman's army to pass unmolested deep into Rohan's territory. Joram Manka at Ringbearer has a pretty good reproduction of the picture of the set here (EDITOR'S NOTE: The site is no longer functional). A couple of other sites are carrying the image scan but they had broken links when we checked them. The snow-capped mountains in the back look like they could be good standins for the Misty Mountains, and the terrain is about right for the fords of Isen.

· TheOneRing.Net is reporting that John Leigh has been cast as Hama, the captain of Theoden's guard, and Nathaniel Lees has been cast as Ugluk. Lees has made numerous appearances on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys as both villains and good guys, including the blue priest of Hera from "Hercules and the Lost Kingdom" and "The Wedding of Alcmene", Cyrus in "The March to Freedom", and the Emissary in "The Gauntlet", the most popular of the legendary "Xena Trilogy" of first-season Hercules episodes which introduced Xena, the Warrior Princess to the television world. Lees' work includes roles on X:WP and other series as well as some film work. John Leigh is another New Zealand actor who has worked with Jackson before in "The Frighteners" and in the New Zealand television series "Shortland Street", where many New Zealand actors have honed their skills.

· We've got a new thing here at Xenite.Org. We're in the process of creating actor/character bio pages, not only for "The Lord of the Rings" but for some of the other shows and movies in which Xenite.Org has an interest. Check out our first two pages, Elijah Wood is Frodo Baggins and Liv Tyler is Arwen. The Liv Tyler page has an experimental RealAudio file which provides additional information about the character. Let Michael know what you think of the concept.

May 12 news

· The official German LoTR movies site have some new pictures up.

· So, Ian Holm left already, and Cate Blanchette is on her way to start filming her scenes as Galadriel. What happened to "The Grey Havens"? No Sam and Frodo meeting Bilbo and the Elves in the Shire?

· Considering what we've just said about Cate and Ian, are we fans anticipating too many changes? A tear for the Ents might be a little much. Hey, Bub! Bombadil rules!

· Well, I had to write something for Suite101, so it was time to write about The Wild, Wild, Wood-elf West.

May 11 news

· Mp3lit.com has just put up another audio clip of J.R.R. Tolkien reading from The Lord of the Rings. If you'd like to know how to pronounce the words to Galadriel's song, "Namarie", listen to this clip! (BTW -- Tolkien is their number 1 download artist for the week!) (EDITOR'S NOTE: NPLit.com is no longer functional.)

· Tol Galen is reporting that the scene outside the westgate of Moria is being filmed now.

· Download the Myst3 trailer and see if Brad Dourif shows up in his role as the new villain in the Myst series. Read the press release for the new game, Myst III: Exile. Brad will be a featured guest of the Tolkien and Middle-earth track at Dragoncon this June 29 - July 2 in Atlanta, GA.

· Tired of waiting to see which Tolkien movie site has New Zealand news first? (Well, technically, we do, through our news search links, which bring up the latest news articles in several New Zealand online publications, but....) Now you can read the news in five New Zealand cities every day at http://www.mytown.co.nz/ (but you'll have to wade through all the local events to find the LOTR news yourself...). (EDITOR'S NOTE: That domain no longer serves news.)

· They say no news is good news, but it sure don't satisfy anyone's curiosity.

· The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien is being reissued June 6 in paperback. See below for a more detailed description of the book, or check out our Middle-earth Books list.

· Did you know...

1. that the Dunedain did have beards?
2. that the Rohirrim were not "pure-blooded" Northmen?
3. that the person most responsible for J.R.R. Tolkien's fame and success died before she could see anything of the tidal forces she had set into motion?
4. that the Ents had two Biblical parallels with the ancient Hebrews? (Hint: sheperds and walls)
5. that Tolkien had a real-life encounter with a soldier-adventurer-author in a pub which reminded him of Frodo's meeting with Trotter (Aragorn)?
6. that Tolkien listed all the wealthier families in the Shire before he wrote The Lord of the Rings?

To all the kind, thoughtful, eloquent people who may view the above list with alarm. There is no error there. "Trotter" was originally a hobbit ranger whose place in the story was taken over by a man called "Trotter" who eventually became "Strider". The full history of the character's development may be read in The Return of the Shadow, volume VI of The History of Middle-earth series. For the sake of completeness you may also wish to acquire and read The Treason of Isengard and The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (this last one is a paperback which is due to be publishd in the US later this year).

Thank you for the warm and gentle words, dear friends, but I assure you all, I did make an effort to read up on these items before listing them. Please, don't be discouraged on my account. :)

· Sir Ian McKellen has answered some more email.

· Bothered by those stilts in the preview? Sir Ian says that was an abandoned idea for showing the size differences between hobbits and men (and, presumably, Elves).

May 9 news

· The Realm of the Ring reports that Theoden's charge out of the Hornburg has probably been filmed.

· Tolkien Online is carrying some interesting news items from New Zealand (look for "Comics, Casting, and Cate"). Tolkien fans aren't really that obsessed, are they?...

· Tolkien Online is also reporting that the New Zealand military had to manually clear a bombing range for filming. They were looking for unexploded bombs dropped by practicing pilots. Wouldn't that have saved some money in the SF budget? BTW, guys...John Rhys-Davies is much too tall to pass himself off as Gimli in real life.

May 5 news

· Xena Online Resources has added a Karl Urban Web sites category. We're expecting a growth in Karl fandom when his new show, The Privateers hits the airwaves this fall, and when fans finally get to see him play Eomer in "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King" (and we're talking 2-1/2 years before his Eomer role hits the screen).

· Tolkien-Movies.Com has a spy report which indicates the LOTR film crews are not tidying up after themselves. You'd think after all the problems with the environmentalists they would be more careful than that...

· Tolkien Online has a report from Secret Squirrel #1 (why doesn't anyone ever choose to be the Shire Fox?) reassuring fans who were concerned about Legolas that Orlando Bloom "looks completely different (better)" than in the Internet Preview. Yeah, well, Secret Squirrel got to see Orlando for day. We had to settle for the travel brochure (that's a Floridian joke).

· Question: How long should Boromir's hair be? Answer: It should be shorn around his shoulders, according to Tolkien's description in "The Council of Elrond". When did he get the hair-cut?

· Loyal fans know that Xenite.Org was the first site to list body doubles (blah, blah, blah). Actually, we've updated our list based on what TheOneRing.Net is now reporting, but we're documenting discrepancies, since it appears Sir Ian McKellen should know the name of his double. Check out our LoTR Movies credits page.

· TheOneRing.Net says Cate Blanchette will start filming as Galdriel in about a month (early June) and has been listening to the books on tape because she hasn't had time to read them.

· The LOTR movie plot summaries have been updated to reflect the most current information.

· Check out the writeup for Dragoncon in this week's Suite101 Tolkien and Middle-earth column!

· To fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World: Michael Sinelnikoff, who plays Professor Summerlee, has not been renewed for the second season. I encourage you to express your thoughts on The Lost World Message Board (EDITOR'S NOTE: That forum has been shut down). There is no Tolkien connection in this announcement. I just happen to be a big fan of the show and feel very disappointed in this decision. I encourage online fans who agree with me to speak out and say something to Telescene. That's what we Webmasters with the big sites get to do. Spread the word!

May 3 news

· Elemental Films has distributed some preproduction art to a few fan sites. You can see their vision of Aragorn and Aragorn versus a Nazgul pre-producion sketches. Each page also includes a copy of their distinctive logo. Eomer at Elessar Films says the project is on temporary hold pending resolution of licensing issues.

· TheOneRing.Net is reporting that Karl Urban, best known worldwide as Cupid and Julius Caesar on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess (he has played other roles on these shows and others) has been awarded the role of Eomer. Karl will also be appearing at DragonCon for the Hercules and Xena fan track this June 29 - July 2 in Atlanta, GA. We are inquiring into his availability for the Tolkien and Middle-earth track and will post more information here when it becomes available. Karl should also be visible in the main programming track at Dragoncon as he is bringing a group of swordfighters to help promote his new television series, The Privateers.

April 30 news

· E! Online's May report says the New Zealand government has forbidden the use of helicopters for aeriel filming in Whakapapa. This does strongly imply that Peter Jackson wanted to get some shots of people traversing the mountain, perhaps Sam and Frodo? The article definitely states Elijah Wood and Sean Astin are being filmed on location there.

· E! Online reports that the Orcs will have a variety of skin colors and individual facial features for closeups. Orc-blood is being depicted as black rather than red, perhaps because too much red blood would threaten the intended PG-13 rating for the movies.

· Orc mommies are cruel. Jackson's plans for Orc reproduction, as reported by E! Online (read the whole article -- we're not going to tell you everything) is that they are born as babies out of pods.

· How will the Elves be portrayed? Culturally they should seem artistic and individually expressive. The E! Online article implies this is how Jackson feels they should be depicted, and he has even lent a theme to the various historical periods (which will help viewers unfamiliar with the details of Tolkien's pseudohistory distinguish between the Elves of different Ages).

· The Nomads of Gondor? E! Online's article mentions that Gondorians became nomadic in the Third Age. Hm. Sounds like someone was paying a little TOO MUCH attention to all the comings and goings in Ithilien. Let it ride, folks.

· E! Online is also reporting that Second Age Sauron is being portrayed by a stunt actor in "completely encased in shiny, jagged-steel armor and a ragged, dark blue cape." The only physical description Tolkien ever gave of Sauron was provided in Letter 247:

  ...Sauron should be thought of as very terrible.  The form that he took
  was that of a man of more than human stature, but not gigantic.  In his
  earlier incarnation [Michael's note: prior to the Downfall of Numenor]
  he was able to veil his power (as Gandalf did) and could appear as a
  commanding figure of great strength of body and supremely royal demeanour
  and countenance.

Keep in mind that Jackson is producing these movies under license to Tolkien Enterprises, which only owns the film rights for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. They cannot directly use material from the other books. In my humble opinion as a Tolkien purist, Jackson's portrayal of Sauron appears to be a good choice. Tolkien never said Sauron appeared as a great eye. He merely said that when Sauron returned to Mordor after the Downfall of Numenor "there he took up again his great Ring in Barad-dur, and dwelt there, dark and silent, until he wrought himself a new guise, an image of malic and hatred made visible; and the Eye of Sauron the Terrible rew could endure." ("Akallabeth") Not only is this an incomplete description (Tolkien was not saying that Sauron was an eye), it comes from The Silmarillion, and therefore falls outside the rights Jackson has licensed.

Somewhere around April 27 news

· Has the prospect of all that movie-related merchandise got you down, Bunky? Well, did you know Tolkien Enterprises says on their Web site that "snce 1978, Tolkien Enterprises has carried out a worldwide licensing program, through which we have authorized dramatizations, musicals, puppet performances, services and merchandise using the Tolkien trademarks. Our licensees have produced a large range of merchandise, including board games, puzzles, computer games, chess sets, playing cards, tarot decks, T-shirts, costumes, masks, buttons, belt buckles, dolls, puppets, metal miniature figures, coloring books, music, linens, pewter figurines, porcelain figurines, collector plates, clocks, daggers & swords, action figures, bulletin boards, mirrors, posters, calendars, note-cards, stationery, collectible card games, role-playing games, decals and bumper stickers"?

· Tarot decks, eh? Wonder what the devout Catholic Mr. Tolkien would have thought of such a thing. Can you imagine Saruman checking out the progress of events with his handy LOTR Tarot deck after Grima Wormtongue tosses the palantir out the window? Nonetheless, Peter Pracownik's artwork is exquisite. You can check it out at his official Lord of the Rings Tarot Web site. (And now how long will it be before all that artwork shows up in the banners and backrground images of the various Tolkien fan sites?)

· Chimera Publishing, is offering for sale "the signed and numbered Alan Lee portfolio titled 'The Drawings of Alan Lee' published by CYGNUS in 1983. Not exactly Tolkien-related, but collectors will want to look at the inventory available.

· So. Just exactly which scenes are they filming at Whakapapa ski-field on Mt Ruapehu? TheOneRing.Net says it's the "Last Alliance" sequence. But Imladris says it's the Misty Mountain scenes. If the "Last Alliance" sequence for the prologue is being filmed there, then it stands to reason that other scenes from late in the book (Sam and Frodo's approach to Orodruin, the final confrontations with Gollum, and maybe Gandalf's rescue) may be in the our-week schedule they had set up before snow came down and made a small mess of things. Hm...

· Just a small note for those of you who haven't noticed yet. Tolkien-movies.com is changing servers and they are, apparently, waiting for their new IP address to propagate to name servers everywhere. We here at Xenite.Org know what that's like. Best wishes to the Webmasters. You can check out their temporary site and, if you're a Spanish-speaking/reading fan, they have links to some articles in Español. Or you could just check out Las neuvas peliculas en EL SEÑOR DE LOS ANILLOS.

· Do you have a high-speed connection? (Cable modem or T1 recommended) Take a look at these Tolkien-related search results at a broadband (that is, multimedia) search engine named Scour.

· Have you checked out the 7-volume plus CD Millennium Edition of The Lord of the Rings?