Last night at Warner Bros' Comic-Con presentation, stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis, surprise guest Elijah Wood and director Peter Jackson attended the panel to screen new footage from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. This time, the footage was screened in 24fps and not in 48fps, which was controversial with fans who saw footage in that format at Cinema-Con. Thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we have a full description of the four scenes shown to Hall H attendees. Check it out down below.
Scene 1: Gandalf and the 13 dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), debate whether Bilbo should be allowed to join their quest to reclaim their treasure from Smaug, since it’s not clear if he is clever and sneaky enough to help them break into his secret lair. Eventually, Gandalf stands firm, and Bilbo reads over the “standard” contract to join their quest, which includes clauses noting that “laceration, evisceration, [and] incineration” are possible fates for him. Bilbo faints.
Scene 2: Bilbo meets Gollum (Andy Serkis), looking (slightly) younger than he did in The Lord of the Rings but still very much gripped by his Smeagol/Gollum split personality — they debate whether to eat Bilbo, or play word games with him. Bilbo realizes his best chance of escaping the goblin tunnels alive is to play along with Gollum, so he proposes a game of riddles. If he wins, Gollum helps him out. If he loses, says Gollum, “we eats it whole.”
Scene 3: Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) asks Gandalf why he brought “the halfling” on this most unexpected journey, prompting one of Gandalf’s soul-stirring speeches about how it’s “the small deeds by ordinary folk” that best hold evil at bay. It ends with what I perceived as quite a tender moment between Galadriel and Gandalf, hinting at an unspoken ache in Gandalf’s heart for the attentions of this celestial being standing before him.
Scene 4: We see Bilbo pick up the fateful One Ring, and then cut to a later scene where Bilbo almost confesses to Gandalf about the new item he’s picked up on his way. “I found something in the goblin tunnels,” says Bilbo.
“What did you find?” says Gandalf, clearly concerned.
“My courage.”
EW discuss the full
Hobbit panel in detail (including information on the next production blog) in their full article, which you can read by clicking
HERE!
The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic 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 know.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is due out on December 14, 2012, with The Hobbit: There and Back Again arriving a year later, on December 13, 2013.
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.