April 7, 2000

2:45 PM

Lord of the Rings Trailer released...wowis it something. I wasn't too sure about this one before (Liv Tyler as Arwen? Oy...), and, while the acting may suck, it looks like it's going to be quite a spectacle.
posted by RakDaddy (15 comments total)

if i was a girl, id be moist, but i guess that means im hard.
posted by sikk at 6:29 PM on April 7, 2000

I think Liv will be alright :-)
And the acting might not be that bad!

One ring to rule them all
One ring to find them
One ring to bring them all
And in the darkness bind them.

In the land of darkness where the shadows lie.

I can't wait...hey, reckon they'll make a move of the Silmarillion after the LoTR trilogy? ;-)
posted by tomcosgrave at 6:50 PM on April 7, 2000

If Liv Tyler is the worst thing about the cast, I'd still say we're doing okay.

Besides, it'll just be gorgeous to see Sir Ian McKellen playing Gandolf.
posted by ratbastard at 8:17 PM on April 7, 2000

That's Gandalf...
I hate it when people do the "o" thing :-)
posted by tomcosgrave at 8:48 PM on April 7, 2000

Mmmmm.... Viggo....

Oh. I'm sorry, that was my out-loud voice, wasn't it?
posted by jason at 10:00 PM on April 7, 2000

Yesss, my precioussss. Yessss.
posted by Awol at 10:49 PM on April 7, 2000

Oh, my lord. Have you looked at the rest of the cast:

• John Rhys-Davies,
• Christopher Lee,
• Cate Blanchett,
• Brad Dourif, and
• Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins.

Sadly, the Gollum (spell-checked for Tom's protection) isn't listed in the credits. I'm guessing he'll just be a CGI.
Me, I was hoping for Steve Buscemi.
posted by ratbastard at 5:38 AM on April 8, 2000

I was hoping for Danny DeVito.

And Don? Thanks, those mistaken "a's" really get to me ;-)
posted by tomcosgrave at 7:04 AM on April 8, 2000

There are a few characters left that will pretty much need to be in the story, but no actors have been announced for the roles:

Faramir
Denethor
Treebeard
Eomer

Heck, they mentioned a part for Haldir already, he had a *short* part in the book. I'm guessing that they couldn't possibly leave out these much more important characters.

Personally, I'm hoping for Patrick Stewart to play Denethor. I wonder who they'll get for the others. I also wonder if they'll get someone famous for a big cameo as Barliman.
posted by CalvinTheBold at 8:11 AM on April 8, 2000

Faramir - Kenneth Brannagh would be good.
Denethor - Patrick Stewart as said by Calvin, or else Sean Connery.

Treebeard - CG I bet, with an actors voice.
Eomer - I have no idea.

As for Barliman, John Candy would have been good :-(
As it stands, I can think of no better than British TV actor Brian Blessed, who did a very good role as Long John Silver from Treasure island - I think he'd be good as Barliman.

They should have given a different part to Dourif - Grima should have been given to Buscemi.

Dourif could be Boromir?

posted by tomcosgrave at 3:06 PM on April 8, 2000

Gollum's voice will be done by Andy Serkis.
Theonering.net always has good info & spy reports from the set.
posted by prolific at 9:48 AM on April 9, 2000

I was sure that they were going to completely screw up this movie. I really didn't think that there was any way to really do the story justice. Now, all that has changed. I cannot watch the trailer without getting shivers. Xmas 2001 is just too far away.
posted by Calebos at 10:10 AM on April 9, 2000

Have no fear: Peter Jackson is brilliant.

If you're interested in seeing what this director can do, go rent Heavenly Creatures right now. It's a mystery, of sorts, based on a true story that took place in Christchurch, New Zealand, in the 1950s. Because it involves a fantasy world imagined by the female teenage characters, there are many opportunities to integrate CGI and other effects directly into the story. Jackson also shows off his incredible attention to accent and character detail, important for any LotR adaptation. From my seat, it's seamless, and a brilliantly affecting film. A young Kate Winslet stars.

Based on this evidence alone, I have high expectations for the trilogy!
posted by dhartung at 2:06 PM on April 9, 2000

Jackson used to make slash/horror flicks before he stunned everybody with Heavenly Creatures...
posted by prolific at 3:11 PM on April 9, 2000

By the way, if you want to download the trailer to your harddisk, here's the direct link. Rightclick to save.
posted by prolific at 6:30 AM on April 10, 2000