Although Entertainment Weekly promised a look ahead at next year’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in their upcoming collector’s issues, they’re going even further ahead with this new image from 2014′s The Hobbit: There and Back Again. It features a good look at both Luke Evans (The Raven), who plays Bard the Bowman, and Orlando Bloom, who returns as the Elf, Legolas. Bard was mentioned in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit but Legolas didn’t turn up until The Lord of the Rings series, so what’s he doing here other than looking all immortal and pretty? Hit the jump to see the full image along with an explanation from the filmmakers.
[Update: A new image from An Unexpected Journey has been released that features Gandalf squaring off against the Goblin King, which is now included after the jump.]
Check out the first image from The Hobbit: There and Back Again, courtesy of EW:
As for the on-screen presence of Laketown’s hero, Bard the Bowman, screenwriter and producer Philippa Boyens had this to say:
“Bard is an interesting character, but [in the book] he’s kind of a random character who comes in after the fact. We take more time introducing him. We know from what follows that he was a father, so we [explore] that. I don’t think we take liberties, because it’s all there in the storytelling.”
Regarding the return of fan-favorite Legolas, director Peter Jackson commented as such:
“He’s [elven king] Thranduil’s son, and Thranduil is one of the characters in The Hobbit, and because elves are immortal it makes sense Legolas would be part of the sequence in the Woodland Realm.”
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens December 14th, with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opening December 13, 2013 and The Hobbit: There and Back Again debuting on July 18, 2014.
Peruse all of our recent coverage of The Hobbit below:
- Dave’s review of the film.
- Steve’s set visit round-up and 70 things to know.
- Peter Jackson on-set interview.
- Ian McKellan on-set interview.
- Martin Freeman on-set interview.
- Richard Armitage on-set interview.
- Weta Workshop head Richard Taylor on-set interview.
- 6 clips from the film.
- 20-minutes of behind-the-scenes footage.
Here’s the image from An Unexpected Journey via EW.
First Trailer for ELYSIUM Starring Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and Sharlto Copley
AMC Considers Saul Goodman BREAKING BAD Spin-Off
Mondo’s CEO Justin Ishmael Talks Future Gallery Shows, Drew Struzan’s DARK TOWER, HBO, Alex Ross, Olly Moss’ SPIRITED AWAY, Future Projects, and More
24 Hi-Res Images from STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS
Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull Says MAN OF STEEL Is “the Superman Movie I’ve Always Wanted to See”
Orlando Bloom really doesn’t age, does he? And it looks like Legolas will join his father in the Battle of Five Armies? That would be fantastic.
Chewbacca in RoS … Yeah, that worked …
Yeah, but basically NOTHING in the SW prequels worked…..
it actually did…
Don’t drink the haterade folks – it will be fine. Their explanation is valid: Legolas would indeed have been alive, so why not? It’s not like they’re making him a main character in all three films. Besides, it’s a film ADAPTATION, not a page-by-page retelling. Just look at Two Towers; the films spent WAY more time at Helm’s Deep than the book did, but it didn’t destroy the integrity of the story. They stay true where/when it counts, so I’m still excited.
Aaron Sullivan^^^^ nailed it! The Hobbit needed liberties taking, otherwise there wouldn’t be much of a decent film at all. The final portion of the book seems very rushed, hardly any Smaug action (a sin considering its their main mission) the Dragon attack is covered over two pages. Bard was a nobody that just turned up (spoilers..) and fired an arrow into the dragon. What the hell was that? I’d have thought Bilbo or Theoden would have been Dragon slayer, not some Extra that pops up briefly. And the battle of 5 armies, again, was so quick and came from nowhere it was like Tolkien wrote it in 5 minuits.
Jackson clearly knows what he’s doing here, the book is not as perfect as many people seem to remember it.
And i’ve not seen the appendices that were added later that PJ has somehow fit into the films.
While visually, the hobbit movie is not how i visioned it to look, i’d say the story will end up better. And the characters too.
The LOTR films are better than the books in certain areas and I can already see they are making the Hobbit better (Showing Gandalfs side adventure, fleshing out Bard, etc)
Evans AND Bloom? This is the single whitest image commited to celluloid ever.