SDCC 2012: The Hobbit Panel Recap

If there’s one bit of news to take away from today’s panel for The Hobbit, it’s that Peter Jackson has gone on record to say that he may film a third chapter to the story!

Now on to the panel. Peter Jackson will be including his Comic Con adventure in the next production blog for The Hobbit, so he started the panel by having all 6.500 people in the audience yell, Hi From Comic Con!

Fans then got twelve minutes of footage including a featurette on the last five days of principal photography. There was a lot of Dwarf footage. Each of them got an introduction. We also got to explore the home of Bilbo Baggins. The featurette also spent some time on Andy Serkis who is both Gollum and Second director. This could be his ticket to an Oscar.

At the panel was: Philippa Boyons, co writer/ producer, Serkis, Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield), Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins), Sir Ian McKellen, and Elijah Wood (Frodo).

After introducing the panel, the real footage began. Here’s a description via Yahoo Movies:
kson didn’t want to waste any time getting to the footage, but he felt compelled to say that the music was held in place by temporary tracks, as Howard Shore hasn’t started recording with the London Philharmonic yet. Jackson also made sure to preface the fact that most of the effects shots weren’t finished. And also, as a nice added bonus, not all of the footage would be from part 1, “An Unexpected Journey,” but also some glimpses of part 2!

The footage itself starts in the Shire, at Baggins’ home, where the dwarves have assembled around a large table. There is talk of ominous signs, of dragons. Gandalf is there, and it is agreed that the time has come to take back the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the treacherous dragon Smaug. But how? Gandalf unveils a mysterious key, which he says Thorin’s father entrusted to Gandalf. Now Gandalf gives the key to Thorin.

The crew agrees they need a burglar to sneak into the lair. Someone stealth and courageous. All agree that’s not Bilbo, especially Bilbo. But Gandalf insists in a very grand and menacing way. The dwarves agree. They hand Bilbo a contract that includes payment plans and funeral arrangements. Bilbo faints.

We cut to Gandalf riding a horse at a rapid pace, sword unsheathed. We see Saroman. We see Galadriel (Cate Blanchet). We see a frozen river. Gandalf appears at the edge of mysterious place, danger looms. A fellow rider asks Gandalf what if it’s a trap. Gandalf knows it is but enters anyway. A flurry of a mad bearded man, stalking Gandalf through a maze.

Next we see Bilbo and Gollum in a cave, somewhere near the dragon’s lair. Bilbo has his sword drawn. Gollum’s dual personalities scare Bilbo, yet he senses he can negotiate with Smaegal. They agree to a battle of riddles, where Gollum will show Bilbo the way out of the cave.

Now we’re in the Rivendell. Galadriel asks Gandalf why he has chosen the Halfling for the job. Gandalf says he doesn’t know, except that Bilbo gives him courage when he is afraid.

Back in the cave, we see a flash of the one ring to rule them all. A Hobbit hand picks it up.
We cut to a scene in a field where Gandalf and Bilbo walk together. Gandalf notices a change in Bilbo. Bilbo wants to confess about what he found in the cave. But when pressed, Bilbo only answers that he found his courage. “Good,” says Gandalf, “You’ll need it!”

Smash cut to lots of fighting. Orcs! Trolls! Creatures great and small and Orlando Bloom. Fade to black. And the shrieks and cries of appreciative fans, who now knew they didn’t wait in vein.

One fan asked about Jackson’s Cameo. He admitted that he was actually heading back to New Zealand to shoot it the next day.

A female fan asked about Galadriel’s role. Boyons answered by stating that Galadriel is the most powerful being in middle earth at this time. She also mentioned that Tariel is a new female elf created for specifically for the film, played by Evangeline Lilly.

When one fan asked about how hard it was to work in prosthetics and hobbit feet, Martin Freeman said: “It’s a little like a fledgling duck, finding your flippers for first few days of wearing hobbit feet.”

Richard Armitage added that the dwarf make up means that you have to work your face harder to get emotion to show through.