Jackson Talks “Tintin,” “Hobbit” Status

With the premiere last night in London for “The Lovely Bones”, the film’s director Peter Jackson was out doing press for the murder thriller. However it was his next two projects that most want to know about – the film versions of Herge’s “Tintin” graphic novel series and J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary classic “The Hobbit”.

As reported a few months ago, filming on the motion-capture “The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn” wrapped a while back after a super fast month-long shoot. Now however, Jackson says the film is already cut together with only nearly two years of animation ahead to complete.

“‘Tintin’ is great. It’s made. The movie is cut together and now [we] are turning it into a fully-rendered film. So the movie, to some degree, exists in a very rough state” said Jackson to a packed press conference which included The BBC.

In regards to “The Hobbit”, he and his co-writers have already finished the first film’s script and submitted it, and they’re now halfway through the second film’s script.

He adds that continuity will be kept between ‘Hobbit’ and his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy with much of the dialogue written in the same way, though director Guillermo del Toro will interpret the look and feel in his own way.

One good bit of news however is that despite all the 3D wizardy and fancy digital camera technology available, “Guillermo wants to shoot in 35mm, old-fashioned film, which suits me, because he wants to keep it in the same space as the original trilogy.”

UPDATE

Wednesday December 2nd 2009

The other day an interview with Peter Jackson indicated that filming on the two “The Hobbit” films had been pushed back from March to sometime mid-Summer 2010.

Now it seems that delay could push back the film’s release. The Wrap reports that while the first film’s December 2011 release date is still officially in play, “it looks more likely to be 2012″ according to an executive close to the film.

No word on how of if that would affect the second’s film release (could be a Matrix sequel style dual release over 2012, or an Xmas 2012/2013 release).

No McAdams In “Spider-Man 4″

Last week’s online talk of Rachel McAdams and Romola Garai auditioning for the role of The Black Cat in the fourth “Spider-Man” drew a lot of chatter.

Yesterday however that chance seemed to have been shot down as McAdams told Entertainment Weekly that “That’s a total rumor, I have to say. I was hanging out in Toronto the other day and someone came up to me and said, ‘I just heard yousaid, ‘Really? No one told me!’ It’s not true.”

The article further included a quote from a Sony Pictures spokesperson saying “It’s an Internet rumor, as so many things are these days”, effectively killing the story right there as Garai’s quote about her audition kept details very vague.

Is that the end though? Not quite. Hey U Guys had a report confirming that the character of Black Cat is in the film, a source that /Film claims to have verified.

So what is going on? For now the McAdams talk is over, the actress and a spokesman have officially denied it and unless there’s actual hard proof of her involvement then there’s no story.

The appearance of the Black Cat character in the film however is more tenuous, the actress and spokesperson quotes only denying McAdams involvement, not commenting on the character itself. Both websites have proven relatively reliable on sources which means the character is likely to be involved, but we won’t be sure until something more official comes out.

Lord of the Rings’ dwarf warrior says no to Hobbit

There’s a lot of speculation about who will/won’t be in the proposed Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit. Will Ian McKellen be back? Who will play Bilbo? Does Andy Serkis get to reprise the role of Gollum?

Well, one thing’s been made sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt: John Rhys-Davies will not come back in dwarf form.

Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli the dwarf in the Rings trilogy, was asked if he could return as another dwarf (perhaps Gloin, Gimli’s father?). He told Empire:

“I’ve already been asked and to be honest with you, I wouldn’t. I have already completely ruled it out. There’s a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment any more.”

Rhys-Davies is referencing the severe allergic reaction he had to the prosthetic makeup he wore for Rings. It got so bad that he could only work one day out of every three.

When asked if he could come back for a few smaller parts, he added, “Why would you want to do it if it was just a couple of shots? When you’ve been 1 of 1, why would you want to be 1 of 13?”

It looks as if he’s hung up his battle-axe for good, never to don the beard again. But what about another race?

“It was just a gentle ‘What would you feel about putting it on again?’ But no. I’d be interested in trying to create a different type of persona within … the thing. That is challenging as an actor. I’d really prefer to play something quite different. Maybe an Elf. They’ve got a different set of problems with The Hobbit, because you’ve got 13 dwarves, a whole band of them. … You’re trying to represent a whole race. … You’re trying to do for dwarves what The Lord of the Rings did for hobbits.”

The Hobbit will be covered in two films. The first will hit theaters in December 2011, followed by the second a year later.

Dragon Age RPG

It has been hundreds of years since the last Blight ravaged the world of Thedas. Many believe that it can never happen again, that the Dragon Age will pass without the rise of such evil. They are wrong. Beneath the earth the darkspawn stir. A new arch-demon has risen and with it a Blight that will scourge the lands and darken the skies. The nations of Thedas need a new generation of heroes, but who will answer the call?

This fall Green Ronin brings you the Dragon Age RPG, based on BioWare’s highly anticipated computer game, Dragon Age: Origins. Published in the classic boxed set format, Dragon Age is a perfect portal to the world of tabletop roleplaying. What follows is an excerpt from the Player’s Guide, which gives a good overview of what the game is all about. If you haven’t played Dragon Age: Origins, never fear. No previously knowledge is required to play and enjoy the Dragon Age RPG.

~ Introduction ~

Welcome to Dragon Age, a roleplaying game of dark fantasy adventure. In Dragon Age you and your friends take on the personas of warriors, mages, and rogues in the world of Thedas and try to make your names by overcoming sinister foes and deadly challenges. You may face down one of the vile darkspawn in ancient dwarven ruins, engage in a duel of wits with an Orlesian noble, or uncover the secrets of the Fade. You may win renown or you may die alone in the trackless wilderness. Whatever your fate, your story is your own to tell. In Dragon Age you make the choices and try to survive the consequences.

~ What’s In the Box? ~

The Dragon Age RPG comes in a series of boxed sets. Set 1 contains a Player’s Guide, a Game Master’s Guide, a poster map of the nation of Ferelden, and three 6-sided dice. This is all you need to get started with the game.

~ Getting Started ~

The first thing you need is a group of friends to play with, and one of you must take on the role of Game Master. While you can play with as few as one GM and one player, the game works best with one GM and three to five players. It is possible to play with more players, but that can slow down the pace of the game.

The GM has a key position so try to make sure that he or she really wants the job.Running a game is fun, but it’s a different experience than playing. Book 2 of this set, the Game Master’s Guide, explains the GM’s role in detail. The GM (and only the GM) should read that book.

Once you’ve settled on a GM, everyone else needs to make characters, known as PCs or Player Characters. In Dragon Age your character has the potential to become a great hero of Thedas, but begins as just another hungry adventurer scrabbling for glory. You do not get to start play as a knight or a grey warden. Those are positions that must be earned and that’s what playing the game is all about.

Your character is your primary responsibility as a player in a RPG. This is your alter ego in the game world. Over the course of many game sessions, your character will grow and change but every hero needs a starting point.

That is exactly what Chapter 2: Character Creation provides, giving you not only game stats but also a character concept, starting goals,and ties to other Player Characters. Once play begins the portrayal and development of your character is all up to you. Playing your character, achieving goals, and navigating the perils of a fantasy world — this is the fun of playing a RPG.

~ Basic Game – “Concepts” ~

In the Dragon Age RPG you will make a character. You can play a human, an elf, or a dwarf of various backgrounds. You then pick one of three classes: mage, rogue, or warrior. Your class defines the core of your character and determines the powers at your command.

Your character begins at level 1 as an inexperienced adventurer. By surviving encounters and overcoming challenges, your PC gains experience points and rises in level. Your character may eventually make it to level 20 and become one of the mightiest heroes of Thedas. It won’t be easy though.

Your character has eight abilities, such as Strength and Perception, and each one has a numeric rating, with 1 being average. When your character wants to do something, the GM may call for an ability test. This is a dice roll to determine success or failure and it’s the most common roll in the game. To make an ability test, you simple roll three dice, add the results together, and add the appropriate ability. This generates a test result and you want it to be high. (Test result = 3d6 + Ability)

You may have to apply other bonuses or penalties, most commonly ability focuses that represent areas of special expertise. Once you determine your test result, you tell the GM what you got and he’ll let you know if it’s a success or a failure and what happens. Your character also has a Health score. When damage is inflicted, this reduces Health. If it reaches 0, your character may die.

In combat your character can perform stunts. When doubles are rolled on an attack roll, this generates “stunt points.” You can then use these points to pull off a number of special maneuvers. Stunts help keep combat dynamic and fun. There are also spell stunts, which let mages enhance their spells.

That’s Dragon Age in brief. Now it’s time for you to make a character and give it a try. Game on!