The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Movie Discussion: The Hobbit:
Richard Armitage as Thorin

News from Bree spymaster@theonering.net Oct 22 2010, 1:14pm Views: 7847 Richard Armitage as Thorin There's been a lot of discussion since yesterday's casting announcements about Richard Armitage playing the role of Thorin Oakenshield. After all, he doesn't 'seem' to fit the role after a quick glance. Well, thanks to Photoshop, and Ringer Ringer WouterG, we can at least get a better picture of what he might appear like in The Hobbit films. Click the image for a larger version. Enjoy!

Owain Tol Eressea Oct 22 2010, 7:22pm Views: 4780 LOL! Nice job WouterG... He still has a come hither look in his eye. "Question everything, embrace the bad, and hold on to the good."

macfalk Valinor Oct 22 2010, 7:29pm Views: 4779 Amazing: I was incredibly shocked first I read the news this morning that he'd been cast as Thorin. But as the hours has passed by, I'm starting to think he can actually pull this off. Beards + makeup + prosethetics + general movie magic = A possible great Thorin. After all, this is PJ' s call. And it seems to me he was very impressed. And I trust that... The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.

stuartjames92 Registered User Oct 22 2010, 7:30pm Views: 4696 Great job Looks the part to me. It will be fun to hear about everyone that was considered for the role and who might have turned it down. RA will do a great job.

smokerings Rivendell Oct 22 2010, 7:33pm Views: 4764 no no no... I know this is PS, but my lord. Let's just wait and see how he really looks. In the PS above, he looks like he is part of some broadway play...Lord of the Dwarves.

Tim Tol Eressea Oct 22 2010, 7:37pm Views: 4660 YES, EXACTLY what I just posted about a second ago. He's going to look completely different folks this gives us a good example of how much. King Arthur: Who are you who can summon fire without flint or tinder? Tim: There are some who call me... Tim?

Doriath Rivendell Oct 22 2010, 7:39pm Views: 4651 or the love child of a Klingon and a Dwarf ;) The Trees will have their revenge! And they will have it in glorious 2D!

Estel78 Tol Eressea Oct 22 2010, 7:46pm Views: 4748 Awful nose! Ugh, he got a Saruman nose.

Alassëa Eruvande Valinor Oct 22 2010, 7:47pm Views: 4695 *giggles uncontrollably* "Come hither", indeed! *kerplunk* And suddenly the Tornadoes saw afar off a greenlight, as it were a cloud with a living heart of flame; and they knew that this was no vision only, but that PJ had made a new thing: The Hobbit, the Film that Is.

Flagg Tol Eressea Oct 22 2010, 7:48pm Views: 4675 Not sure I want to know who else was considered Sure, it can be interesting. But it can also be depressing. It depends on who was chosen and who wasn't...

Captain Salt Tol Eressea Oct 22 2010, 7:50pm Views: 4647 Looks quite good... Seeing as Thorin is pretty much the "Aragorn" of TH, (Warrior King in exile who returns to reclaim his ancestral homeland), let's see if Richard Armitage ends up as the "Viggo Mortensen" of The Hobbit! No preasure, Richard... ' Samuel L. Jackson for Bilbo, Woody Allen for Thorin, Lewis Black for Bard and Gilbert Gottfried for Smaug! MAKE IT HAPPEN, PETER!!!

Doriath Rivendell Oct 22 2010, 7:50pm Views: 4641 yeah I envision the nose as bigger, more prominent but I'm sure that will all be taken care of The Trees will have their revenge! And they will have it in glorious 2D!

Owain Tol Eressea Oct 22 2010, 7:52pm Views: 4721 I just look at him and hear Sean Connery's voice. Yesshh. I am a dwawf. Fear me AND love me. "Question everything, embrace the bad, and hold on to the good."

smokerings Rivendell Oct 22 2010, 7:52pm Views: 4589 agreed.... SOMEONE FIX THAT NOSE STAT!

mulubinba Rivendell Oct 22 2010, 8:04pm Views: 4625 Agree I was a bit dubious at first but knowing that RA is a great actor and has often mentioned that he loved The Hobbit as a child, I'm sure he will make a good Thorin. No doubt the make up department will do its magic with beards etc.

bookgirl13 Lorien Oct 22 2010, 8:07pm Views: 4651 That's his real nose ... ... And not too out of place in that dwarven hair and beard. He looks rather similar to Alan Lee's illustrations in The Hhobbit.

Huan71 Lorien Oct 22 2010, 8:22pm Views: 4563 I also agree ! He is first and foremost a very good actor. we all know the make up and SFX departments are going to be the very best in the business. So i see no reason why they cant pull this off. Maybe Peter Jackson knows exactly what he's doing and we'll all be pleasantly surprised!

N.E. Brigand Half-elven Oct 22 2010, 8:30pm Views: 4535 Why do many people think Dwarves should have large noses? //   <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Discuss Tolkien’s life and works in the Reading Room! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= How to find old Reading Room discussions.

Gimilkhad The Shire Oct 22 2010, 8:41pm Views: 4588 Don't believe... ...he'll look much like that. This is an ensemble cast with possibly 13 dwarves, they've got to make each one a personality, they've got to allow each actor to express himself. They can't have every one under thick wigs and prosthetics. The audience won't be able to follow who's who. They'll look like dwarves, but they won't all be made up like JRD was as Gimli, particularly central characters like Thorin.

Eruonen Half-elven Oct 22 2010, 8:47pm Views: 4527 Right, keeping in mind this is not a Disney dwarf....erase that memory... I always pictured them as usually bearded, muscular, grim faced - basically shorter in stature men - but generally less attractive in features. Some may have large noses but not all..some are fat but not all....just like us. Keeping in mind they were Aule's poor imitation of mankind. I am sure we will be happy with the appearances..... I suspect the production will not use the same make up techniques that JRD had to endure...maybe very little make up. (This post was edited by Eruonen on Oct 22 2010, 8:51pm)

duats Grey Havens Oct 22 2010, 8:58pm Views: 4474 If they decide To use less prosthetics for the dwarves, I wonder if they'll use the same aging technique they used on Bernard Hill for the bewitched Theoden. Or maybe they've decided to go with a considerably younger portrayal of Thorin - for which reason I cannot understand.

Eruonen Half-elven Oct 22 2010, 9:03pm Views: 4555 Thorin was only about 195 years old...with a dwarvish life expectancy of anywhere from 250-500 years....he was in his prime..not old. Gimli was about 139-40 (This post was edited by Eruonen on Oct 22 2010, 9:05pm)

sharku Rivendell Oct 22 2010, 9:13pm Views: 4483 Brian Blessed Not to hijack this thread, but I'd REALLY love now to see Brian Blessed get a role - either as a dwarf, or as Beon. I mean look at these images - PJ can save on makeup and prostheses - this guy already looks the part! http://www.google.co.nz/...biw=1228&bih=804

Eruonen Half-elven Oct 22 2010, 9:22pm Views: 4477 If not a dwarf...how about as the Great Goblin!

Plurmo Rohan Oct 22 2010, 9:26pm Views: 4415 At the end of the Third Age It would be very rare for a dwarf to live more than 250 years. Armitage is too young for the role, but since PJ chose him he must have good reasons for that.

Daisy Gold The Shire Oct 22 2010, 9:32pm Views: 1398 Thorin the grey? I hope not. I would like to see Thorin with fairly dark hair greying at the temples, maybe with a dashing white streak.....a distinguish, charismatic leader.

Zizix Rivendell Oct 22 2010, 9:41pm Views: 1450 I keep thinking PJ must have had good reasons to cast Stuart Townsend as Aragorn too, but it didn't work out. On the other hand, that also assures me that if any of the casting doesn't work, PJ will replace them, even if shooting has already started. I'm sure they can do a lot with prosthetics and I actually like Richard Armitage's somewhat un-stereotypical-dwarf-nose in this pic . But Thorin = much older than Gimli yet Thorin actor = much younger than John Rhys-Davies in LotR (who was perfect IMO) seems strange...

Oden Rivendell Oct 22 2010, 9:47pm Views: 1427 Change from "homeless" dwarf to King under the Mountain I am interested to see the transformation (not just in clothing, weapons, armour but also psychologically) of Thorin (and the other dwarves) from the "homeless" dwarves of the beginning of The Hobbit to the dwarves who have reclaimed their kingdom under the mountain. I would expect them to be more armoured, etc (similar to Gimli from LOTR) at the end of the story. But I look forward to the more "plain clothes" dwarves at the beginning of the story.

Voorhas Lorien Oct 22 2010, 9:55pm Views: 1379 King Under the Mountain of Latex Prosthetics. //

SirDennisC Half-elven Oct 22 2010, 10:17pm Views: 1449 Hey, complaining about his nose is my bit! Perhaps they should reconsider doing this in 3D after all.

N.E. Brigand Half-elven Oct 22 2010, 10:23pm Views: 1345 Not 500 years. Almost every dwarf in the "Durin's Line" family tree who died a natural death did so between the age of 240 and 260. I believe the only exception is Dwalin, whose 350 years are suspected by Christopher Tolkien to be a slip -- though I prefer to think of it as a joke by J.R.R.T. And of course "Durin the Deathless", first of the line, is said to have lived an exceptionally long time. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Discuss Tolkien’s life and works in the Reading Room! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= How to find old Reading Room discussions.

Plurmo Rohan Oct 22 2010, 10:34pm Views: 1336 You make very fine points, as usual, Zizix, perhaps PJ is still prone to this sort of error but it is possible that this time he needs a younger guy because of the workload. They will try to make a dwarf fight the way we dream a dwarf should fight and that means more agile movements than what was achieved with Gimly, whose main fighting scene was CGI. It would take a lot of suspension of disbelief to watch a dwarf with restrained movements fight a spider and survive. I think the young age of the actors means PJ will use CGI sparingly for his main dwarves. But the trade-off, as you pointed out, might be a less seasoned and kingly Thorin, even comparable (in age) to Gimly, when the difference between Thorin and LOTR-time Gimli is in fact like the difference between a man of 75 and a man of 50 years approximately.

Ruijor Rohan Oct 22 2010, 11:14pm Views: 1302 Brian Blessed He would be one of my choices definitely, either for a dwarf ot Beorn!

Eruonen Half-elven Oct 22 2010, 11:37pm Views: 1349 Correct, most reach 250 years and those over 300 were equivalent to our > 100 years olds. HoMe XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth; 'Durin's Folk': "Dwarves of different 'breeds' vary in their longevity. Durin's race were originally long-lived (especially those named Durin), but like most other peoples they had become less so during the Third Age. Their average age (unless they met a violent death) was about 250 years, which they seldom fell far short of, but could occasionally far exceed (up to 300). A Dwarf of 300 was about as rare and aged as a Man of 100. Dwarves remained young - e.g. regarded as too tender for really hard work or for fighting - until they were 30 or nearly that (Dáin II was very young in 2799 (32) and his slaying of Azog was a great feat). After that they hardened and took on the appearance of age (by human standards) very quickly. By forty all Dwarves looked much alike in age, until they reached what they regarded as old age, about 240. They then began to age and wrinkle and go white quickly (baldness being unknown among them), unless they were going to be long-lived, in which case the process was delayed. Almost the only physical disorder they suffered from (they were singularly immune from diseases such as affected Men, and Halflings) was corpulence. If in prosperous circumstances, many grew very fat at or before 200, and could not do much (save eat) afterwards. Otherwise 'old age' lasted not much more than ten years, and from say 40 or a little before to near 240 (two hundred years) the capacity for toil (and for fighting) of most Dwarves was equally great." So, if 250 yrs is equivalent to around 80 -85 human years than we can divide 250 / 80 = 3.125 then multiply by a given human age to arrive at an equivalent dwarf age...or a dwarf age of 195 / 3.125 = 62.4 human years. So Thorin, being a dwarf may have been middle aged but remained still vigorous as was their nature until old age. (This post was edited by Eruonen on Oct 22 2010, 11:39pm)

Plurmo Rohan Oct 23 2010, 1:45am Views: 1365 Thanks for the research It clarifies the age problem. I tend to see 250 as very old because of this passage (The quest for Erebor): "But Dáin Ironfoot was a worthy successor. And now we hear that he fell fighting before Erebor again, even while we fought here. I should call it a heavy loss, if it was not a wonder that in his great age he could still wield his axe as mightily as they say he did..." He was 251 years old.

Mooseboy018 Grey Havens Oct 23 2010, 1:55am Views: 1277 CGI? Since when was Gimli (not Gimly) CGI when he was fighting?

Plurmo Rohan Oct 23 2010, 2:16am Views: 1300 Outside Hornburg's gate, along Aragorny :) //

Mooseboy018 Grey Havens Oct 23 2010, 3:19am Views: 1313 For realz? I'm gonna have to watch that again. I never noticed.

kjeevah Bree Oct 23 2010, 5:10am Views: 1257 Thorin and chums Here's my attempt, including a bit more makeup - http://i52.tinypic.com/161hk3o.jpg

Doriath Rivendell Oct 23 2010, 6:23am Views: 1271 That decorative axe I really hope they have some different designs for some of the weaponry in the next films. I never liked the look of that axe. It looks flimsy and decorative to me. A good Dwarven axe should, in my mind, be hefty and some of them should be double sided. The Trees will have their revenge! And they will have it in glorious 2D!

Earl Forum Admin / Moderator Oct 23 2010, 6:57am Views: 1446 Richard Armitage looks EXACTLY like John Howe's Thorin... ... right down to the slender pointy nose. See this link. (This post was edited by Earl on Oct 23 2010, 6:58am)

maut Rivendell Oct 23 2010, 10:02am Views: 1158 Looks quite well I should say he is a great choice! One Ring to rule them all, one Ring to find them, one Ring to bring them all, and in darkness bind them! __________________________________ Naur ann adriat ammin! I have written Gandalf is here in signs that all can read from Rivendell to the mouths of Anduin.

R4W13Y Bree Oct 23 2010, 3:20pm Views: 1161 I love this! I think he looks incredible and perfect! I am so excited to see production stills Thanks so much for doing this, News from Bree!