Serkis: Freeman "unpredictable" on The Hobbit

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Andy Serkis says Martin Freeman was unpredictable on the set of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Serkis insists Martin is "brilliant" at being directed, but he also enjoyed putting his own stamp on the character of Bilbo Baggins in the adventure movie.

Serkis -– who made his directorial debut as a second unit helmer in the film -- said: "You just don't know what you are going to get. Yet he's brilliant at taking direction. There's a rhythm that one works with Martin. He likes to try it his way and then you start saying, 'What about this?' When he gets it, it's gold. And it's so totally Bilbo."

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But I am worried that practically every interview has mentioned the "comedy" in the films:

"He's lighter, I would say. For black-and-white purposes he's more comic. It's a more comedic … journey."
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Surely that can't be the only thing to mention about the films?! Worrying needlessly, I know...
 
DanielLB wrote: I am worried that practically every interview has mentioned the "comedy" in the films

For Tolkien fans who want the Hobbit films to reflect the spirit of the book, I would say this is good news, not bad.

Personally, I love the idea of a light-hearted fantasy with a comedic anti-hero that evolves over the course of three films into an epic tale.
 
But it seems that every character has "comedic" role. I would like some serious-ness. It also depends on what type of humour they are going for.
 
...just like he likes trying a lot of new things, and when the director sees something he likes, Martin can stick with it. Or at least that's my interpretation. Love both Freeman and Serkis.
 
I dont think Bard, Gandalf, Thorin ,Thranduil, Smaug, Master of Laketown, Necromancer etc..are going to be comedic characters.
I dont think BOT5A ,Dol Goldur, Goblin Town destruction of Dale etc..are gonna be comedy sketches?
Point is that i think you are focusing too much on what you perceive as bad.
To the point where you make it a bigger issue in your mind than it should be.
Just like people were up in arms over the beards ( or lack thereof ) of the Dwarves.
But like I said before, there will be hundreds of bearded dwarves in the movie that will overshadow 2 or 3 beardless Dwarves.
 
I didn't mean the entire cast. And Helm's Deep and the Siege of Minas Tirith weren't comedy sketches, yet Gimli was able to make jokes during them. Times that by 13 and we're in for a lot of comedy.

But like I said above, I'm needlessly worrying. And they're are many types of humour, so it could work well, and obviosuly, fits with what Tolkien originally wrote.[:)]
 
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... who worry that The Hobbit is being turned into a second Lord of the Rings, missing out on the book's lighter tone?

In the long interview with Martin Freeman in Empire magazine he talks about wanting Bilbo to be 'three dimensional' [as opposed to 3D] and 'real' - I think you can take heart from that. A lot of the story won't be played for laughs.
 
But I'm pretty sure nearly every magazine interview has mentioned how the story has more comedy compared to the trilogy.
 
Comedy is welcome, especially in the first movie. It's only when things get real and people start dying does it turn serious.

I imagine a lot of light-heartedness until they reach Laketown, with the only exception being Riddles in the Dark.
 
Particularly as I find PJ's direction to be lacking (he always seems to want the most OTT performance from his actors). If Freeman is operating, to a certain degree, independently of PJ's direction, I think that can only be a good thing.
 
I'm sure there will be camaraderie based humour but have we seen quotes drawing on the comedic nature of these dwarves in particular?

LR
 
Therefore, I won't make a judgment until I've seen all 3 films. It's only a small concern at the back of my mind, for now. [:)]
 
If Kili loves Tauriel, then that will be likely used for laughs given their height differences. Given the treatment of Gimli in LOTR, the dwarves height will be brought up no less that 20 times.
 
These quotes are from the Empire magazine interview. News agencies are just recycling them with a title that may be misleading.
 
. . . and I'm afraid I must add this thought . . .
. . . PJ used Gimli as his primary comic relief in the trilogy. After watching all of the production videos, I'm beginning to wonder if we are in for a massive dose of it . . .

I do agree with BB . . . the Hobbit has more of a humerous tone than the LOTR . . . I just worry we will tire of the jokes and gags before the 1st movie is half-over..
 
I agree that the parts after Laketown aren't so much comedy any more. This is more serious, important, and dramatic.

The middle is a little tricky. My first take on it is horror/mystery/suspense but I could see a humorous take on it as well if the visage of a haunting lost-in-the-woods horror movie comes off as unsettling.

Incidentally, up until Beorn's house, The Hobbit could also be done as a musical.
 
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