Welcome to ThorinOakenshield.net

You have come to the house of the Heirs of Durin, foremost of the dwarven clans. Here will you find information pertaining to the dwarves of Durin’s line.

Recent Updates

December 12/17/14 -A Farewell and One Last Update.

November 11/30/14 –Graham McTavish reveals the extent of Dwalin’s loyalty for Thorin in this interview from TORn.

11/29/14 -Interviews in Cine PREMIERE magazine with Peter Jackson, Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans, and Orlando Bloom were translated from Spanish for us by Dwalin on Facebook. 11/28/14 -Interviews from the Hobbit special in Empire magazine. Includes quotes from Richard Armitage, Dean O’Gorman, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans, Martin Freeman, Lee Pace, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Peter Jackson, and Cate Blanchett.

11/26/14 -Interview with Peter Hambleton on playing Gloin in TheChronicle. Check out one of our favorite gaming sites on the internet, GeekGameStore.com

11/25/14 -Interview on TORn with Ian McKellen on his last day as Gandalf.

-Two more Empire covers.

11/24/14 -Okay here we go. Dain and his warpig have finally been revealed. Was it worth waiting for? You be the judge.

–Three new TV spots (not yet in HD) showing new scenes and Dain. Spoiler warning.

-Covers of the upcoming Empire issue.

11/23/14 -Eurolock managed to capture a brand new TV-Spot this evening via phone (lower quality). It is rather spoilery (or at least looks that way). –Interviews in FilmInk magazine with Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Ian McKellen, and Evangeline Lilly. Armitage offers some insight into Thorin’s dragon sickness.

-Interviews in SciFiNow magazine with Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, and Guillermo Del Toro.

11/21/14 -Interviews with Peter Jackson, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Martin Freeman, and Ian McKellen in SFX magazine. We hace recently started a Meteorite collecting and telescope buying guide site. Check it out today. 11/16/14 -TV Spot #5 (King) focuses on Thorin.

11/12/14 -At least 4 new TV Spots are out, each having new dialog or new frames. It is worth checking them all out.

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11/7/14 -Another banner featuring the Heirs.

11/6/14 -HD Screencaps from the BoFA trailer are in this gallery.

-Trailer for BoFA is here.

-11 HD images featuring scenes from the trailer were released by WB.

11/5/14 -New banner features Gandalf, Bilbo and the eagles.

-USA Today has an interview with Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens. Contains moderate spoilers and images from BoFA.

11/4/14 -Another banner posted on Facebook featuring dwarves vs. trolls.

11/3/14 -According to The Hobbit on Facebook the new trailer will arrive in 3 days.

October 10/31/14 -In an interview with L.A. Times Hero Complex Peter Jackson says that the third movie is far more interested in charting the descent of proud dwarf Thorin Oakenshield into a crippling madness than it is in conjuring images of battlefield brutality.

10/28/14 -The Total Film Hobbit Special has interviews with the cast and crew of BoFA. Spoiler warning. –Richard Armitage speaks about choosing the right level of Thorin’s madness in this short interview in Total Film.

10/23/14 -EW.com has a short interview with Peter Jackson about the overall plan for the 45 minute battle at the climax of BoFA.

10/19/14 -Official synopsis for BoFA from WB:

“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and the Company of Dwarves. The Dwarves of Erebor have reclaimed the vast wealth of their homeland, but now must face the consequences of having unleashed the terrifying dragon, Smaug, upon the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town. As he succumbs to dragon-sickness, the King Under the Mountain, Thorin Oakenshield sacrifices friendship and honor in his search for the legendary arkenstone. Unable to help Thorin see reason, Bilbo is driven to make a desperate and dangerous choice, not knowing that even greater perils lie ahead. An ancient enemy has returned to Middle-earth. Sauron, the Dark Lord, has sent forth legions of Orcs in a stealth attack upon the Lonely Mountain. As darkness converges on their escalating conflict, the races of Dwarves, Elves and Men must decide – unite or be destroyed. Bilbo finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his friends as five great armies go to war.“

-Clayton Davis from AwardsCircuit.com reports via Twitter about a song from the upcoming BoFA soundtrack:

This is further confirmed under the Warner Bros. Awards page at the end of the For Your Consideration menu.

-Further calendar images shared by Moustache Luke include:

10/16/14 –Moustache Luke shared the cover of the 2015 Hobbit calendar. You can just make out Thorin rushing into battle against orcs at the bottom.

10/15/14 –PryftanAW sent some cool graphics from the 2015 Hobbit calendar featuring Dain and the Iron Hills Dwarves.

-Here are several new banners and posters released today on the Hobbit Twitter and the German Hobbit Facebook:

10/14/14 –Henneth-annun.ru has posted an expanded poster of Bilbo with the Battle of Five Armies raging around behind him.

-Posters for BoFA are being released over the week. Each will be added here as they appear.

10/11/14 –PryftanAW on Twitter shared this image from a German magazine of Bombur sounding a horn.

10/7/14 -TORn interviews Jed Brophy about his career and discusses what he would like to see included in the Extended Edition of DoS.

10/6/14 –Dean O’Gorman is interviewed by NerdReactor.com talking mostly about other projects, but there is a little discussion about work on the Hobbit and the character of Fili.

-Total Film has a short article on BoFA in their Winter Preview which contains a possible big spoiler for the character of Tauriel.

10/1/14 -The New Zealand Post has new Battle of Five Armies stamps for pre-order now. Thanks to Pryftan for the heads-up!

September 9/29/14 -A new interview with Billy Connolly in Yahoo Movies provides a more details of Dain’s visual look, attitude, and accent.

9/21/14 -ArchedCory kindly provides us with a translation and images from the Battle of Five Armies article in the German CINEMA magazine.

9/19/14 -If you’re a LEGO fan you may have seen this already, but there are new sets for the BoFA already on shelves (somewhere in the world). These sets are not always accurate compared to the final film but they may give us our first clue to what Dain Ironfoot (Billy Connolly) will look like. Check out Bricksandbloks.com for more detailed photos.

9/17/14 -A new trailer for the Extended Edition of DOS features several new scenes including more of Beorn and Thrain in Dol Guldur. You can view the trailer and screencaps of the new scenes.

9/15/14 –Digital Spy unveils the tapestry first seen at Comic Con this year.

9/11/14 -Several new promo images from the 2014 Annual have appeared via Moustache Luke, and Bexlin.

9/9/14 -4 new images from a Chinese magazine show behind the scenes moments with Bard, Thranduil, Gandalf, Bilbo and Dwalin.

9/6/14 –Peter Jackson interview in Total Film talks about the darker tone of the finale.

August 8/15/14 –Brief preview article for The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies in Entertainment Weekly’s 2014 Fall Movie Preview issue, Aug. 22-29. 8/10/14 -Kivrin has written an insightful essay “The Obscenity of Smaug: On Mahal and Dwarven Sacred Space” about dwarf pride, what it is to be a faithful creation of Mahal, and why love of gold in itself should not be condemned.

8/9/14 -Elanillounico.com posted the covers of 2 Spanish edition BoFA tie-in books:8/5/14 -New covers for the DOS Extended Editions have been released in high-res.

-Blu-ray.com has details of the Extended Edition of DOS and includes a cut scene featuring Bilbo and the dwarves trying to cross the enchanted river in Mirkwood.

8/1/14 -Interview with Peter Jackson in Empire magazine reveals spoilers for the film and a collection of new images.

July 7/30/14 -You can now view a full gallery of HD screencaps from the teaser trailer.

7/28/14 -Five official images in high-res from the trailer now in the Photo Gallery. -Second poster for BoFA.

-And here is the official first trailer for BoFA. I will be making a full set of screencaps soon (awaiting a higher quality download than youtube).

7/27/14 -Teaser for the teaser in widescreen HD format.

-Here is a teaser trailer for the teaser trailer on Facebook (dragging it out a bit aren’t they?) The actual trailer will be released tomorrow.

-Still no trailer available, but here is the full Hobbit panel from Comic Con 2014 (55 min).

7/26/14 Interview on IGN: -Luke Evans, Andy Serkis, and Orlando Bloom chat about the BoFA.

Interviews on Hitfix: -Luke Evans on his most difficult scene in the Hobbit.

-Evangeline Lilly and Orlando Bloom on the emotional impact of BoFA.

-Andy Serkis and Benedict Cumberbatch talk about the motion capture and what the BoFA is really about.

-Cate Blanchett about Galadriel’s darker side in BoFA.

7/24/14 -Another EW.com snippet reveals three new images from BoFA.

7/23/14 -First poster for BoFA was revealed on Peter Jackson’s Facebook.

7/22/14 –Philippa Boyens talks Battle of Five Armies on USA Today. Also revealed is a new still of Gandalf talking with Thranduil.

EXCLUSIVE TO USA TODAY FOR 7/23/14 COMIC CON Lee Pace, left, as Thranduil and Ian McKellen as Gandalf in New Line Cinemas and MGM’s fantasy adventure The Hobbit : The Battle of the Five Armies. Photo by Mark Pokorny, Warner Bros. Pictures [Via MerlinFTP Drop]

-Adam Brown was interviewed on Red Carpet News TV. No real spoilers on film 3 but he does chat a bit about his co-Company Richard Armitage and Ian McKellen.

7/19/14 -The High-res Hobbit Photo Gallery has been updated.

7/17/14 -First official image from BoFA (EW.com) features Gandalf and Bard in Dale. Philippa Boyens describes the pace of the final film:

7/11/14 -2 new behind-the-scenes videos of Laketown and Into the Spiders Nest have been added to the Japanese site.

7/10/14 -Thanks to our Japanese friend for pointing out two new behind-the-scenes videos available on the Japanese Hobbit site: Beorn the Shapeshifter, and Wargs of Wilderland, with more to come on July 11. -Another behind-the-scenes video shows Benedict Cumberbatch in the motion capture studio voicing Smaug.

7/3/14 -The Iris interviewed Dean O’Gorman ahead of Oz Comic-Con in Melbourne, about the process of wrapping up the final Hobbit movie, Peter Jackson’s view of the trilogy as a single film, and the last round of press junkets later this year.

7/1/14 -For further information on Gandalf’s horse in the Hobbit films check out the Facebook page of “Draysill“.

June 6/29/14 -For anyone interested in horses, and spoilers for the final film, look no further than Trademe.co.nz’s listing for Gandalf’s horse in Desolation of Smaug and Battle of Five Armies, which is up for auction right now. Of particular interest is one image of Gandalf sitting atop the horse in a location which appears to be the desolated area around Erebor while holding a new staff, which looks much like the one we see him carrying in Fellowship of the Ring. For more information about Big Nick check out the video interview on this page.

6/27/14 -Kingfisher posts the seventh in the series chronicling the weapons of the Company, this time looking at the weapon of Oin, brother of Gloin, with a particular focus on fighting with a staff. 6/22/14 -Legendarium interviews Mark Atkin about being the stunt double for Thorin.

-Legendarium asks Mark Hadlow what his costars did in their down time and who was the biggest joker on the set.

-The New Zealand Herald interviews Mark Hadlow about being an actor and a naval officer.

6/11/14 -Legendarium.me continues interviews from Hobbitcon with Graham McTavish, Stephen Hunter, and Peter Hambleton:

6/6/14 -Legendarium.me conducted a series of interviews with the cast at Hobbitcon this year:

Ken Stott and Graham McTavish talk about training to be dwarves early in the production and “Finding Your Inner Dwarf”.

Ken Stott talks about his positive experience at Hobbitcon.

Mark Hadlow, John Callen, and Adam Brown discuss who is most like their dwarven characters, mentioning Richard Armitage and Peter Hambleton as candidates. Mark explains why Dori is so flustered.

6/4/14 -Weta Digital released a video showing how their animation team created Bombur’s barrel scene in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

May 5/21/14 –Philippa Boyens answered questions about what Smaug eats, why Thranduil is scarred, drunken elves, and Gandalf’s scene with Thráin in Dol Guldur in Empire Magazine, May 2014.

5/10/14 -The last part of the UK Twitter questions for Richard Armitage were posted this Thursday on Facebook.

5/8/14 -Kingfisher posts the sixth in the series chronicling the weapons of the Company, this time looking at the weapons of Gloin, father of Gimli, including one of the axes which would later make its way into the famous Fellowship of the Ring.

April 4/24/14 -Heirs of Durin’s own ArchedCory interviews Graham McTavish about Dwalin’s role in establishing Tolkien’s dwarves in the first film, what his favorite weapon is, and whether or not Dwalin is ready to follow his king to whatever end.

-ArchedCory reports back from HobbitCon 2014, the only convention solely devoted to Tolkien and Peter Jackson’s Hobbit films. Also check out the full gallery of images here.

4/23/14 -OTRC briefly interviews Richard Armitage at WonderCon. Mentions looking forward to some surprises in the Battle of Five Armies.

4/21/14 -Stack Magazine had this interview with Richard Armitage wherein he talks about Martin Freeman and Peter Jackson.

4/17/14 -Warner Bros. UK have uploaded the second set of Twitter questions for Richard Armitage.

4/14/14 -TORn talks to Richard Armitage about finding Thorin’s voice again for ADR in New Zealand, and in what way he feels ownership of the role of Thorin.

–Richard Armitage spoke to the German Tolkien Society about what his favorite and least favorite Tolkien characters are, and which he would like to date (English translation in the second half).

-Joe.ie interviewed Richard Armitage. He talks about having some “nice moments” with Aidan Turner in the third film, and how Tolkien’s description of the Battle of Five Armies is rather limited compared to what Peter Jackson has created.

-Warner Bros UK have more Twitter questions for Richard Armitage including how he felt when first wearing the makeup as Thorin, how much he loved Khuzdul phrases, and the one thing hot dwarves cannot live without.

-Richard Armitage is interviewed by Hey U Guys about what his favorite experience was during shooting, and what scene he would like to watch with Tolkien himself.

4/9/14 –Billy Connolly is scheduled to return to New Zealand to film pick-up scenes for There and Back Again, according to the Daily Star.

4/8/14 -Richard Armitage answers question from Twitter including what will be in the Extended Edition of DOS, how Thorin’s insanity grows slowly over the three films, and what would Thorin have done if he got the One Ring.

4/6/14 -WB has uploaded one of the extras from the DOS DVD to Youtube in advance of its release. Enjoy New Zealand, Home of Middle-earth Part II now!

4/4/14 -In this transcript of a shorter video interview, BBC East Midlands talks to Richard Armitage about early memories of his primary school teacher reading The Hobbit and doing Gollum’s voice, using Russian chorale music as the inspiration for dwarven singing, and his father’s baffled reaction to seeing his son in Thorin makeup. Full video here.

-HMV.com interviews Richard Armitage about not having known where the movies were going to be cut during filming, how the duel with Smaug in the second film required a great amount of imagination due to a lack of physical sets or props, how the fanbase is worldwide, and how he looks forward to talking about the film for the next few years.

-Richard Armitage is interviewed by Ben Reed of The Hollywood News about how he originally felt about the character of Thorin (unfavorable), how he relates to the character now, and how his Thorin will progress in the final film, including becoming isolated, rejecting his companions, and obsessing over Bilbo. Also looking forward to an opportunity for redemption.

-Mikael Persbrandt was interviewed for Svensk Filmindustri (in English) about his role as Beorn. He talks about the character’s unpredictable and mysterious nature, his antiquated manner of speaking, and the influence of Nordic mythology on Tolkien’s work.

4/3/14 –Warner Bros UK posted another short behind the scenes featurette from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, showing the prosthetic design for Beorn.

4/2/14 -Film3Sixty Magazine interviewed Richard Armitage about his hopes for the third film, Thorin as one of Tolkien’s most complicated characters, and Thorin’s descent into madness.

-Weta Digital released a video showing some of the visual effects used to create Lake-town.

March 3/31/14 -Richard Armitage appeared on This Morning. He mentions working with stunt and scale doubles, working on the Laketown set, spending quality time in the Prancing Pony with Ian McKellen, and watching Benedict Cumberbatch crawl around on a rug while voicing Smaug.

-RTE Ten interviewed Richard Armitage about changes in Thorin in the final film, and whether or not it has been easy to let go of the character now that filming is over.

–Richard Armitage talks to Sky News about filming alone during Laketown scenes, and about the end of an era when the last film debuts.

-Richard Armitage discusses what inspired him to begin a career in acting, and being proud of his sword, and also talks about filming the Battle of Five Armies *no spoilers*.

3/28/14 -The Australian quotes Richard Armitage about the end of filming, and continuing work on post-production on The Hobbit trilogy.

3/17/14 -Empire interviews Philippa Boyens about There and Back Again, including Thorin’s story arc, the reason for splitting the Company at Laketown, and Bofur’s importance in the last film.

3/12/14 -Weta Digital released a video showcasing special effects used in making The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

3/9/14 -Cartoonist Josh Edelglass has created a comic-strip parody of Desolation of Smaug. You can view the series at MotionPicturesComics.com.

3/5/14 -WIRED posted a new video The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Creating a Waterlogged Action Sequence-Design discussing the visual effects used to create the Barrels Out of Bond scene.

3/2/14 -Critics Associated interviews Jed Brophy about his reaction to getting the part of Nori, the input he had on weapons design and character back-story, and *small spoiler* the excitement of charging out into the Battle of Five Armies in the third film.

-The Anglophile Channel interview with Richard Armitage includes some hints about Thorin’s gold-sickness in the third movie (TABA discussion starts about half way through at 5:25).

February 2/23/14 -Kingfisher posts the fifth in the series chronicling the weapons of the Company, this time delving into the question of what sort of weapon the councilor of the Company prefers in: Balin – Mace or Sword from Ancient Times?

2/21/14 -Interview in the Hollywood Reporter with David Clayton of Weta Digital’s VFX team with more details about the challenges of creating Smaug, integrating Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance with animation.

2/20/14 -In an interview in Metro UK, Adam Brown gives tips for being a successful dwarf, and a few hints about what to expect in the third movie.

2/19/14 -Interview with Joe Letteri in the LATimes talks about the VFX of DOS including the reasoning behind the design of Smaug’s serpentine form. Also included is a video highlighting the creation of effects shots in DOS:

2/9/14 -Middle-earth News interviewed Dean O’Gorman and Aidan Turner at the premiere of DOS:

–Flora Moody chronicles activities behind-the-scenes with photos from the set of The Hobbit: AUJ and DOS.

January

1/31/14 -United Cutlery is asking for feedback on whether or not they should make a limited edition Museum Quality version of Orcrist. Now is the chance to give them your two cents.

1/28/14 -Lonely Planet has produced “A Perfect Day in Middle-earth” for 100% Pure New Zealand featuring Hobbit cast and crew, including Andy Serkis, Aidan Turner and Dean O’ Gorman, describing their perfect day in various New Zealand locations. Click on the Hobbit sign in the interactive map to view cast videos.

1/21/14 -SoundWorks Collection visited Park Road Post Studios in Wellington to talk with the sound team of DOS. Interviews include re-recording mixer Michael Hedges, re-recording mixer Chris Boyes, re-recording mixer Michael Semanick, re-recording mixer Gary Summers, composer Howard Shore, and producer and co-screenplay writer Philippa Boyens.

1/20/14 -The Facebook extension of Heirs of Durin reached 50,000 followers today. If you have not done so already, join Thorin Oakenshield on his journey and meet the members of his Company, including: Fili, Kili, Dwalin, Balin, Oin, Gloin, Ori, and Gandalf the Grey

1/19/14 -ArchedCory provides a translation of a Dean O’Gorman “interview” in Geek magazine.

1/14/14 -Interviews with the Hobbit cast on Effets-speciaux.info, in French, with links to Google Translate versions.

Richard Armitage (part 1) on Thorin’s emerging faith in Bilbo, the Arkenstone as a symbol of the kingdom of Erebor and Thorin’s clash with Azog in the third movie.

Richard Armitage (part 2) on performing most stunts himself, the most difficult scene he played in the second movie, and shooting the prologue in Bree.

Dean O’Gorman (part 1) on auditioning for the role of Fili and Peter Jackson’s vision of the fraternal affection between Fili and Kili, Fili’s absolute loyalty to Thorin, Fili as protective of his rash younger brother, and his changing relationship with Bilbo.

Dean O’Gorman (part 2) on some of the most complex stunts he performed, working on set with Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen, and the physical difficulties of the warg chase scene and the barrels out of bond scene.

Lee Pace (part 1) on Thranduil’s complex nature and motives and why he refused to help the dwarves of Erebor when Smaug attacked. The first part of this interview has been better translated by the Tumblr site Dwarfracistpartykingthranduil here.

Lee Pace (part 2) on Thranduil’s differences of opinion with his son Legolas, his relationship with Tauriel, his confrontation with Thorin in his palace, and his battle scenes in the third movie.

1/12/14 -On January 14, the Corn Exchange Auditorium in Berkshire will host a screening of DOS with Adam Brown in attendance. Tickets are still available: Join actor Adam Brown (who stars as Ori in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy) for a Q & A session before the screening of the The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Having grown up in Hungerford, Adam was part of the Corn Exchange’s resident theatre company, Plested and Brown, and starred in the Corn Exchange’s annual pantomime for four years. He now returns to answer questions about working on major blockbuster films. Tickets cost just £15 of which £4.25 will be donated to the NSPCC (reg charity no. 216401). -Kingfisher posts the fourth in the series chronicling the weapons of the Company. Dwalin – Weapons of a Veteran details his axes, warhammer, knuckle-dusters and more.

1/10/14 –Toronto Sun interview with Richard Armitage in which he describes writing hundreds of pages of background material on Thorin, including his relationship with his nephews Fíli and Kíli and his sister Dís.

-Eric Saindon, VFX Supervisor for Weta Digital, tells Art of VFX details about improvements in visual effects for Azog and using work with Azog to create Bolg, animation of the Mirkwood spiders, the design of Dol Guldur, filming and animating the barrel chase sequence, and the challenge of creating Smaug’s vocalization, facial animation, movement and his viscous fire.

1/9/14 -Interview with Richard Armitage for BadTaste.it, discussing Thorin spiraling into the same dragon-sickness his grandfather had, a cut scene from the first movie in which Thorin talks about his birth in a cave and seeing fireflies, and the joy mixed with sadness Thorin experiences when he returns to Erebor.

1/8/14 -WarnerBros has a “For Your Consideration” awards website/ebook with many of the videos mentioned yesterday as well as behind-the-scenes stills and commentary about the film making process.

1/7/14 -Several video clips have appeared on Youku (and have been uploaded to Youtube) highlighting various aspects of making Desolation of Smaug. They feature new behind the scenes footage and interviews with Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, as well as makeup and costume designers, special effects artists, editors, and other cast and crew including Lee Pace.

1/3/14 -Amanda Capley of Middle-earth News helps to crack the riddle of Kili’s Runestone in DOS.

-In the Sag Harbor Express, Lee Pace talks about how immortality shapes Thranduil’s view of battle, whether Thranduil’s character has been misunderstood, and his relationship with his son Legolas. Richard Armitage talks about Thorin’s reaction to breathing the air of Erebor once more, feeling Thorin’s rage when fighting in battle, and playing Thorin in the Battle of Five Armies (spoiler for those who haven’t read the book).

1/2/14 -Kingfisher posts the third in the series chronicling the weapons of the Company. This time it highlights Kili’s Weapons, including bow and sword, and discusses dwarven archery.

-ArchedCory revisits the relationship between Thorin, Kili, and Fili, and how they have changed in The Desolation of Smaug.

1/1/14 -The February 2014 issue of Empire magazine on a few things to expect in the Hobbit: There and Back Again, Dec. 17, 2014.

Archive of previous news and updates can be found here.