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Having heard Cumberbatch in a few radio plays and things over the years, he really is a chameleon when it comes to voice acting. So he would be a good choice.
I don't see the point of sequels to LOTR. Evil empire defeated. Order restored. Everyone lives happily ever after until they die. That's how stories are supposed to end.
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Bella Bee - I agree completely on both counts. I think he'll be a fantastic Smaug/Necromancer, without the previous associations attached to the other voices people in this thread have suggested. (I love Nimoy, but I've never heard him sound like anything except Leonard Nimoy.)
Plus, I have no trouble believing whatever he lends to either voice part will be scary as heck.
About sequels, When Neil Gaiman ended his Sandman comic more or less at the height of its popularity, he said something along the lines of "Stories that matter, end." I wholeheartedly agree. Whatever fondness I bear for the characters, I would hate to see them fall prey to something like the last season of the X-Files. To every thing there is a season, y'all. Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee: Having heard Cumberbatch in a few radio plays and things over the years, he really is a chameleon when it comes to voice acting. So he would be a good choice.
I don't see the point of sequels to LOTR. Evil empire defeated. Order restored. Everyone lives happily ever after until they die. That's how stories are supposed to end.
Yeah, but even LOTR didn't end like that. The whole point of the Scouring and Frodo leaving for Valinor is that you can't always go home again for the happy ending, that no one was safe from the evil, and that evil's touch was so malevolent that Frodo was too weary for Middle Earth.
Besides, just because Sauron and Morgoth were gone didn't mean there was no evil left in the world. I do agree, though, that I'm perfectly happy to let the end of LOTR be the end of that world's timeline. More background knowledge I wouldn't have minded, but stories about Eldarion I probably could do without.
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Sometimes it is better to just leave a world alone after it concludes. I remember a little over 10 years ago there was a trilogy of books that take place after the events of the Willow movie.
Yeah...At first I was like "Cool!" and afterwards thought to myself, "Why?"
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I probably have the specifics wrong, but after the success of 2001: A Space Odyssey, my undestanding is that they kept trying to get Clarke to write a sequel. "Nope," he said, "that was the end of the story. There's nothing left to write."
But after being offered enough money, he eventually discovered that yes, there was another story to tell. And it wasn't horrible.
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I'm pretty nervous about J.K. Rowling's "Pottermore" announcement/website. Nobody knows what it is, except that it's not a book. Details are supposed to be forthcoming within the week, and unless it's an announcement for a BBC TV series, where each series is one book, I don't think I want it.
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quote:I do agree, though, that I'm perfectly happy to let the end of LOTR be the end of that world's timeline.
Of course, Tolkien wrote LOTR to be a prehistory of Eurasia. So the end of LOTR is meant to be the beginning of our world's timeline.
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quote:I do agree, though, that I'm perfectly happy to let the end of LOTR be the end of that world's timeline.
Of course, Tolkien wrote LOTR to be a prehistory of Eurasia. So the end of LOTR is meant to be the beginning of our world's timeline.
We're in what, like the Eighth Age right now? I remember someone wrote to him and asked him specifically what age today is, but I can't remember the answer.
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quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade: I'm pretty nervous about J.K. Rowling's "Pottermore" announcement/website. Nobody knows what it is, except that it's not a book. Details are supposed to be forthcoming within the week, and unless it's an announcement for a BBC TV series, where each series is one book, I don't think I want it.
Be sure to tell us what that is all about when you find out. I'm curious now.
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She's hinted in the past that she wants to return to the series at some point. Other than a book though, I don't really know what I'd want from her.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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PJ has confirmed the casting info from earlier this week (Luke Evans as Bard and Cumberbatch as Smaug), as well as announcing that Evangeline Lilly will appear as a named elf:
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I just listened to a couple things with Benedict Cumberbatch...and I don' really hear it at all.
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I had trouble finding examples of his vocal range on YouTube. Perhaps Bella Bee could find better examples?
I have an audiobook of him reading the first Silverwing novel, and his range of voices is impressive in that.
As far as acting goes, he's been cast frequently as the brainy type or as a slightly awkward/sensitive type in what I've seen. Sherlock was a break out for him, but he was memorable as William Pitt in Amazing Grace and as the man who committed the crime James McAvoy was punished for in Atonement. I would guess he's the type to be cast as a villain in a typical Hollywood style movie.
I've heard his portrayals of Dr. Frankenstein and the Monster (he swapped roles with Johnny Lee Miller, depending on the night) at the National Theater were incredible. Here's a link to the trailer for that:
Even weirder, Dame Edna Everage (or her alter-ego Barry Humphries) is voicing the Goblin King. If he doesn't call anyone 'possum' I shall be so disappointed.
I have no idea where to find free examples of Cumberbatch's voice acting, I heard them on the radio and I don't even remember when. But I do remember that he was good.
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Oh, Goodness. That's who Barry Humphries is? *boggles* Not that any actor or actress is capable of doing only what they are best known for, mind.
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quote:Though I think they should find a way to distinguish Bilbo.
Bilbo is the much shorter one at the end of the line.
Yes I noticed that later, but he seems to be just a blob, rather than the protagonist.
I'd like to see him holding a ring between his thumb and pointer finger. I suppose his shorter height is enough, but I think there's a better presentation in there somewhere.
edit: Plus maybe I am falling victim to my own bias rather than letting the book tell me how things were, but I naturally expected to find Bilbo running almost on the skirts of Gandalf's robe, not bringing up the rear.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade: I'm pretty nervous about J.K. Rowling's "Pottermore" announcement/website. Nobody knows what it is, except that it's not a book. Details are supposed to be forthcoming within the week, and unless it's an announcement for a BBC TV series, where each series is one book, I don't think I want it.
If this is a side series about Luna then this will be the best thing in the history of creativity.
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quote:Originally posted by Olivet: I'm of two minds about whether the two Hobbit movies will be awesome or kind of overdone and distorted, but I trust Peter Jackson.
My butt will be in the seat for both. Possibly even in a camp chair outside the theater well before showtime.
It might even call for another WenchCon.
Dang! Where's the "like" button? *grin*
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