Uma Thurman Was Nearly Eowyn In The Lord Of The Rings!
First we heard about Sir Sean Connery turning down the role of Gandalf, then there was Nicolas Cage who was up for the role of Aragorn, and now we have Uma Thurman who could have been Eowyn. MTV spoke to Uma Thurman about why she turned down a role in the best trilogy ever made.
“Yeah, I was asked,” Thurman confirmed to MTV News of an offer from Peter Jackson to play Eowyn in the second and third films in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. “I had a small child at the time and I couldn’t go away for a year. I was just too attached to home. It just caught me at the wrong moment.”
“I wish I had done it,” she confessed.
So do we. The role of Eowyn isn’t a substantially large one, of course, but the payoff? Getting to kill The Witch King of Angmar? Belting the line “No living man am I!” C’mon! That’s awesome.
For her part, Thurman couldn’t agree more, admitting that she was a “huge” fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels.
“Oh I truly wish I could’ve been able to take that plunge and maybe I should’ve,” she revealed. “But I just couldn’t at the time.”
What are your thoughts? Would she have made a good Eowyn, or are you happy with Miranda Otto’s portrayal?
Sean Connery Wants To Be In Another Bond Movie…As A Villian!
Some people regard Sean Connery as THE James Bond, which is probably due to the fact that he was the original. However, I am sure that if another actor made a few more Bourne movies, everyone would still regard Matt Damon as THE Jason Bourne, same with Tobey Maguire as Spiderman, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and any other actor or actress playing a character. Daniel Craig gave 007 a much needed update, which has even impressed Connery himself.
“I think Daniel Craig is a terrific choice,” said Connery. “I think they’re going back to a more realistic type of Bond movie as I don’t think they could have gone much further with the special effects.”
He added: “They don’t pay the money for the other parts, only for the Bond character, although that wasn’t the case when I was doing it.”
Connery earned just £50,000 to play James Bond for the first time. By his last 007 movie in 1983 Connery was paid £3 million, compared to Daniel Craig’s £30 million for four movies.
Connery is semi-retired from acting, which is a shame. He was approached to play the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but declined as he didn’t understand the complex story. He also declined an offer to reprise his role as Professor Henry Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. All of this declining great projects has meant that his last movie was The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen back in 2003, which is not a movie a great actor should end his career on.
Thankfully, Connery is interested in returning to the big screen, and the Bond franchise.
“I wouldn’t mind coming back as a Bond villain,” he said. “But I don’t think they would pay me enough money.”
This would be amazing! Daniel Craig and anyone working on Quantum of Solace should start talking to Connery now! Give him $30 billion or however much he wants, and get him in Bond 23! It must happen!
Ian McKellen Will Be Back As Gandalf!
…if him and Peter Jackson have anything to do with it anyway. Ian McKellen often answers questions sent in by fans on his website, and today was the day a new batch was presented. You can check them all out by clicking here. They are all Lord of the Rings related and you can find out about some cool things that happened on set and some extra Rings knowledge. A couple of people asked McKellen about The Hobbit, and whether he would be returning.
Will you again be our Gandalf in “The Hobbit” now that the deal is settled?
A: Yes I will, if Peter Jackson and I have anything to do with it, he being the producer and me being, on the whole, a very lucky actor.
Q: Have you been approached yet by Peter Jackson or anyone else about reprising your wonderful role as Gandalf for the two upcoming “Hobbit” movies. I read that principal photography begins in 2009, and I can’t imagine those movies without you!
A: Encouragingly, Peter and Fran Walsh have told me they couldn’t imagine The Hobbit without their original Gandalf. Their confidence hasn’t yet been confirmed by the director Guillermo del Toro but I am keeping my diary free for 2009!
This is great news. Gandalf is probably my favourite character in the Lord of the Rings and Ian McKellen was a big reason for that. It’s also interesting to point out that Mckellen has been kept up to date with the project and is referring to Guillermo del Toro as the director, even though del Toro is still saying nothing has been signed yet.
McKellen also talked about New Line, as they were known for being a bit shifty when it came to paying people.
Bob Shaye (Co-Chairman) and Michael Lynne (COO), formerly at New Line, have always been friendly and supportive to me in person, though I did feel the need to tweak the latter’s nose once, when he seemed to be trying to diddle the cast of LOTR out of their well-earned share of the profits. It was at a party in Berlin after the opening of The Return of the King. I said “That’s for all the trouble you’ve been causing!” I don’t know who was more surprised: Michael, that I had taken his nose in my finger and thumb and twisted it gently, or me for having dared do it! At least one of us enjoyed it.
Elijah Wood talks The Hobbit
It was recently announced that Peter Jackson would have involvement in the next two Hobbit films, but only as a producer. So at least we have some of the creative team returning, and no doubt more will follow, but what about the cast? Having a different cast will not work. It wouldn’t feel the same, and it certainly wouldn’t look the same. Having the same cast that were in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy is a must. So what’s going on? Well, MTV got a chance to talk to Frodo Baggins himself, Elijah Wood.
I haven’t spoken to [Jackson] directly about it [but] I’ve e-mailed him, and as far as I know, the two films that they’re doing, one will be ‘The Hobbit’ and another will take place between the 60 years that happened between ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings,’” the once and future Frodo enthused to MTV News, possibly confirming rumors that the second planned film would not be a Part II, but instead a narrative bridge.
“It’s a great triumph [that Peter is involved.] I think that’s really important that the same team that worked on the [earlier] films [work on “The Hobbit”], the same effects team, that it be shot in New Zealand. I think that it’s important that Ian McKellen is cast as Gandalf, just so that there’s a synergy between the films,” he insisted. “I think people want it to exist in the same world. So at least now we are assured that it will be done through that same lens, which is great. It’s exciting.”
For more click here.