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THE HOBBIT NEWS

Watch: Andy Serkis Gives Fans a Reading of 'The Hobbit' as Gollum!

by Ethan Anderton
September 24, 2012
Source: SuperHeroHype

That new trailer for The Hobbit that showed up last week gave another great moment to Andy Serkis returning as Gollum, but the actor also got some attention as the slimey, ring-crazy creature in another arena. As part of a celebration for the 75th Anniversary of J.R.R. Tolkein's classic novel, Serkis partook in reading an excerpt from the book. The best part? He did it as Gollum. In addition, the actor also talks about what it was like to get back in the motion capture suit and put on this amazing, creepy voice after 12 years passed between production on Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It's a pretty fun video to kick off the week.

Here's a video of Andy Serkis reading The Hobbit as Gollum, found via SuperHeroHype:

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit... J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, being directed by Peter Jackson as three separate movies, is set in Middle-Earth 60 years before Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in a trilogy ten years ago. The films, with screenplays by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson, were shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest cameras. The Hobbit follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey arrives in theaters in 3D & 48FPS on December 14th.

Filed under Hobbit, Hype, To Watch

From around the web:

http://twitter.com/EdwardMCurtis Edward Curtis

SWEET! Hey, how about an audio book recording with Serkis reading the part of Gollum?
DAVIDPD

This is just too cool. If I were a kid there...it would have been ugly.
http://www.facebook.com/matt.peloquin.14 Matt Peloquin

This guy deserves an Oscar...
- nathan
  
  oh no.. not again.
- rennmaxbeta
  
  It was a team effort. Andy and the effects guys and PJ.
  - http://www.facebook.com/matt.peloquin.14 Matt Peloquin
    
    How was that voice he made while reading the script a team effort?
    - rennmaxbeta
      
      If you are talking about the visual interpretation of Gollum the character, then it's a voice, a performance and direction. The performance part was Andy enhanced by the visual effects team.
      - http://www.facebook.com/matt.peloquin.14 Matt Peloquin
        
        I said that he deserved an Oscar for his talent and contribution to the film industry. It doesn't have to be an acting Oscar, but he deserves to get something for the work he has put in.
      - clare
        
        I think there should be separate awards: The current best acting award - where his or other mocap actors, performance alone (voters can view on set footage of their performance) goes up against all other actors. And we can add another category beside the best vfx in a film called best cg character (that encompasses all of us artists who helped create the cg character). It should probably stop there otherwise we'd be crossing into the territory of the Visual Effects Awards (VES). My 2 cents
Isildur_of_Numenor

The most hideous, creepy, double-hearted, filthy, and yet lovely, creature on the face of the [Middle] Earth.
- son_et_lumiere
  
  and not only that, but how much Serkis' voice and acting talent meant you saw all those emotions you describe. it made the internal conflict as Gollum and Smeagol fought for control incredibly palpable.
  - Isildur_of_Numenor
    
    And we're going to see it all again. Serkis is Peter Jackson's "precious", if I may.
http://twitter.com/FidelReyes_ Fidel Reyes

Man this guy is just awesome, highly respect his ability to get into some of the most famous characters we know in fils such as King Kong and Gollum, he's a very talented and entertaining actor.
beevis

how does he do that voice?.....amazing. HURRY UP DECEMBER!
rennmaxbeta

I want my car's GPS to have that voice.
- ChrisIlls
  
  Turn rights'es precious!