Richard Armitage hopes "The Hobbit" film will stand ‘test of time’ March 19, 2013 | 2:30 p.m. (LA TIMES)

For his turn as dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” actor Richard Armitage drew inspiration from a very different regal figure created not by J.R.R. Tolkien, but rather William Shakespeare.

“I was in a production of ‘Macbeth,’” Armitage told Hero Complex on the occasion of the film’s release last December. “So I went back to all my notes about ‘Macbeth,’ because I just felt there was something about that character unwinding that was relevant to Thorin unwinding in this story.”

Thorin, of course, plays a key role in the first of Peter Jackson’s planned three-part adaptation of Tolkien’s beloved 1937 children’s novel, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” which makes the trek to Blu-ray and DVD this week.

Audiences have a new opportunity to enjoy Armitage’s performance as the mighty warrior who joins forces with an initially reluctant Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) to reclaim his homeland and the treasure that’s been stolen by the dragon Smaug.

READ MORE: http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/hobbit-star-richard-armitage-hopes-film-will-stand-test-of-time/

Exclusive Video: Martin Freeman on The Hobbit The star of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has some NSFW words for his co-star Benedict Cumberbatch. (CRAVE ON LINE)

March 5th, 2013 William Bibbiani

Bibbs grills the star on his personal history with J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy series, how the ending of The Hobbit changed when the film split from two films into three, and Andy Serkis's first turn behind the camera as Peter Jackson's 2nd Unit Director. Freeman also has some decidedly choice words for his "Sherlock" co-star, and the future voice of Smaug, Benedict Cumberbatch. You can see them on-screen together (sort of) in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which hits theaters on December 13, 2013.

READ MORE: http://www.craveonline.com/film/interviews/453879-exclusive-video-martin-freeman-on-the-hobbit

Benedict Cumberbatch: Brilliant ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Fan Art For Benedict Cumberbatch’s John Harrison (FLICKS AND BITS)

Natural Shocks has drawn this stunning graphite pencil drawing of Benedict Cumberbatch as John Harrison in ‘Star Trek into Darkness.’ Head on over to Natural Shocks deviantART or tumblr to feast your eyes on more top-notch artwork. In related ‘Star  Trek Into Darkness’ news, I’ve also posted four hi-res pics from the film that first arrived online in low-res/watermarked form. Set for release on May 17th (May 15th in IMAX), ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ is directed by J.J. Abrams with a script by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof. Abrams is producing with Bryan Burk through Bad Robot Productions, along with Lindelof, Kurtzman and Orci.

Besides the briefest of glimpses of his Smaug the Dragon in ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,’ Benedict Cumberbatch can next be seen on the big screen in ‘Star Trek into Darkness,’ alongside the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Kenneth Williams, Ruth Negga, Brad Pitt, Quvenzhané Wallis and Adepero Oduye in Steve McQueen’s ‘Twelve Years a Slave,’ and as Julian Assange in ‘The Fifth Estate.’ Steve Moffat, the co-conceiver, producer and screenwriter of BBC’s ‘Sherlock,’ recently revealed that the third ‘Sherlock’ series would begin production shortly, reuniting Cumberbatch as the eponymous Sherlock Holmes with his fellow ‘The Hobbit’ star, Martin Freeman, as Dr. John Watson. The actor is also said to be in negotiations to play the English mathematician Alan Turing in ‘The Imitation Game.’

READ MORE: http://www.flicksandbits.com/2013/03/01/brilliant-star-trek-into-darkness-fan-art-for-benedict-cumberbatchs-john-harrison/40865/