Like so many bodies strewn lifeless across the Pelennor Fields, our hopes for an eventual “Hobbit” movie directed by Peter Jackson appeared dead, struck down as the battle for control of Middle-earth wages on. Now however, with recent news on possible movement on a New Line/Peter Jackson conciliation, it appears that our pint-sized friends may return yet again. And that’s no surprise to one heroic hobbit.
“I’ve said since before we started making the movies and have never wavered for a second that ‘The Hobbit’ would get made,” Sean Astin — who portrayed Samwise Gamgee — insisted, while out promoting his new film, “The Final Season.” “The fanbase wants it. There’s too much money to be made doing it. It seems like maybe the time is now.”
But even if the Shire is saved, it won’t be saved for Sam, who isn’t born until 2980 T.A. (1380 by the Shire reckoning), 39 years AFTER Bilbo leaves Bag End with Gandalf in search of Dwarf treasure.
“But obviously Peter is so creative that he can find a way to connect that character if he wanted to,” Sean said, adding to an echoing chorus of “LOTR” stars like Viggo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett and Orlando Bloom who say they would be game for anything Jackson came up with. “[And] he knows that anytime, anywhere, he could just make a phone call or send an email and I’d get on a plane and go anywhere he wanted me to.”
One way Jackson COULD include Sam in another story, of course, would be to make a long rumored second film, one that connected the events of “The Hobbit” with the beginning of “Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.” But even if he did that, it wouldn’t leave much room for Astin.
“It would bum me out is if somebody else played Samwise,” he said. “[But] I suppose he could hire a little kid to play Samwise because he’s the son of Hamfast Gamgee and Hamfast [is approximately] the age of Bilbo.”
Or maybe Astin himself could play the Old Gaffer in a bit of cross-generational casting?
“No, I haven’t [talked to Peter about doing a cameo in ‘The Hobbit’ but] it’ll be interesting to see what he does,” Astin enthused. “He’s the master.”
Sam’s long been my favorite character in Tolkien’s work, and my favorite passage the scene where he talks to Frodo about being a character in a book. Do you have a favorite Sam quote or passage? Sound off below.
October 5th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
This I do see a little farfetched, and while I think PJ will surely try to bring back as many LOTR cast members as possible, he is also aware that it is not a reunion, and will do nothing that could harm the storytelling.
The stars seem to be aligning now… it seems we will have our Pter Jackson two-Hobbit movie, after all.
October 5th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Sam is the natural narator for the Hobbit. He is the literary heir of both Bilbo and Frodo, If the movie was set in the time after the War of the Ring it could be donr as a story being told to his children.
(think Princess Bride) The entire cast of the trilogy could be brought back in this “play Within A Play’.
October 6th, 2007 at 6:32 am
Sam is given and keeps the Red Book according to Tolkien’s own appendices and therefore would make a very good voice over character. Merry & Pippin are also very much involved in the writing of all the records that are later kept at Minas Tyrith.
Sam’s family live at Hobiton during the time of Bilbo’s adventures and would be able to provide background for the story.
Sam is definitely the hero of the book in my opinion, providing the support that Frodo needs to reach the Cracks Of Doom. Poor Frodo pays the price for carrying the ring and being evntually unable to destroy it without the intervention of Gollum. Sean’s performance was perfect in the role.
October 7th, 2007 at 10:18 am
Well yeah: we always assumed that he wouldn’t play “Sam Gamgee” but make a cameo as his own father, Bilbo’s gardener Hamfast.
October 7th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
First: Sorry, I know, my english is not so good.
But I want to say something to Sam and his role in the Hobbit. Last week a few friends and me are sitting together und we are talking about the Hobbit und his future.
And suddenly I have an idea: It is possible, to start the film years after Lotr! Sam is married, has some children und he could tell his children the story about the ring - and it´s possible he starts with Bilbos adventures …
Then the real Hobbit(film) beginns - but sometimes we could go back to Sam and his children! (Sean and his three girls, please - this would be so great!)
So the Hobbit is not only the beginning from the “Ring-Story”, but the film adapts itself to the end of LotR (as a film) … and so it´s possible
also for other popular characters to let appear in the Hobbit which would have here no other place.
There are possibilities certainly some … I am curious as it is really moved then (but Sean in the Hobbit is a great dream ** smile **)
October 8th, 2007 at 11:29 am
I do, too, think that Sam as a narrator is a wonderful (and natural) choice - he does inherit the Red Book (and Bag End). I also wish that more of the events that happened AFTER the war of the rings were covered (a THIRD film?? :)) - like Sam being a mayor for 49 years and finally sailing into the West to join Frodo, and Gimli becoming the king of the Glittering Caves, and traveling to Fangorn with Legolas, and both of them sailing to the West as well… Oh, and there must be a way to bring Billy Boyd back on screen, too!
October 8th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Sean did a splendid rendition of Tolkien’s Samwise Gamgee on screen. Most people, I’m sure who are tolkien fans will always have Sean’s image in their heads the moment they think of Samwise from the books. For mythological consistency, it would be a wise course on the part of any filmaker who takes on the Hobbit, to ensure that this is maintained. I dear say that the success of the film or films will be hinged largely on this factor. That is precisely why I believe Peter Jackson is the only man for the job. Any number of creative ways that Peter Jackson can find to include original LOTR castmembers and Characters would undoubtedly add value to an already successful frnachise, Sean Austin not the least among them. Seeing him reprise his role as Samwise or even playing a younger Bilbo would constitute something worth going to see. The second Hobbit film should indeed be a filler between the events of the Hobbit & the LORT as well as an expansion of matters not fully explained but only hinted at in the Hobbit. Here, most of the beloved LOTR Characters/castmembers could make appearances.
October 8th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Ian Holm is the only one that could play Bilbo - he doesn’t age from the time he gets the Ring so still looks the age he was in The Hobbit. It would be great for Sam to retell the story. Even greater would be Bilbo himself telling it to Elves in the West-that way we can see Frodo again too!
A reunion of Frodo and Sam, brothers of the heart, would be lovely. Ah, the dreams we have! My favorite scene in the book is the loving reunion in the tower and fav in the movie is Sam offering his hand to help Frodo up when Sam finally accepts that they aren’t going to come home but then without any hesitation, they go on. God bless them! Love live hobbity love! The world needs it!
October 9th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
That’s a fantastic idea to have Sam as the storyteller of The Hobbit. That would make the end scene of The Two Towers a nice foreshadow. “I wonder if we’ll ever be in tales….Samwise the Brave”. Beautiful!
October 10th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Hope this works out for Sean
October 13th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
The idea that Sam could narrate the hobbit to his children after lotr is really rather good. Indeed, Tolkien experimented with this flashback device when he wrote ‘the quest of erebor’ - an outake from lotr which ended up in the book unfinished tales - in which Gandalf recounts the tale of ‘the hobbit’ at minas tirith. Its also true that the different style of the hobbit (from lotr) has much to do with the fairly continuous comments and asides to the reader by tolkien. - one is constantly aware of the storyteller.
My reservation with the film using this device is that it will only work as an intro - which could work brilliantly - but regular input from the storyteller would kind of break the spell - so brilliantly woven in the lotr (books and films).
Indeed, Tolkien later expressed regret at his overuse of a narrator in the hobbit for this very reason.
Thinking about this as I write - and I might be getting carried away here - the Sam as narrator idea could lead us into the story from the innocent perspective of a child. As we get deeper into middle earth the tone could get darker until it becomes the same world we see in lotr. By the end we’d be ready for the return of the lighter tone at bilbo’s unexpected party. This would suit the different tone of the hobbit, bring out the child in us all (and, of course, bring in a whole new generation of young fans)
Dont know how this idea would fit with the proposed second hobbit film?
November 1st, 2007 at 1:18 am
I’m sure that there could be a role for Samwise The Brave. Sam could be sitting at the dinner table with Rosie and the children. Sam could very well indeed be telling the story.. After all, in The Return of The King, Frodo did give the book to Sam and told him that there was a few pages for Sam to write. On a side note, I bought a hole in the South Farthing, Downfurrows, last week.
February 21st, 2008 at 6:58 pm
hey everyone!
First, you people who read the Appendixes are awesome- my classmates all think I’m weird 4 reading them.
Second, I’m DYING for Sam to come back, but having him as a narrator with all his kids just, well, wouldn’t mix with all the other movies! I mean I love Sam, but that wouldn’t make a very good movie.
OK maybe a “‘Beyond’or ‘after’LOTR’” would be cool, but not with a narrator.
Plus,I really think that (if it worked) a final movie would be cool, but THINK PEOPLE!!!!
Not much action happens in the years after LOTR!!!!
Plus Plus, how can you even speak of a movie with absolutely NO FRODO?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PS: I’m tottally siked for the new movies…. and for seeing Legolas, Frodo, and everyone else again!!!!!!!!
February 28th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Sam has to come back!!!!!!!!