Wonder how they worked Legolas into The Hobbit?

As Thranduil's son?

Also, is it just me, or does Luke Evans look uncannily like Orlando Bloom in the above picture?

@1 I think it would be weirder if they didn't. The book can get away with not retconning it because the elves are pretty poorly described anyway, but in the movie, PJ would have to at least explain it away since so much takes place in his homeland.

And remember this isn't just the book - they're working in a lot of elements from the LotR Appendices, so it's really The Hobbit plus all the stuff Tolkien figured out later to fill in the story.

Wow, I didn't realize they were including legolas in the movies. I guess Thranduil's son makes sense but I imagine he'll have a larger part to play just because he's a recognizable character for non-readers. I really hope these movies are done well because it seems, at least to me, that they are losing the atmosphere of the actual book with all these additions...

i kinda expected legolas to lead the army from the greenwood to go for a cut of the dragonhoard. cannot wait to see bard's moment...

So Legolas has had essentially the same hairstyle (okay, this looks a tiny bit more French-braidy than in LOTR) since Aragorn was, like, a toddler? Interesting.

Well, when you can live for a thousand years, maintaining a hairstyle for seventy is no big whoop.

@7, i had a horse named sihaya... =)

i like this photo. and it makes sense that they would include him.

On one hand I LOVE the fact that we get to 'see' all the stuff that wasn't in the HOBBIT the Novel and was referenced to, written about elsewhere etc, very cool. Unfortunately on my other hand, and THIS PICTURE KICKS IT INTO HIGH GEAR, what about - you know - the novel - THE HOBBIT. simply just THE HOBBIT.

I've read the HOBBIT 8 or so times over my life. Sometimes loving it, sometimes just plowing through it because I was going to re-read the Lord of the Rings again, or the last time when I had a list of everything that dealt with Middle-Earth in chronlogical order and that's how I was going to read it - more or less - I swear I used to have a social life! Anyway the last time I couldn't even finish reading the HOBBIT the language was so chunky like chewing on marbles to me, just unreadable. So I'm far from the Tolkien fan who thinks THE HOBBIT must never be interfered with YOU MUST KEEP IT PURE!

It's just that, well, THE HOBBIT could have been a great movie, singular, a damn fine duology, or an overbloated trilogy throw the kitchen sink into it because everything else is going to be included too.

Couldn't we just have the book we grew up with, sometimes cherish, sometimes toss on the ground, as a wonderful movie? That's why I was originally stoked that Jackson wasn't going to be directing THE HOBBIT, especially with Guillermo del Toro directing who proved he could do fey AWESOME - Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy 2 the proof in the pudding. I have these thoughts but then I remember arguing with my friend's girlfriend in the movie theater five minutes before THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING started, "But Peter Jackson, he directed MEET THE FEEBLES, have you seen MEET THE FEEBLES? It's Muppet Porn! How did they allow him to direct THE LORD OF THE RINGS! This is going to be a disaster." - Don't get me wrong I loved DEAD ALIVE and HEAVENLY CREATURES, but Jackson & Lord of the Rings...No Way!

I was proven wrong before.

I can't wait until Friday.

@8 - I bet she was the best horse ever.

Just to point out Aragorn was about 27 at the time of Bilbo's adventure, he's around 87 during the LOTR

I thought Aragorn was in his late seventies at the time of LOTR. I did my math wrong somewhere.