Filming of the long-awaited Hobbit is slated to start up this summer, and various signs point to Hugo Weaving reprising the role of Elrond. In past interviews, producer Peter Jackson said he would be bringing back three key actors from his Lord of the Rings trilogy: besides Weaving, Ian McKellan and Cate Blanchett could also be returning to the fold.
But does that mean Elrond will be absolutely faithful to the original text, or will there be some creative license, a la Faramir in The Two Towers? It sounds like Weaving, who recently spoke to MTV, would welcome an expansion of his Elven characters role, especially since The Hobbit creators are planning multiple films.
"Of course, Ive read the book," said Weaving. "Theres really only one scene in the book of 'The Hobbit' [in which Elrond appears]. On their journey Bilbo and the [others] stop in Rivendell and have a night or two with Elrond."
At this point in the story, Bilbo and the rest of their troupe have just escaped from trolls, and Gandalf advises them to stop at an Elronds outpost. The characters have a map, which their newfound Elven friend proves adept at reading.
"Its a star map, and [Elrond] could read star maps. So thats Elrond in the book," Weaving said. "Now, in the film, I dont know where theyve gone with it. Because [screenwriters Jackson, del Toro, Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh] expanded it, I think, to a couple of films."
Guillermo del Toro will be helming the adaptation. In the meantime, Weaving can be seen in this weekends The Wolfman from Universal.