Im gonna go ahead and post a whole load of info from the next film (gathered from movie magazines like Empire and film websites), I do hope I am not breaking any rules and please, enjoy. This is all true, assuming each author didnt make anything up...!

-The movie will be generally much darker and more serious than AUJ, much like Godfather II and Empre Strikes Back. No Witty jokes or toilet humor.

-There are quite a few action scenes which had no part in the books; for instance, after the barrel scenes (which involve Orcs AND Elves) a rather large fight takes place in a ruined, snowy Dale, where Thranduil and Gandalf (?) are present.

-This film features the investigation and attack on Dol Guldur. Empire mentions the battle is similiar to Helms Deep, only the Orcs are the defenders while Thranduils Elves and the White Council lay siege to the fortress.

-'Father and son' is a heavy theme, PJ says, with Legolas' troubles with his daddy Thranduil, Thrain and Thorin, and he mentions there being a lot of characterization between Azog and Bolg.

-Flashbacks of the battle before the gates of Moria, which explain how Thrain ends up in Dol Guldur appear.

-The movie supposedly features more antagonist characters; Mirkwood spiders, The Necromancer, Smaug, Azog and Bolg all have large roles in this story.

-PJ mentions the film concludes with a definitive confrontation between the Dwarves and Smaug, with 'bombs, infernal artillery and one mightily [word deleted] off dragon'. PJ also notes he is 'enjoying deviating from the book'.

...

There you go. Discuss. MY 2 cents is, that Smaug will be dead by the end of this film, and the battle of 5 armies happens about halfway through film 3. I'm also sure Azog will make it to film 3 aswell, but this is MY opinion.

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I'm the good and the bad; you must be the ugly
I'd mess up your face but your momma did it for me!

We will see

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"the same as a duck you must be made of wood"

I really welcome the idea of a siege, and seeing the boot on the other foot for Evil.

I also like the idea of Dwarf siege weapons which I feel would be great on the table top.

I hope that its down to Billy Connolly (Dain) to kill Azog!

It'll probably be Thorin though

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I really like the idea of the orcs defending a fortress which is the complete opposite to what we saw in LOTR.

Dol Guldur scenery could be good! Does this herald Elf siege weapons?

It'll be so funny if Thorin is having his 'fateful' duel with Azog then in comes Dain for the biggest killsteal in history.

Some how they have to set him up as the rightful king under the mountain, but yes, they have got to handle it carefully!

I'm still hoping that it will actually be Dain who kills Azog

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Soon Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, red meat off the bone!

Potential spoiler for anyone who hasn't read the book.



That's my guess

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Hi Dr G, the first two bits are correct but swap Dain for Beorn!

Uff.. deviating from the book? I just hope it doesn't mean, that dwarves kill Smaug. That would spoil the whole movie for me to be honest... we will see.
And thanks for the info, even if I knew a lot of that already. But the DOl Guldur Siege sounds fantastic! Can't wait to see it!

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PJ has been talked out of some hair brained ideas in the past. We will see.

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"the same as a duck you must be made of wood"

I think this is a great idea, one of the (many) problems with a direct translation of the books is that the dwarves never actually have a showdown with Smaug. They walk all this way and then sit on the side of a mountain whilst someone else sorts out their problems for them. It's yet another example of the dwarves being incredibly passive and having very little impact on the plot. It sounds to me like they've changed the story so that the dwarves will actually have a fight/encounter with Smaug that gives some form of satisfying climax to the movie before he flies off in a rage and the events at laketown play out as they do in the book. Who knows, perhaps the dwarves are actually able to drive Smaug out of the mountain and reclaim Erebor, that would certainly be a more satisfying narrative than what happens in the book and would give them more of a sense of reclaiming their homeland.

As for PJ deviating for the book - Good. However much people might not like Azog and Radagast the changes that he's made to the dwarves alone entirely justify his actions, transformed as they are from a bumbling group of moody cowards into a heroic band of warriors. IMO PJ and his team have done a damn fine job so far and I trust them to continue to do so in the next movie.

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Finished 2nd in the 2014 GBHL. My Wife's so proud

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If the encounter between the Dwarves and Smaug is the Dwarves driving Smaug out of Erebor, that's fine, but Bard had better kill him!
Perhaps Smaug will leave in rage, will tell the Dwarves that the blood of all the people of Laketown is on their stubborn heads, and will fly off to burn Laketown. It would give certain moral predicaments to the Dwarves.

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Better, though difficult, the right way to go, than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe. John Bunyan - Pilgrim's Progress

I doubt they'll take Bard's moment of glory away from him. They've been teasing him as a major character in the trailers, it just wouldn't make sense even for PJ to trivialise him by having the Dwarves kill Smaug instead. If PJ was going to do that, I think he would have cut Bard from the film altogether.

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What is most on my mind, is why Bolg is apparently killed by Dwalin. But he will appear in film 2!!

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I'm the good and the bad; you must be the ugly
I'd mess up your face but your momma did it for me!

Bang on, this would be building on the elements of the book for an improved result.

Hi MeatBoy,

Bolg is shown getting beaten up and without the metal brace holding his skull together, which leads us to the presumption that he is seriously wounded, treated in a crude scary looking orcish way, and then recovers. Probably left a bit mental as a result (In a Megatron becomes Galvatron manner!).

I like how you think! This does seem the most accepted reason, but there is also the rumor that the Necromancer can actually revive the dead... hmm...

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I'm the good and the bad; you must be the ugly
I'd mess up your face but your momma did it for me!