Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, to the audience that loved the
Lord of the Rings films, is an exciting opportunity to revisit Tolkien’s
fantastic world and see favorite characters acting out their earlier
adventures. The reader of the books, though, is often likely to find the
difference in tone between the children’s book and the vastly expanded
films jarring. This talk will explore audience expectations, the
difficulties of filming a “prequel” after a “sequel,” and issues of
“anticipation” in relation to character development.