Smaug

Yes, I am all excited that there will be a Hobbit movie. Yay!

The most anticipated casting is of course the voice of Smaug. LotR was a great series with mostly little know actors and for most of the cast of the Hobbit that would work well. They *have* to bring Ian McKellen back for Gandalf and possibly Hugo Weaving for Elrond but the rest could be unknowns.

However, Smaug like Aslan has to be a recognizable voice. But unlike Aslan, they should pick someone cool and not disappointing like Liam Nieson.

Smaug's voice has to be deep, arrogant, sinister, slithering and seductive. He also has to be British and NOT David Tennant.

Jen's Nominations:

Andy Serkis - my first choice. He did a great job as Gollum, the Witchking and King Kong. Just let him go to town and I'm sure he'll come up with the right voice. Maybe Andy isn't really a big name but as far as voices go, he's good.

Richard Amitage - I love his voice. It might need to be brought down to make it a bit deeper but he can do sinister and seductive. He tends to get a little whiny and nasally when angry though. But I think I secretly want to see him as Beorn.

Jeremy Irons - He could most definitely play a dragon and his voices kind of slithers at times. He was in that Eragon movie so that might hurt his chances.

Alan Rickman - Next to Christopher Lee (who is Saruman and can't be Smaug unfortunately), he has the best voice on the planet. He could be Smaug but then I would be attracted to Smaug. Then I would yet again be conflicted.

Jason Issacs - Past work: Lucius Malfoy and James Hook. I'm convinced. He has a good range too.

Patrick Stewart - Yes, he could do it but would it be much of a shocker? I didn't list Sean Connery because he seems like a given. I may change my mind on Patrick Stewart. Maybe he'd be good for one of the Dale guys. Not Bard but maybe his dad.

Bill Nighy - He's got a great voice and great range. I think out of everyone he has my favorite angry voice.

Sam Neil - I've always thought of him as a sort of a poor man's Hugo Weaving and since Hugo needs to be Elrond, Sam could do it. He can be seductive.

Max Van Sydow - Not British but he can pull it off. And seriously, how cool would it be if he were Smaug?

Nicol Williamson - Although maybe not the nicest of human beings, his Merlin made Excalibur. And his narration on the Hobbit record is a treasured childhood memory of mine. And hey, IMDB says he's available.

Honoroable Mention:
David Warner - Because I love David Warner. He's been in pretty much everything, done a lot of voice work and has a very memorable voice. A voice that's perfect for a dragon.