Exclusive: Hobbit stars on ‘dark’ sequel Desolation Of Smaug

‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ had its fair share of comedy - thanks mostly to the 13 dwarfs – but sequel ‘Desolation of Smaug’ will be much darker film according to the cast.

“[It] was so peppered with humour and lightness,” says Thorin Oakenshield actor Richard Armitage, “because in movies two and three... it gets very, very dark.”

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On the promotional run for the DVD of ‘An Unexpected Journey’, stars Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis and James Nesbitt told Yahoo! Movies what to expect from ‘The Desolation Of Smaug’.

“It starts off quite light and I think progressively it will get more dangerous and dark as Bilbo gets further from home and in more jeopardy,” Gollum star Andy Serkis told us. “We’ll be able to sense that and feel that.

“As the quest for the dwarves becomes more complicated and threatening. It’ll carry more weight.”

Bofur actor James Nesbitt called that same tonal difference in the upcoming sequel a natural part of the journey. “It starts off with innocence and hope,” said the 48 year-old actor, “and I think we’ve already seen some bits in ‘An Unexpected Journey’ where there is fear and Bilbo represents a lot of that. But I think in ‘The Desolation of Smaug’ will get darker as they go into that world.”

English-born Armitage, who played the self-proclaimed leader of the dwarfs, Throin, also teased how his character’s relationship with Bilbo, played by a curly haired Martin Freeman, will not only become key to the story, but also to understanding his own character. “He learns about himself through Bilbo”, said Armitage. “We’re going to see that progress into movie two, where it evolves, and is then destroyed in movie three [‘The Hobbit: There and Back Again’].

“The relationship was always arching in a certain direction, creating a dramatic conclusion to movie one,” he added. “We’re driving to destination, when Thorin picks up Bilbo and is very, very violent towards him at the end of Tolkien’s story, in the book.

“I’m not giving anything away. You have to get to that place somehow...”

‘The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug’ is out in the UK 13 December 2013.