History WhatCouldHaveBeen / TheHobbit

* Creator/GuillermoDelToro did ''a lot'' of [[http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/02/07/110207fa_fact_zalewski?currentPage=9 pre-production work]] before he left the production, including designing creatures and [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color scripts]]. In casting terms, he had thought of Creator/BrianBlessed as Thorin, Creator/RonPerlman as Beorn or Smaug and Creator/DougJones as possibly Thranduil, as well as Creator/IanMcShane, who Del Toro claimed "would make the most perfect dwarf" (incidentally he did but in a [[Film/SnowWhiteAndTheHuntsman different film]]). He also planned to bring Creator/MartinFreeman and Creator/SylvesterMcCoy (who had been passed over for Bilbo in ''[=LoTR=]''), choices that were kept by Peter Jackson in the final production.

** ''The History of the Hobbit'' includes the re-written opening chapters which drops the narrator's comments and includes more geographic references to ''The Lord of the Rings'' like a stop at the town of Bree. Author John Rateliff speculates in his commentary that Tolkien could have included a cameo by ten year old Aragorn in Rivendell or [[HilariousInHindsight Legolas making an appearance at the Battle of Five Armies]].

* In the original script, Tauriel healed one of Bard's daughters (most likely Tilda) but when re-shoots happened it was changed to Kíli, which coupled with the aforementioned Bolg switch [[spoiler: suddenly explains Kili being hit with an arrow]].

* There was a scene where Bilbo motivated Bard and Gandalf and [[spoiler: planted his acorn]] to remind them to keep fighting even though it looks like they are going to lose. It was filmed and nearly made it into both the theatrical and extended cuts but was lost among the ten minutes of footage that didn't make it due to both timing and ExecutiveMeddling. Unlike the previous one, this scene was released and can be viewed [[http://youtu.be/bgkaTRG9b3Y here]].

* According to [[http://musingsofatolkienist.blogspot.com.es/2015/05/the-dol-guldur-sequence-that-almost-was.html the making-of book of the film]], Radagast and Beorn were originally going to have much more screen time. Radagast featured a chase scene in his sled through Dol Guldur in order to evacuate Gandalf while the castle crumbled behind them; he then would have noticed Beorn being captured by some orcs, and he would have freed him before following with his mission, with Beorn escaping in bear form. Accordingly, those scenes were actually shot, being the reason why there is a Lego set of the film that shows Beorn being ambushed by two orcs in Dol Guldur, but sadly this footage wasn't included in the film's extended edition.

* The romance between Kili and Tauriel was always intended to be in the film from as early as 2010 with her relationship with Legolas [[PlatonicLifePartners being strictly platonic]] and more LikeBrotherAndSister. But when reshoots were done to turn it into three films, [[http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2013/12/13/evangeline-lilly-talks-tauriel-tolkien-and-love-triangle-in-desolation-of-smaug/ the studio forced them to write Legolas into the love story]] and turn it into a love triangle. Both Creator/EvangelineLilly and Creator/PeterJackson have admitted they hated the idea of a love triangle and just wanted to tell a simple love story. Creator/OrlandoBloom just pretends it never happened.
* In the original script, Tauriel healed one of Bard's daughters (most likely Tilda) but when re-shoots happened it was changed to Kili, which coupled with the aforementioned Bolg switch [[spoiler: suddenly explains Kili being hit with an arrow]].

* There was a scene where Bilbo motivated Bard and Gandalf and [[spoiler: planted his acorn]] to remind them to keep fighting, even though it looks like they are going to lose. It was filmed and nearly made it into both the theatrical and extended cuts but was lost among the ten minutes of footage that didn't make it due to both timing and ExecutiveMeddling. Unlike the previous one, this scene was released and can be viewed [[http://youtu.be/bgkaTRG9b3Y here]].

* After writing ''The Lord of the Rings'', Tolkien wanted to go back and rewrite ''The Hobbit'' to include more {{Call Forward}}s and bridge the plots more smoothly. He actually started writing it, but he scrapped the project when his publishers told him that it lost the charm of the original.
** ''The History of the Hobbit'' includes the re-written opening chapters which drops the narrator's comments and includes more geographic references to ''The Lord of the Rings'' like a stop at the town of Bree. Author John Rateliff speculates in his commentary that Tolkien could have included a cameo by ten year old Aragorn in Rivendell or [[HilariousInHindsight Legolas making an appearance at the Battle of Five Armies.]]

** ''The History of the Hobbit'' includes the re-written opening chapters which includes more geographic references to ''The Lord of the Rings'' like a stop at the town of Bree. Author John Rateliff speculates in his commentary that Tolkien could have included a cameo by ten year old Aragorn in Rivendell or [[HilariousInHindsight Legolas making an appearance at the Battle of Five Armies.]]

* The romance between Kili and Tauriel was always intended to be in the film from as early as 2010 with her relationship with Legolas [[PlatonicLifePartners being strictly platonic]] and more LikeBrotherAndSister. But when reshoots were done to turn it into three films, [[http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2013/12/13/evangeline-lilly-talks-tauriel-tolkien-and-love-triangle-in-desolation-of-smaug/ the studio forced them to write Legolas into the love story]] and turn it into a love triangle. [[CreatorBacklash Both Evangeline Lilly and Peter Jackson have admitted they hated the idea of a love triangle]] and just wanted to tell a simple love story. Creator/OrlandoBloom just pretends it never happened.

* The romance between Kili and Tauriel was always intended to be in the film from as early as 2010 with her relationship with Legolas [[PlatonicLifePartners being strictly platonic]] and more LikeBrotherAndSister. But when reshoots were done to turn it into three films, [[http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2013/12/13/evangeline-lilly-talks-tauriel-tolkien-and-love-triangle-in-desolation-of-smaug/ the studio forced them to write Legolas into the love story]] and turn it into a love triangle. [[CreatorBacklash Both Evangeline Lilly and Peter Jackson have admitted they hated the idea of a love triangle]] and just wanted to tell a simple love story. Orlando Bloom just pretends it never happened.

* Creator/BillBailey auditioned for Gloin. He had previously done the same for Gimli in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''.

** Plot-wise, the most drastic change was about Smaug, specifically that Bilbo killed him instead of Bard. In the earliest draft, Bilbo killed Smaug with a spear while the dragon was sleeping, while in the second and most developed one, the first time Bilbo infiltrated Smaug's lair he would stab him through the bare spot in his chest with Sting (which went so deep it vanished completely), and then ''ride a golden bowl on the stream of blood pouring out of Smaug's wound'' before triumphantly exiting the mountain. Tolkien decided to change it and invented the character of Bard to kill Smaug in a slighty more credible way.

* Creator/GuillermoDelToro did ''a lot'' of [[http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/02/07/110207fa_fact_zalewski?currentPage=9 pre-production work]] before he left the production, including designing creatures and [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color scripts]]. In casting terms, he had thought of Creator/BrianBlessed as Thorin, Creator/RonPerlman as Beorn or Smaug and Creator/DougJones as possibly Thranduil, as well as Creator/IanMcShane, who Del Toro claimed "would make the most perfect dwarf" (incidentally he did, but in a [[Film/SnowWhiteAndTheHuntsman different film]]). He also planned to bring Creator/MartinFreeman and Creator/SylvesterMcCoy (who had been passed over for Bilbo in ''[=LoTR=]''), choices that were kept by Peter Jackson in the final production.
* After Del Toro left the project, Warner Bros. wanted to get four other directors to direct: Creator/NeillBlomkamp, Creator/BrettRatner and Creator/DavidYates. Creator/SamRaimi also expressed an interest. It was thankfully settled down on Jackson.

* In the DVDCommentary Peter Jackson mentions that the Goblin Town sequence was initially imagined as a lot more gory, especially concerning the disembowelment of the Goblin King, but the PG-13 rating nulled those plans.

* Creator/EddieRedmayne auditioned for Bilbo. He recounts his audition on ''Series/TheGrahamNortonShow'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnp4aYNylbk here]], and notes how much of an EpicFail it was.
* Creator/ShiaLaBeouf, Creator/JamesMcAvoy and Creator/DanielRadcliffe were considered for Bilbo.

* The romance between Kili and Tauriel was always intended to be in the film from as early as 2010 with her relationship with Legolas [[PlatonicLifePartners being strictly platonic]] and more LikeBrotherAndSister. But when re-shoots were done to turn it into three films, [[http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2013/12/13/evangeline-lilly-talks-tauriel-tolkien-and-love-triangle-in-desolation-of-smaug/ the studio forced them to write Legolas into the love story]] and turn it into a love triangle. [[CreatorBacklash Both Evangeline Lilly and Peter Jackson have admitted they hated the idea of a love triangle]] and just wanted to tell a simple love story. Orlando Bloom just pretends it never happened.

* The concept art alone provides some really wild, potentally awesome scenarios, including a scene of Bilbo escaping some snake-like creatures by hanging onto a collapsing tower and running across to safety on the other side after it forms a bridge. The idea of an action setpiece on a tower was re-used for the Legolas vs. Bolg fight.
* Unused concepts featured on the Extended Edition Blu-Ray's documentaries include a sequence of Gandalf having delirious visions through Dol Guldur's palantir. They would have featured Smaug leading Sauron's forces and Gandalf pursuing a weakened, retreating Sauron to the Sea of Rhun.
* Jackson had plans to somehow get Aragorn to cameo in the film, fully intending to have Creator/ViggoMortensen return to play him. However, as Aragorn was not even remotely a thought in the original book, this idea was shot down because Aragorn appearing in the movie didn't make sense timeline wise. Instead, he gets offhandedly mentioned at the end of the third movie, setting up how Legolas and Aragorn know each other a bit.

* There was a scene where Bilbo motivated Bard and Gandalf and [[spoiler:planted his acorn]] to remind them to keep fighting, even though it looks like they are going to lose. It was filmed and nearly made it into both the theatrical and extended cuts but was lost among the ten minutes of footage that didn't make it due to both timing and ExecutiveMeddling. Unlike the previous one, this scene was released and can be viewed [[http://youtu.be/bgkaTRG9b3Y here]].

* A few awesome tracks were recorded for the soundtrack but aren't in the actual movie. For example, Dain could have had [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms9NchkyGCc this]] bagpipe-heavy theme tune.

* The films were supposed to be simple duology, but it was changed to a trilogy. Contrary to popular belief, this idea didn't come from Peter Jackson, but from producer/production manager Zane Weiner, who was sort of a HeroOfAnotherStory for keeping the production on track during its many troubles and helping by vetoing any outside meddling he was able to. Jackson nearly had an on-set nervous breakdown when it came time to shoot the Erebor scenes during the two-movie period and to plan out the Battle of Five Armies (which had been getting postponed up until the end of shooting because they couldn't find any locations in New Zealand that would've worked, and the battle turned out to be more complex than first thought during development). Weiner then requested the three-movie split to salvage the production and give Jackson the time he needed. You read that right, the three-movie split was designed to '''save''' ''The Hobbit''. Still, whether this was a good decision or not is up for [[BrokenBase debate]].

* After Del Toro left the project, Warner Bros. wanted to get four other directors to direct: Creator/NeillBlomkamp, Creator/BrettRatner, Creator/DavidYates and (perhaps the most jarring one of all) David Dobkin. Creator/SamRaimi also expressed an interest. It was thankfully settled down on Jackson.
* Azog was going to be played by Conan Stevens, but he was replaced by John Rawls (who got to film the flashback of the Battle of Azanulbizar), who was then replaced finally by Manu Benett. Similarly, the character was originally portrayed through prosthetics/makeup, but Peter Jackson wanted Azog to have a unique design from the other Orcs, so the CG/mo-cap version was put in place of the original Azog. Rawls would end up receiving the role of Azog's MookLieutenant, Yazneg, who got Azog's original design.
* Bolg was initially played by Conan Stevens after John Rawls replaced him as Azog, and he filmed the Battle of Azanulbizar under a character design accomplished by prosthetics. However, when Azog was revamped as CGI, so was Bolg, with a completely new design, and Stevens was replaced again, this time by Lawrence Makoare. Stevens would end up receiving the role of the Dol Guldur dungeonkeeper, who (surprise, surprise) inherited Bolg's [[http://www.thelandofshadow.com/our-favorite-evil-uruk-in-the-hobbit-trilogy-finally-gets-his-big-moment-onscreen/ original design.]]

* In the commentary Peter Jackson mentions that the Goblin Town sequence was initially imagined as a lot more gory, especially concerning the disembowelment of the Goblin King, but the PG-13 rating nulled those plans.

* A few awesome tracks were recorded for the soundtrack but aren't in the actual movie. For example, Dain could have had [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms9NchkyGCc this]] bagpipe-heavy theme tune.

** The first draft sets the story in the time of ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', while in another, Bilbo mentions China and the Gobi Desert at some point, implying the story takes place in our own world instead of Middle-earth.

** Originally, Gollum bet his ring on the riddle game and freaked out after finding it was missing precisely because he couldn't keep his promise. He showed Bilbo the way out vountarily and they parted away in good terms. This idea actually became canon and were printed on the original 1937 to 1951 editions of the book. It was only changed after Tolkien decided to weld ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''.

* The films were supposed to be simple duology, but it was changed to a trilogy. Contrary to popular belief, this idea didn't come from Peter Jackson, but from producer/production manager Zane Weiner, who was sort of a HeroOfAnotherStory for keeping the production on track during its many troubles and helping by vetoing any outside meddling he was able to. Jackson nearly had an on-set nervous breakdown when it came time to shoot the Erebor scenes during the two-movie period and to plan out the Battle of Five Armies (which had been getting postponed up until the end of shooting because they couldn't find any locations in New Zealand that would've worked, and the battle turned out to be more complex than first thought during development). Zane Weiner then requested the three-movie split to salvage the production and give Jackson the time he needed. You read that right, the three-movie split was designed to '''save''' ''The Hobbit''. Still, whether this was a good decision or not is up for [[BrokenBase debate]].

* The romance between Kili and Tauriel was always intended to be in the film from as early as 2010 with her relationship with Legolas [[PlatonicLifePartners being strictly platonic]] and more LikeBrotherAndSister. But when re-shoots were done to turn it into three films, [[http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2013/12/13/evangeline-lilly-talks-tauriel-tolkien-and-love-triangle-in-desolation-of-smaug/ the studio forced them to write Legolas into the love story]] and turn it into a love triangle. [[CreatorBacklash Both Evangeline Lilly and Peter Jackson have admitted they hated the idea of a love triangle]] and just wanted to tell a simple love story. Orlando Bloom just pretends it never happened.
* In the original script, Tauriel healed one of Bard's daughters (most likely Tilda) but when re-shoots happened it was changed to Kili, which coupled with the aforementioned Bolg switch [[spoiler: suddenly explains Kili being hit with an arrow]].
* In the commentary Peter Jackson mentions that the Goblin Town sequence was initially imagined as a lot more gory, especially concerning the disembowelment of the Goblin King, but the PG-13 rating nulled those plans.
* Unused concepts featured on the ''Battle of the Five Armies'''s Extended Edition Blu-Ray's documentaries include a sequence of Gandalf having delirious visions through Dol Guldur's palantir. They would have featured Smaug leading Sauron's forces and Gandalf pursuing a weakened, retreating Sauron to the Sea of Rhun.

* Believe it or not, Creator/EvaGreen auditioned for Tauriel.
* Creator/BillBailey auditioned for Gloin.
* Creator/BillNighy was considered to voice Smaug.

* Creator/EddieRedmayne auditioned for Bilbo. He recounts his audition on ''Series/TheGrahamNortonShow'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnp4aYNylbk here]], and notes how much of an EpicFail it was. Creator/ShiaLaBeouf, Creator/JamesMcAvoy and Creator/DanielRadcliffe were also considered.
* The other dwarves all had their own mini-arcs and character development that were shot, and both the main plotline and Gandalf's storyline were given equal screentime, but according to one of the actors, they were all cut out by the studio who demanded more emphasis on action and on Gandalf's story.

* On a similar note, Creator/JohnRhysDavies declined to return as Gimli, as he refused to ever go through the makeup process again.
* Creator/JulianFellowes auditioned for the role of the Master of Lake-town but lost the role to Stephen Fry.