Is this the end of J.R.R. Tolkien at Comic-Con? Of course not, but this year marks the release of what very well could be the final feature film in Peter Jackson’s epic six-movie adaptation of Tolkien’s fantasy saga, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Stephen Colbert moderated the film’s panel in Hall H (in full costume, no less) before releasing the film’s cast to the press where CraveOnline and our partner Coming Soon snagged some time with stars Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Lee Pace (Thranduil) and Luke Evans (Bard).
Related: Comic-Con 2014: New Poster for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The irony, of course, is that Peter Jackson had only three films to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien’s enormous Lord of the Rings trilogy on-screen, but now has the same number of movies to adapt The Hobbit, the shortest book in the series. The third film will expand on a war relegated to just a small portion at the end of Tolkien’s original novel, so we asked Cate Blanchett and Lee Pace whether their characters – who barely appeared in the book (if at all) – would be a presence on the battlefield, and if their roles were expanded after Peter Jackson’s original plan to turn The Hobbit into two films transformed into a much bigger cinematic trilogy.
We also talked to Luke Evans about whether his character, Bard, now gets to interact with more of the cast than he did in the original text, and what’s to come in his big moment, which fans of The Hobbit know is one of the biggest dramatic and action-packed moments in the entire fantasy saga.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies will arrive in theaters on December 17, 2014. In the meantime, keep coming back to CraveOnline for more news and interviews from Comic-Con 2014 and beyond!
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery Event Hub
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Tony Forte/WENN
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Forty Seven/WENN.com
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Forty Seven/WENN.com
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Susanne Döpke/Future Image/WENN.com
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Tony Forte/WENN
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Tony Forte/WENN
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Forty Seven/WENN.com
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Forty Seven/WENN.com
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Tony Forte/WENN
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Tony Forte/WENN
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Tony Forte/WENN
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Forty Seven/WENN.com
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Tony Forte/WENN
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Susanne Döpke/Future Image/WENN.com
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Susanne Döpke/Future Image/WENN.com
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Susanne Döpke/Future Image/WENN.com
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: William Bibbiani/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Andy Hunsaker/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Andy Hunsaker/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: William Bibbiani/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: William Bibbiani/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: William Bibbiani/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Andy Hunsaker/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Andy Hunsaker/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Andy Hunsaker/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Andy Hunsaker/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Andy Hunsaker/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
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Comic-Con 2014 Cosplay Gallery
Credit: Dan Oravasaari/CraveOnline
