Unfinished tales and Silmarillion in The Hobbit movie

[Naeth Dúlinn]

I noticed that parts of the books The Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion are in The Hobbit movies (Dol Guldur for example) Now Christopher Tolkien holds the rights to these books, would it not be illegal to include it in the movie? I am just wondering as to how that works.

[krawler]

They actually didn't use anything from either of those works, precisely because of the legal roadblocks in place.

All extra material that wasn't in the Hobbit book was either gleaned from the Appendices to Lord of the Rings (which actually contain quite a lot of information in a surprisingly small space) or was invented whole-cloth.

For example: Gandalf mentions the two Blue Wizards that came to Middle-earth along with himself, Radagast, and Saruman. They were mentioned without names in the Appendices, and mentioned with names in Unfinished Tales, and due to the legal stuff, Gandalf says that he can't remember their names.

[ngaur]

I assume the Appendixes of LotR:s were included in the rights that Tolkien sold, since they were published with the books. Though even without those the Necromances is mentioned in the Hobbit, and Dol Guldur is mentioned in the narrative of LotR:s. Thranduil also was mentioned in LotR:s. I'm not sure which parts of the Silmarillion you noticed in the movies? The name Gondolin is mentioned in the Hobbit, and Elrond of course is in the book as well. I think even Saruman helping to drive Sauron out of Dol Guldur is mentioned somewhere in the narrative of LotR:s. That Galadriel, Elrond and Radagast, and the Nazgul were then also present is not mentioned, but neither is this mentioned in UT or the Silm. and so is made up by PJ and associates on their own.

[Naeth Dúlinn]

Oh I have a copy of LOTR without the appendices so i had no idea. I saw a lot of stuff that wasn't in the Hobbit that was spoken of in the other works. Thanks for clearing that up!

[krawler]

They print editions without the appendices? What mad heresy is this?!

[Billobob]

It's called people who don't care about middle earth but care about Lord of the rings.