Feanoreans

Marielle

Marielle

Well-Known Member
We've cast the Patriarch and Matriarch of the Feanoreans, so now it's time to think about their babies!

Richard Armitage is Feanor: upload_2017-4-5_13-17-49.jpeg

And Emily Blunt is Nerdanel: upload_2017-4-5_13-18-17.jpeg




So I'll get the ball rolling repeating some of my earlier suggestions (and throw some new ones in for fun).

Maedros: Jacob Blair upload_2017-4-5_13-19-11.jpeg
thread at https://forums.signumuniversity.org/index.php?threads/maedhros.437/

Maglor: Aaron Lazer upload_2017-4-5_13-19-39.jpeg
thread at https://forums.signumuniversity.org/index.php?threads/maglor.438/

Celegorm: Douglas Booth? upload_2017-4-5_13-23-18.jpeg

Caranthir: Zachary Quinto? upload_2017-4-5_13-28-49.jpeg
thread at https://forums.signumuniversity.org/index.php?threads/caranthir.439/

Curufin: I haven't found anyone I think looks enough like Armitage yet...
thread at https://forums.signumuniversity.org/index.php?threads/curufin.299/

Amros/Amrod: Sean Berdy for one of them... upload_2017-4-5_13-25-16.jpeg
 
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Maybe...

Going through the "Elves" thread, we have the additional suggestions of (a selection of many, many names):

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers for Caranthir (Haakon) upload_2017-4-5_14-26-39.jpeg Joe Anderston for Celegorm (Haakon) upload_2017-4-5_14-27-51.jpeg

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as "a son of Feanor" (Haakon)
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Kevin Zeger and Zac Efron as the twins (Carlia) upload_2017-4-5_14-30-14.jpeg upload_2017-4-5_14-30-25.jpeg

Sam Heughan as Maedros (Carlia) upload_2017-4-5_14-31-22.jpeg Adam Long as Caranthir (Ange) upload_2017-4-5_14-34-18.jpeg

Andrew Lees as Celegorm (Haerangil) upload_2017-4-5_14-35-44.jpeg Hans Matheson as Maglor (MithLuin) upload_2017-4-5_14-36-26.jpeg
 
Ange1e4e5 said:
Don't know. But I had him in mind for the personality.
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What do you think of when I say "Maglor's personality"? Deciding the temperments/attitudes of the individual sons will help with the casting choices.

Personally, I've always thought of Maglor as an almost-stereotypical "sensitive soul" artistic type, largely because he's described as having more of his mother's "gentle spirit" than any of the others and composed the Noldolante.
 
Yeah, everyone always thinks of Maglor as the artistic, sensitive type. And, yes, there's some reason for that, but...let's not take it too far. The guy did participate in 4 kinslayings and the burning of the ships, *willingly* - until the final kinslaying, when he tried to talk Maedhros out of it but still went along anyway in the end. He is a poor leader; he can't manage his brothers. But of course, who can? Most significantly - he raises Elrond and Elros.

I can't do better than this for a summary of his character:
http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/reference/characterofthemonth/maglor.php
 
MithLuin said:
Yeah, everyone always thinks of Maglor as the artistic, sensitive type. And, yes, there's some reason for that, but...let's not take it too far. The guy did participate in 4 kinslayings and the burning of the ships, *willingly* - until the final kinslaying, when he tried to talk Maedhros out of it but still went along anyway in the end. He is a poor leader; he can't manage his brothers. But of course, who can?

I can't do better than this for a summary of his character:
http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/reference/characterofthemonth/maglor.php
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A very good reminder, but still... is he the most passive of the brothers? The most likely to go with the flow? We could have a Maglor who's overwhelmed, ill-equipped to deal with the challenges life presents him, without having him be a "pie-eyed pacifist", as that article puts it. It's interesting that his Quenya name can be interpreted as "commanding" since his attempt to rule his brothers during Maedros' capture seems to be a disaster. I know, probably a reference to his singing/storytelling, but it could be an interesting contrast, to build him up as brilliant at the rhetoric of storytelling, but terrible at that of debating. Or as someone who understands the consequences of the past very well, but often mis-augers the future?

But you're right, the guy willingly raises sword against elves on multiple occasions. He can't be depicted as helpless or soft.
 
He is the most likely to follow Maedhros' lead - the two of them are quite close. The fact that he did not stand with Maedhros during the burning of the ships shows that there is some complication there, but...in general, they have a default 'you will lead, I will follow' thing going on. But yes, passive rather than pacifist works for me. He should have an amazing voice - but as you point out, for storytelling, not for oratory. Curufin is the one who inherited their father's gift for oratory, and he puts it to use in Nargothrond.

I would have to say that Maglor is not as strong from a force-of-will, larger-than-life-persona point of view. He might have less pride than his brothers. And we could associate his artistry with passion, so it's not that he's more reasonable but he can feel things deeply.

I suppose there is no harm in posting a link to biographies of all of the Sons of Fëanor: http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/sevenin07.php
 
As for my initial views on the other sons:

Maedros needs to look and act like the heir of the king. I would want it not only to appear likely that he will be high king after his father, but that it is appropriate that he do so. He needs to be a leader, capable of self-recrimination, but bound by what he sees as duty (The Oath), even against his better nature.

Celegorm ... is a bit vague in my mind. There must be something noble about him, in the beginning, in order for Huan to have bound himself to the elf lad in the first place, and I don't know if we want him ever to descend into black-and-white, mustache twirling villainy. I see him as someone who would argue "the ends justify the means" -- in Nargothrond, for example, we could have him arguing against Finrod because he honestly doesn't want anyone else "interfering" in the Sons of Feanor's quest. And then, well, everyone can see that Orodreth is a disaster, why not let the experienced and charismatic sons of the mighty Feanor take charge? And then he's smitten with Luthien, but he knows her father is a jerk, and especially doesn't like him and his brothers, so why not cut out that headache and get her somewhere Thingol can't reach, then woo her?

Caranthir can be the black-and-white villain, if we need one, either for plot reasons or because we don't have time to give everyone a full story-arch. But we could alternatively have him just be incredibly suspicious by nature, assuming everyone's plotting against his family, so he has to move first. But by his actions, he turns more people into enemies, so now he has to counter-plot against their new plots... until he is defined by treachery and deceit. Remember Eomer's line, that the Rhohirrim do not lie, and therefore are not easily deceived? Caranthir could be the reverse: someone who sees his role as the dissembler and spymaster of his family, and therefore is often deceived into thinking the worst of others, by his own fears and, perhaps, the whispers of the servants of the Enemy...

Curufin has to be charming enough to get a wife, and I think his status as the only son of Feanor with a child gives him some motivations we can play with. But like Celegorm, his details are a bit fuzzy in my mind.

Amros and Amrod are indistinguishable in my mind. I can never remember which one dies, even. But they could be more carefree than their brothers, at first, treating the return to Middle Earth almost as a game/grand adventure, sort of the Merry and Pippin of the Season... until the Burning of the Ships.
 
Marielle said:
Maedros needs to look and act like the heir of the king. I would want it not only to appear likely that he will be high king after his father, but that it is appropriate that he do so. He needs to be a leader, capable of self-recrimination, but bound by what he sees as duty (The Oath), even against his better nature.
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YES. Maedhros the Tall is meant to be of beautiful bodily form (his mother-name 'Maitimo' means 'well-formed one' and that's what he went by...well, when his family and friends weren't calling him 'Russandol' or 'coppertop.') The guy has a body that works for modeling statues - drop dead gorgeous for an elf. [Which will make it all the worse when we imprison, starve, torture, scar and maim him.] And yet he's single; go figure.

But the 'ready to be king' thing is key. He is a leader, and he's got some wisdom to him (I would say only Finrod and *maybe* Fingon beat him there when it comes to the male Noldor, and only because they don't have Oath baggage confusing the issues). He is loyal to a fault, and so without the Oath in the picture, his story would have ended differently. He 'breaks' twice - once during his captivity on Thangorodrim, and later after the disaster of the 5th battle. In both cases he lives and fights on, but he is drastically changed. He's a completely fascinating character. You really don't want to cross him - he is ruthless and deadly - and yet he comes across as a fairly reasonable guy. He is the ruler of Himring, and one could say he is the defacto king of eastern Beleriand though he never claims the title. He does have some disparaging things to say about Thingol, so he's got plenty of Fëanorean pride: Cold seemed [Thingol's] welcome to the Noldor, and the sons of Fëanor were angered at the words; but Maedhros laughed, saying: "A king is he that can hold his own, or else his title is vain. Thingol does but grant us lands where his power does not run. Indeed Doriath alone would be his realm this day, but for the coming of the Noldor. Therefore in Doriath let him reign, and be glad that he has the sons of Finwë for his neighbours, not the Orcs of Morgoth that we found. Elsewhere it shall go as seems good to us." Pride, pragmatism, being slow to take offense, a certain amount of diplomacy - his view of what it means to rule a people is pretty clear here.

Maedhros character study: http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/reference/characterofthemonth/maedhros.php
 
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Marielle said:
Aaron Taylor-Johnson as "a son of Feanor" (Haakon)
index.php
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This guy can sing and seems to be able to act well. He hasn't always been given good reviews but won an award recently for playing some kind of scary bad guy. I can actually see him as Maglor but he could play Maedhros as well. I like the fact that he looks like a good guy as much as the opposite - I mean he can seem to be very full of himself. He's used to doing action and fighting, if that's important.
 
MithLuin said:
He does have some disparaging things to say about Thingol, so he's got plenty of Fëanorean pride: Cold seemed [Thingol's] welcome to the Noldor, and the sons of Fëanor were angered at the words; but Maedhros laughed, saying: "A king is he that can hold his own, or else his title is vain. Thingol does but grant us lands where his power does not run. Indeed Doriath alone would be his realm this day, but for the coming of the Noldor. Therefore in Doriath let him reign, and be glad that he has the sons of Finwë for his neighbours, not the Orcs of Morgoth that we found. Elsewhere it shall go as seems good to us." Pride, pragmatism, being slow to take offense, a certain amount of diplomacy - his view of what it means to rule a people is pretty clear here.
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This quote is pretty authoritative for me when I think of his leadership: he both chastises Thingol and calms his brothers without saying anything that would provoke a war. "In Doriath let him reign" -- i.e. he is a king, but not our king. Limiting his authority, but not abrogating it. It's far from humble, but it is pragmatic, as you said.

On the looks thing, I know this is a costuming decision, but ... I think we could have him abide by the ban (and we've discussed -- Trish's idea? -- that the ban be visualized by the wearing of gems), but look even more striking/regal in a more severe form of raiment.
 
Not a spitting image of Armitage perhaps but someone who is dark, pale skinned and has roughly the same shape of face as him is Ben Barnes; we should consider him as one of the sons. (Not able to post pictures at the moment)
 
Again, unable to post pictures... I suggested Sam Claflin as Fingon but I can see him play Maedhros as well.
 
I think the closest "spitting image" of Armitage I've found so far (and he's been referenced her before) is Bradley Cooper. But he's 42 -- only 3 years younger than Armitage.
 
What about that young guy who's playing Spider-Man.. Tom Holland? He's young, but that might be interesting.
 
I had Curufin's personality in mind for Iwan Rheon; a superficial charm, but there's something that's... off about him. Would be interesting to play with the character type established by Rheon playing Ramsay Bolton; Curufin is a nasty, bullying, backstabbing piece of work, but has a moment of being less evil by sparing Eol when the latter is chasing Aredhel and Maeglin.
 
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