In adapting a book to film, why do filmmakers feel the need to add characters?
Both Game of Thrones and The Hobbit—not too shabby in terms of their cast of personages in their own rights—have each added characters to the filmed version of the works.
In the case of The Hobbit, a female character—to be played by Evangeline Lilly—was added. Lilly is worried she’ll be the “black mark on the film” because of the addition, but continues, “upon reading The Hobbit again, as an adult, I can see why additional characters were needed to round out the story as an adaptation— especially female characters! The Hobbit didn’t include female characters at all and was a very linear story, a book for children, really.”
Maybe; but Tolkein purists (and there are a lot of them!) will likely shriek to the high heaves about the addition.
Are you averse to adding or removing characters from your beloved books? What are the best and worst examples?
