Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarfs to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug.

Del Toro to take charge of The Hobbit

Guillermo del Toro has officially signed up to direct The Hobbit, according to reports leaking out from a film premiere in France. The Pan's Labyrinth creator will oversee a double-bill of films based on JRR Tolkien's fantasy adventure, which paved the way for The Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson, director of the Oscar-winning Rings trilogy, will serve as executive producer.

The announcement was made at last night's French premiere of The Orphanage, a Spanish horror film that Del Toro helped produce. Introducing the film-maker, the host told the audience: "Today is a big day because we are announcing what everyone wanted to hear, which is that he will be directing The Hobbit." Del Toro had previously been reported to be in negotiations to take charge of the project.

great news....

let's hope they will produce 'the silmarillion' after 'the hobbit'

Story about the elves oso okay.

Sir Ian McKellen on The Hobbit Films

Will Sir Ian McKellen reprise his Oscar-nominated role of Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings" prequels The Hobbit and its sequel? McKellen says it's pretty likely on his latest official E-Post:

Q: So has it come to pass, good Sir McKellen? Shall the dreaming masses with their musty books and their blackened pipes at long last hear those immortal words issue from under that famous nose? "Yes, yes, my dear sir-and I know your name, Mr. Bilbo Baggins. And you do know my name, though you don't remember that I belong to it. I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me! To think I should have lived to be good-morninged by Belladonna Took's son, as if I was selling buttons at the door!" Looking about, I find I share the same hopes as millions of others, so I ask, a single query in a chorus... Will you again be our Gandalf in "The Hobbit" now that the deal is settled?

A: Yes I will, if Peter Jackson and I have anything to do with it, he being the producer and me being, on the whole, a very lucky actor. I've just read your quote out loud - fabulous speech.

Q: Have you been approached yet by Peter Jackson or anyone else about reprising your wonderful role as Gandalf for the two upcoming "Hobbit" movies. I read that principal photography begins in 2009, and I can't imagine those movies without you!

A: Encouragingly, Peter and Fran Walsh have told me they couldn't imagine The Hobbit without their original Gandalf. Their confidence hasn't yet been confirmed by the director Guillermo del Toro but I am keeping my diary free for 2009!

Warner Bros.' New Line is planning 2010 and 2011 releases for the two films.

great news....

let's hope they will produce 'the silmarillion' after 'the hobbit'

great news....

let's hope they will produce 'the silmarillion' after 'the hobbit'

I feel Silmarillion isn't suitable to be remade into a movie. Unlike The Hobbit or LotR it doesn't have a central theme. It's almost like a history book for Middle Earth

I'm trying to read this book. Unfortunately, I failed. Until now also I dunno wat this book all about..

It's Official: Guillermo del Toro to Direct The Hobbit!

Guillermo del Toro has officially signed on to direct the New Line/MGM's The Hobbit and its sequel, reports Variety.

The widely expected announcement came Thursday afternoon jointly from executive producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, New Line president Toby Emmerich, and Mary Parent, newly named chief of MGM's Worldwide Motion Picture Group.

Del Toro's moving to New Zealand for the next four years to work with Jackson and his Wingnut and Weta production teams. He'll direct the two films back to back, with the sequel dealing with the 60-year period between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

New Line is overseeing development and will manage production. Both films are being co-produced and co-financed by New Line Cinema and MGM, with Warner Bros. distributing domestically and MGM handling international.

Del Toro won't leave for New Zealand immediately as he's still in post-production on Universal's "Hellboy II," due out in July.

The official signing of Del Toro comes four months after New Line settled a lawsuit with Jackson over "The Lord of the Rings" and announced that it had agreed with MGM to turn J.R.R. Tolkien's "Hobbit" into two live-action films.

The studios didn't give a start date on production and don't yet have a script. Though no screenplay deal's been set, it's expected that the LOTR scripting team of Jackson, Walsh and Philippa Boyens will collaborate with Del Toro.

With Del Toro blocking out four years for the project, it's likely that the studios are aiming at starting shooting next year and releasing the films in late 2011 and 2012.

Jackson's WETA stages, post-production and visual effects facilities -- built for "The Lord of the Rings" -- will be used for both films. And New Zealand will again be the site of Middle-earth, with the story centering on Bilbo Baggins taking the Ring of Power from Gollum.

In an exclusive interview with TheOneRing.net, Guillermo del Toro talks about Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Howard Shore, Animatronics vs CGI, the �tone� of the upcoming �Hobbit� films and much more!

How did this whole process get started?

GDT: I met Peter (Jackson) a long time ago when we were planning on doing �Halo� together, I really love how they have that setup in New Zealand, I call it �Hollywood the way God intended it�. New Zealand has all the technical advantages when doing a big movie and you are shooting it in paradise, both in terms of artistic freedom and commitment.

When �Halo� didn�t happen, Peter and I stayed in contact on a regular basis, and last winter I started getting inklings that �The Hobbit� may come this way, mainly from the studio. The first thing I said was that I would only be interested if Peter was involved and the (New Line Lawsuit) problem gets resolved. When that issue was resolved I got a call from Peter and we chatted, and it started from then, it was my Christmas gift!

Fans are all abuzz about �The Second Film�, can you tell some of your plans for it?

GDT: You know, I traveled to New Zealand just a little while ago, and one of the main reasons for going was to sit down and talk about the second film. �The Hobbit�, the book, is really one self-contained film, so for the second movie we sat down and worked it out. When we did this we got really excited because this second film is not a �tag on�, it�s not �filler�, it�s an integral part of telling the story of those 50 years of history lost in the narrative. There will be certain things that we will see from the first movie but from a different point of view, but it will feel like a volume, in the 5 volumes of the entire story. It will not feel like a bridge, I�ve been hearing it called �a bridge film�, it�s not, it�s an integral chapter of the story, and I think we�re all on the same page.

You will be moving down to New Zealand for 4 years, is that right?

GDT: Approximately, my whole family, but the first stages of design and R&D will be done with me going back and fourth from LA and New Zealand because there are a lot of things I need to put to bed before I finally move to New Zealand. I�m going much sooner than my relatives would like!

We will officially be doing a lot of prep on �The Hobbit� this summer, there is so much to do, its amazing. Just the reforestation of The Shire, re planting all those trees and plants will take months, and we�re going to be as exact as possible.

Films like �Pan�s Labyrinth� used a few studio sets to simulate outdoors, will you be doing the same for �The Hobbit� or will you be making use of New Zealand�s wilderness like Peter did?

GDT: I think green screen photography is exactly like CGI, it is a tool, I don�t think it should be overused. Things like �Pan�s Labyrinth� and �The Devil�s Backbone� are incredibly dependent on location, we shot on location for more than half the time. Those locations can be enhanced by technology however, both digital and physical. What I would like to avoid is the recreation of the natural environments in CG, I don�t like doing that. The movie is essentially a journey movie, I think you need to use locations as much as possible.

You�ll be using WETA Digital for the effects?

GDT: Yes, the essential elements for keeping continuity are on track, in the last few weeks I�ve been chatting with a ton of people via email, phone, and in person from the previous films. People like Andy Serkis, Sir Ian McKellen, Howard Shore, John Howe, Gino Acevedo, Richard Taylor next week I�m meeting Alan Lee. I�m doing this to ensure that whatever we do we keep continuity with the other films, yes it�s a world that is slightly more golden at the beginning, a very innocent environment.

What I�m trying to do is keep the elements in place but allow you to feel a progression from �The Hobbit� until �The Return of the King�. I believe �The Hobbit� is a very crucial volume in The Lord of the Rings, it is a narrative that starts out very much in an innocent and golden way. It is permeated from England going through World War One, so there is a loss of innocence and a darker tone as the book and the film progresses. We�ll be doing that in the first film, taking you from a time of more purity to a darker reality throughout the film, but I think that is in the spirit of the book. All these guys, Alan Lee, John Howe, these guys are integral for us to map out that progress in the two movies, and allow you to completely blend in to the universe that is already in place. But this will be a progression, it should not feel at the start of the film that this is the same time (as the beginning of �Fellowship�). 50 years in Shire time, is not the same as 50 years in human time, if you think about how our world has changed in only 7 or 8 years, you can think of it as decades of turmoil, those 50 years in Middle-earth.

Do you have any roles cast?

GDT: Well, I had the most charming meeting with Sir Ian, and all bureaucracy pending, he�s on board, as is Andy Serkis. We will continue giving you progress reports as the occur. It is our intention that we will not lose any of the key elements.

What will differ from your films versus Peter�s?

The only thing I will be pushing for more in these films that the other three are full animatronics and animatronic creatures enhanced with CGI, as opposed to CGI creatures themselves. We really want to take the state-of-the-art animatronics and take a leap ten years into the future with the technology we will develop for the creatures in the movie. We have every intention to do for animatronics and special effects what the other films did for virtual reality.

Another thing people will notice, at the beginning of the film will be the palette, that will be slightly different, the world will be the same but it will be a more �golden� world, a more wide-eyed world. But by no means will we depart from the canon, we will take the three previous films as canon. When I become part of a world that I love, such as this, I really come with a lot of enthusiasm and hard work, and we know we are recreating and creating a world that is part of the mythos of millions of people and we will approach it as passionately and respectfully as it needs to be taken.

Omg, why would Elijah Wood be in The Hobbit? He's not even born yet...

Anyway, as much as I really enjoy The Hobbit, Silmarillion pawns 'em all. PJ can simply pluck any of the chapters in there and it'll make a good movie.

I would dearly wish to see them make a movie out of Quenta Silmarillion - the war between Melkor and Elves but I think that alone might take another 2-3 movies.

Anyway, Beren and Luthien's arc might make a very good romantic movie. Wonder who will they find to portray Luthien if they really ever gonna make a movie out of the arc. She's the fairest of all the elves

Hey im quite interested with the upcoming movie the hobbit. But can i know what is 'silmarillion'?

Jackson & Del Toro to Hold Online Hobbit Chat!

We'll let Weta do the talking for the hottest party invite yet this year...

An Unexpected Party

Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro invite you to a live internet chat about The Hobbit.

Peter and Guillermo would love to answer your questions and hear your comments about our new adventure into Middle-Earth. Please register to make sure you don't miss out on the Unexpected Party and get regular updates on the movies.

Weta are excited to be hosting this one-hour live online chat on our website. Please check the start time for your time zone below:

Los Angeles (Pacific) - Saturday, May 24 at 1pm
New York (Eastern) - Saturday, May 24 at 4pm
London - Saturday, May 24 at 9pm
Paris, Berlin, Rome - Saturday, May 24 at 10pm
Sydney - Sunday, May 25 at 6am
Wellington, Auckland - Sunday, May 25 at 8am

Before you register, you can read Peter's personal invitation here!

Now, to register and submit your question in advance, go here!

The Hobbit is expected to hit theaters in 2010 followed by its sequel in 2011.

Mortensen, McKellen & Serkis Returning for Hobbit?



Pre-production is about to get under way on The Hobbit and its sequel, says Variety.

Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are expected to write the scripts under the direction of Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro. Preliminary contact has already been made with at least three actors whose "Lord of the Rings" characters also appear in the "Hobbit" storyline: Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and Andy Serkis (Gollum).



"We will all be involved in the script in some fashion but the exact definition is about a week away, " said del Toro. "I am all for keeping the actors who originated the parts, as much as availability and their willingness will allow."

i only remember Bilbo, Gandalf, the dwarves, Smeagol, Smaug & Beorn from the book. but from the look of things it looks more like a reunion to me...

i do hope del Toro will portray the dwarves in a much better light compared to Gimli in LOTR. making fun of dwarves because of their height is getting a bit old.

with names like Thorin Oakenshield, u would expect nothing but bad-ass ninjas swinging their battle axes. 

When I think of a little guy that is so fast, and also good with swords, one character comes to mind:

Sauce: http://www.wetanz.com/holics/

Jackson & Del Toro to Hold Online Hobbit Chat!

We'll let Weta do the talking for the hottest party invite yet this year...

An Unexpected Party

Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro invite you to a live internet chat about The Hobbit.

Peter and Guillermo would love to answer your questions and hear your comments about our new adventure into Middle-Earth. Please register to make sure you don't miss out on the Unexpected Party and get regular updates on the movies.

Weta are excited to be hosting this one-hour live online chat on our website. Please check the start time for your time zone below:

Los Angeles (Pacific) - Saturday, May 24 at 1pm
New York (Eastern) - Saturday, May 24 at 4pm
London - Saturday, May 24 at 9pm
Paris, Berlin, Rome - Saturday, May 24 at 10pm
Sydney - Sunday, May 25 at 6am
Wellington, Auckland - Sunday, May 25 at 8am

Before you register, you can read Peter's personal invitation here!

Now, to register and submit your question in advance, go here!

The Hobbit is expected to hit theaters in 2010 followed by its sequel in 2011.

Jackson and del Toro Talk The Hobbit!

Executive producer Peter Jackson and director Guillermo del Toro answered fans' questions today about The Hobbit (targeted for a December, 2011 release) and its sequel (December, 2012 release) in an online chat. Below you can read the full transcript of the chat!



=====================================================

Peter_Jackson: Hi this is Peter here, great to talk to all of you. It is a rainy Sun morning down here in NZ, hopefully there is sun shining where you are. Over in London we have Guillermo on the other end of his computer, and he'll be coming on to say hi. A quick note, we will deal with the 20 most popular questions that have arrived over the last 2 weeks during the course of the hour, but would love to answer as many as we can from as many of you on this chat and who want to fire additional questions. So let us get underway. Hi Guillermo, are you ready?

Guillermo_del_Toro: Hi! Guillermo here- Its a bit cloudy in London but people are already drinking out on the streets- God Bless the pubs-

Peter_Jackson: We have them in a super exciting count down form and will start with Q20. We have chosen 1 questino but in the case of these 20 they represent many 100s of similar questins.

wetahost: Here's the first question: 20 - Will you be doing less location shooting this time because your set builders, digital effects teams etc have become so proficient?

Peter_Jackson: Middle-earth is location, with very few structures really. It's a natural countryside and that's where a lot of shooting will take place.

Guillermo_del_Toro: Location will be favored and real set construction. I love REAL set construction and think that sets are very important part of the storytelling and scope of a film...

AnthonyPearson: What are your plans with the casting of Bilbo Baggins? Is Ian Holm still an option?

Guillermo_del_Toro: The fact that Ian Holm is SO memorable means that PJ, Fran and PB did their job right. We will utilize him in some fashion for sure but the difficulty of th erole will be better assesed after we do the script (s).

DavidPlaice: Will there be any locations outside New Zealand, e.g. the Welsh Marches for The Shire?

Peter_Jackson: Hi David - It is unlikely we will need any locations outside of NZ which has always been the perfect Middle Earth. there is nothing yet that tolkien has described that we haven't managed to find in this amazing little country and I expect the Hobbit to be no different.

Guillermo_del_Toro: None being considered at the moment.

aust: Will Howard Shore be returning to do the score?

Guillermo_del_Toro: Yes- absolutely, Shore is the VOICE of these films and we will absolutely be invited back. Peter and Fran have talked to him a couple of times already and Ive exchanged emails about the subject. He will return.

nolcai: Hello. Are you planning to use some location in italy?

Peter_Jackson: Hi nolcai it is unlikely we will shoot any of the Hobbit of Italy, but I would love come to Italy for a vacation, you should tell me the best places to visit.

Guillermo_del_Toro: Not really- But I love Italy...

wetahost: 19 - May i congratulate on your new appointment as director of The Hobbit, Guillermo. My question is to Guillermo, what can we expect from your vision and approach with this picture and I'm guessing there will be alot of dark elements to this film, but how far will you go in terms of horror and violence?

Guillermo_del_Toro: I hope that Mirkwood can be pretty scary but not graphic, I hope Riddles in the dark has an element of fear and suspense and to be deeply atmospheric but still allow the ingenious, engaging contest to take place. And Smaug should be all shock and awe when he unleashes his anger so, it will be pretty intense but not gorey.

icaroz: Will the Ring trilogy get a blu-ray release around the time of Hobbit? or sooner?

Peter_Jackson: Hi Icaroz - We are working on a blu ray version of the LOTR trilogy with Warner Bros at the moment, not sure when it is due for release. It certainly won't be this year.

KenshinIV: What are the chances Ron Perlman will be voicing Smog?

Guillermo_del_Toro: At this time the voice of Smaug is down to a very few choices in my head and I have a completely specific one, Ron has a good chance but I have other plans for RP... we will see...

Galdor_Felagund: Will you use the Hobbit holes used in LotR?

Peter_Jackson: Hi Galdor-Falagund - yes we hope with the permission of the land owner that we will rebuild Hobbiton bigger and even better than what it was for LOTR in exactly the same location

Peter_Jackson: Here is Q18

wetahost: 18 - Peter & Guillermo: What do you envision Gandalf's role will be in this film? He seems to go off on his own and disappear in several sections of the book. Do you want to stay faithful to that or give him a more active role? How do you think you'll ingratiate his character into an effective, cinematic storyline?

Guillermo_del_Toro: I believe that Gandalf is meant to be used in that way- coming and
going in and out of the narrative. If anything, this creates the perfect setting for those �gaps� to be bridged by the second film�

Peter_Jackson: Those gaps are great! There's a lot of stuff going on, which is distracting him. I'm just pleased to be getting Gandalf the Grey back for two more movies. Ian and I loved him best. We were a little sad when the Gandy the White took over.

mwilcox: Will you be filming the Hobbit in 3D?

Guillermo_del_Toro: At this stage it is too early to tell, but no plans are being made for that at the moment...

RSG1050: Mr. del Toro, have you started keeping a notebook of sketches on this film yet?

Guillermo_del_Toro: I have started already and shared some of the design a=ideas with Alan Lee and John Howe during a very excited lunch in London.

RobbieM: Will Ian McKellen return as Gandalf?

Guillermo_del_Toro: Absolutely!!

Peter_Jackson: Hi Robbie - absolutely

Peter_Jackson: Here comes Q17

wetahost: 17 - Dear Peter Jackson, I enjoyed your cameos in the LOTR movies, Will you have a cameo in this Hobbit, and what character would you like to play?

Peter_Jackson: I actually haven't thought about it. My convention is to do cameos in films I direct. I don't know if that extends to films I produce. I guess we'll find out. I love Hobbits! I am a Hobbit, in very many respects, as were my parents. Tolkien wrote about a type of people he knew, in pre-war England, and somewhere along the line, he must have bumped into my relatives!

Guillermo_del_Toro: Unlike Peter, I'm a Dwarf ( a coarse creature I am)- but I studiously avoid cameos�

Jessalyn: When do you expect filming to begin?

Peter_Jackson: Dear Jesslyn - at this point in time the plan is to write for the rest of this year and start early conceptual designs. 2009 will be dedicated to pre-production on both movies and 2010 will be the year we shoot both films back to back. Post productin follows one film at a time with The Hobbit being released Dec 2011, and F2 release Dec 2012. That is the schedule in about as much detail as we have ourselves at the moment.

Peter_Jackson: And Q16 ...

wetahost: 16- Peter: What was it about Guillermo that made you feel he was the
right guy to continue on the saga of Middle-earth? Are the two of
you on the same page for the vision, direction, and style that these movies will have? If the two of you disagree on a point, who wins out?

Peter_Jackson: I'll talk more about this in a later question, but watching his films, he has
respect for fantasy. He understands it, he's not frightened by it. Guillermo also understands character, and how the power of any movie is almost always linked to how closely we empathize with characters within the story. His work shows great care and love for the main characters he creates. He also has supreme confidence with design, and visual effects. So many film makers are scared of visual effects - which is no crime, but tough if you're doing one of these movies!

If we disagree, the director has to win, because you should never force a director to shoot something they don't believe in. But we're both reasonably practical and ego-free, and I believe that if we disagree, we both have the ability to express our differing theorys - state our case, like lawyers - and between us, work out what's best for the movie.

Eriol: So what age rating are you aiming at?

Peter_Jackson: Hi Eriol - the rating will be the same as the Trilogy, PG13 on both movies

Guillermo_del_Toro: An intense PG-13...

Reguba: Will the Hobbit get an extended edition like LOTR?

Peter_Jackson: Dear Reguba - interesting Q. The truth (and this is the truth) is that you don't plan for extended editions up front an extended edition is the result of left over scenes that have been deleted out of theatrical cut. In an ideal world the script is written lean and tight and therefore there are no scenes left on the cuttring room floor and therefore no extended edition. However when writing 3 epic LOTR films there was no way we could keep the writing process as lean, so the extended edition was a result of seeing our thought process during the writing and shooting play itself out on screen with scenes we no longer needed when we finally cut the films together. Whether there will be an extended edition of the Hobbit will depend entirely on the final theatrical cut and what we have left over.

Guillermo_del_Toro: That one is REALLY too early to answer... but being a DVD freak (now a B-Ray freak) I think that if you have enough alternative material you can make it accesible on DVD (or B-R) format... Is not a priori that one decides this.

Peter_Jackson: Now for Q15

wetahost: 15 - Will you be using the same production team ie. Special
effects, art directors, cinematographers, composer etc..

Guillermo_del_Toro: Many of them will be back. I will supplement the FX departments, the design departments (with very interesting names), but the crew will utilize as many of the original elements as possible.

elffan9: Will we be seeing Legolas in Mirkwood?

Guillermo_del_Toro: We all think that this is a very interesting idea but the scripts are in process so- sorry,.. too early to tell.

Peter_Jackson: And now Q14

wetahost: 14 - In the Hobbit book, we have talking trolls and the Eagles and
Smaug talks as well, however in the LOTR Trilogy, trolls did no more than grunt, Fellbeasts screamed, and the Eagles, who were meant to talk, just stayed silent. How much will the portrayal of such animals change in the Hobbit?

Guillermo_del_Toro: I think it should be done exactly as in the book- the �talking beast�
motif has to exist already to allow for that great character that is Smaug. It is far more jarring to have a linear movie and then � out of the blue � a talking Dragon.

Yetzi: did you start casting for the 13 dwarves?

Guillermo_del_Toro: Nope- no casting has started yet, but some people have thrown their helmet in the ring.

Peter_Jackson: Hi Yetzi - no casting has commenced and won't until the scripts are written. We have had chats with one or two ofthe LOTR actors however but the casting will be driven largely by the writing and it is impossible to cast 13 dwarves without knowing their personality and characters. We anticipate we won't be in serious casting mode for these movies until well into next year.

wetahost: 13 - Hi. Do you intend to play this one by the Book (The Hobbit that is) and make it a very light childrens tale on film, or do you plan to stick with the much darker treatment- in keeping with the LotR films - particularly the latter ones. My personal preference would be for the latter - cannot see how eg. the Rivendell Elves could regress from their nobility in LotR to those "...Tra-la-la-la...." singing versions which wer in the Hobbit Book. Thank you.

Guillermo_del_Toro: We�ll see about the �Tra-la-la-� later- but the book, I believe, in echoing the �loss of innocence� England experienced after WWI, is a passage form innocence to a darker, more somber state- The visual / thematic progression should reflect that in the camera style, color palette, textural choices, etc.

Peter_Jackson: As I said earlier, I personally feel that The Hobbit can, and should have a different tone. The "tone" of these stories shouldn't be defined by the pressure our characters were under in LOTR. The world is a different place at the time of the Hobbit. The shadow is not so dark. However, what should stay the same is the reality of Middle-earth, and the integrity we bring to it as filmmakers.

Shane: Will the two movies be shot at the same time?

Guillermo_del_Toro: The idea is to shoot them "back to bacK" with a small break to breathe and to reconstruct certain sets and have time to reasses... But a schedule of a year is expecvted.

Peter_Jackson: Hi Shane - Yes the movies will be shot back to back and the shooting of the movie will be driven by which actors are working with us at a given time and what locations we are in. For instance, if we are shooting Hobbiton scenes for Hobbit movies we would also shoot Hobbiton scenes for F2. So during our year of filming we will be shooting both movies at the same time out of sequence.

reel1: Hi, Guys. Was it intentional to release the first Hobbit film on the 10 year anniversary of FOTR?

Peter_Jackson: Dear Razor - No this is the first time I have actually thought about it ... that is nice I will claim credit for the idea from this day forward

Peter_Jackson: Q12 ....

wetahost: 12 - Peter: During production of the trilogy, there were days where there were several filming crews working simultaneously, with
different people directing. Would you ever want to head up a crew and direct the shooting of a scene for a day?

Peter_Jackson: Most directors prefer to direct everything themselves. I thought I could on LOTR, but very quickly found out that the sheer scale prevented it. Instead of a 15 month shoot, we would have shot for 3 years! Guillermo always shoots his own material, so we'll do our best to construct a schedule that allows him to do that. It will depend a lot on how the scripts break down.

I'd happily shot some second unit stuff, anytime Guillermo asked me to. But let's see what happens.

Mr.Movie: Are you already go to New Zealand, Mr.Del Toro ?

Guillermo_del_Toro: Yes- I've been actually been there already -secretly- shh- and will be there shortly after HELLBOY II opens and will be getting a LOT of frequent flyer miles in the next few months-

Peter_Jackson: Hi Greg - F2 is referring to Film 2

Peter_Jackson: Here comes Q11

wetahost: 11 - Guillermo del Toro is an accomplished director. I just wondered whether ok not, he will bring more prostetics, animatronics and physical effects to the film, as he does with such films as Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth (which are great films by the way)? Or will Weta Digital still have their work cut out for them with VFX?

Guillermo_del_Toro: I plan to mix CGI and PHYSICAL in such a way that your eye wonders which is which- keep you mind busy but NEVER allowing for the weaknesses of either tool to take over. Yes, I have, by trial and error, learned that both tools need to be mixed and how much they must be mixed to succeed in creating environments and living creatures. WETA is the lead house, absolutely but we will expand the creature team and beef up the prosthetics team. Imagine a physical creature with a radio controlled muscle / facial system but with partial CGI replacement on the head or mouth, etc and you�ll start to get the idea�

Guillermo_del_Toro: And now for the question...

Vampireta: So how was your first meeting with each other?

Peter_Jackson: Hi Vampierta - The first time I remember meeting Guillermo was at Bob Shay's hosue during a LOTR party. Obviously at that time we had no concept of what the future held!!

Guillermo_del_Toro: We finished a tray of shrimps together and agreed that NEW LINE should keep hiring round, bearded directors with funny accents...

Peter_Jackson: Q10 ....

wetahost: 10- Hi there, thanks for giving this opportunity. my question: will Alan Lee and John Howe be on board again? I really admire their work. good luck for this project and have a lot of fun.

Guillermo_del_Toro: As I said, I had a marvelous lunch with John and Alan in London a few days ago and we all got very excited as we discussed my ideas on Smaug, Mirkwood, etc They are most definetly back!

Peter_Jackson: Impossible to imagine it without them!

Trotter_the_Ranger: What will be the title for the second movie?

Guillermo_del_Toro: Too early- but not "H2 Electric Boogaloo" that has been discarded.

Peter_Jackson: Hi Trots - the second movie doesn't have a title yet and probably won't until we write the script. As you will see we have the incredibly boring name Film Two which I assure you will not last for very long. Just bear with us.

Peter_Jackson: Q 9 ...

wetahost: 9 - Peter, perhaps you could clarify what your role will be in the production of these films: What exactly does an executive producer do? Will you follow that model or "forge your own path?" How will Guillermo's role and your role be different? Do you plan on writing thescript again with Fran and Phillippa?

Peter_Jackson: Truth is "Executive Producers" do a range of things on movies from a lot to virtually nothing! I see myself being one of a production team. My interest is helping Guillermo make the very best films he can. I love writing and I'm looking forward to that. Guillermo will be writing, along with Fran, Philippa and myself. As a director, I could never direct something I didn't have a hand in writing, and we're not expecting Guillermo to do that either. If the director is part of the writing, it means he was there when the discussions took place, story decisions were made ... he knows why things are the way they are, and what they need to achieve. Everything is in a script for a reason, and only by being part of a writing team (or writing it yourself), do you really understand the intention of every beat.

I see my role as being part of that writing team, which will create the blueprint, and then helping Guillermo construct the movie. I want Guillermo to make his movies, and I want to make sure we end up with a 5 movie series that's as good as it can possibly be.

Merlkir: any ideas about the talking wargs? the wargs in hobbit are remarkably different from the "hyena" ones in the LOTR movies..

Guillermo_del_Toro: Absolutely: they will be different from the Hyena ones established in the Trilogy- they will be faithful to the creatures in the book and will be redesigned accordingly.

lordlinton: Loved the video diaries for King Kong, will you guys be doing something similar for the Hobbit?

Peter_Jackson: There is a lot of questions about production diaries for the internet - the truth is that Guillermo and I haven't even discussed this topic yet, now do we have a real plan in place for the internet and DVD side of the film. You have to realise that although this was announced and is all round the world we are at the very beginning of the process just starting to think about the scripts. We are not trying to fob anyone off but we simply haven't got that far in the process yet and it is a plan we will put into place during the course of 2009.

Peter_Jackson: Q 8 coming ...

wetahost: 8 - I always thought creating Gollum would pose a great artisic challenge to the artists whose job it would be to adapt the Lord of the Rings. With the Hobbit I believe Smaug will pose one of the great challenges. Now we have all seen dragons in movies. But for the Hobbit I personally am excepting nothing less than unbelievable . Were will you go for inspiration? What styles will the art dirction look at? Personally I can see a lot being done with the setting from Pan's Labyrinth. Thank you and good luck to you all.

Guillermo_del_Toro: This is a big one-- Allow me to quote form my random responses at Onering.net�

I am a big Dragon fan. I've said it before- And I was fortunate enough to be born a Dragon in the Chinese Horocope...

And although its always impossible to agree on the "greatest" of anything, I bring forth these two as the main film contenders for that title: Eyvind Earle / Disney's Maleficent dragon ( a triumph of elegance of color and design) and Vermitrax Pejorative from
Dragonslayer.

In my opinion, every other design has borrowed heavily from these two.
I plan to create something new and groundbreaking.

Smaug should not be "the Dragon in the Hobbit movie" as if it was just "another" creature in a Bestiary. Smaug should be "The DRAGON" for all movies past and present. The shadow he cast and the greed he comes to embody- the "need to own" casts its long shadow and creates a thematic / dramatic continuity of sorts that articulates the story throughout-

In that respect, Smaug the CHARACTER is as important, if not more important, than the design. The character will emerge form the writing- and in that the Magnificent arrogance, intelligence, sophistication and greed of Smaug shine through-

In fact, Thorin's greed is a thematic extension of this and Bilbo's "Letting go" and his noble switching of sides when the dwarves prove to be in the wrong is its conceptual counterpart (that is a hard one to get through, Bilbo's heroism is a quiet, moral one) and the thematic thread reaches its climax in the Bilbo / Thorin death bed scene.

Anyway, back to Smaug: One of the main mistakes with talking dragons is to shape the mouth like a snub Simian one in order to achieve a dubious lip-synch. .. A point which eluded me particularly in Eragon, since their link is a psychic one.

To me, Smaug is the perfect example of a great creature defined by its look and design, yes, but also, very importantly, by his movement and -One little hint- its environment - Think about it... the way he is scaled, moves and is lit, limited or enhanced by his location, weather conditions, light conditions, time of the year, etc. That's all I can say without spoilers but, if you keep this curious little summary you'll realize several years form now that those things I had in my mind ever since doodling the character as a kid had solidified waaay before starting the shoot of the film.

A big tool is also how and when he is fully revealed. I could give you specifics- beat-by-beat in fact (I'm geeking out to do it), but...

I will say no more in order to save you from ruthless spoilerage (we have a few years to go, you now...?) and increased anxiety.

Let me, however, say that this is actually one of the points I feel most enthusiastic about.

As to his voice- well, each reader has a Smaug voice in his / her head, just like you always do when "hearing" a great character in a book.

I have mine... and it will be revealed in time...

manuthevif: Guillermo, Will Peter be directing Hellboy 3 at some point?

Guillermo_del_Toro: Offers have been made but he remains elusive- we will be in talks soon.

swjedi18: Will be seeing The While Council in The Hobbit?

Peter_Jackson: Hi swjedi18 - To early to say before the scripts are written but it is definitely an idea we are discussing.

Guillermo_del_Toro: There's a very good chance if the "gaps" are filled in some form in either narrative. Too early...

Peter_Jackson: Now for Q7

wetahost: 7 - how important is it to you to create overall consistency between Peter's LOTR films and Guillermo's? in terms of the actors, look and feel, scenery, score, fx -- is your aim to have them stand on their own or sync up with the trilogy?

Guillermo_del_Toro: I believe that it�s a little bit of both- the world must feel like the same world. The aspect ratio, music, essential established costume and production design trademarks but I would love to bring a lot of new flavours to the table. THE HOBBIT is, in essence, an overture to a massive Symphonic work so main themes are reprised but new modulations and new colors are introduced, thematically and texturally.

Peter_Jackson: I love Guillermo's symphonic allusion. The "overture" can have a different flavour, a different texture, yet be a carefully crafted introduction to what's to follow. Film Two is perfect to dramatise the shift in Middle-earth that propells us into the dark days of LOTR. If LOTR is World War One, then the Hobbit is like an Edwardian adventure tale, set in the days before world notices the looming storm clouds.

Junaid: Is The Hobbit harder or easier than LOTR to adapt as a script?

Peter_Jackson: Hi Junaid - Both are equally difficult to be completely honest. The Hobbit has its own unique problems, different to those of LOTR.

Guillermo_del_Toro: Not easy- I tell you that-

Peter_Jackson: Here comes Q6 ...

wetahost: 6 - Will Weta be releasing figures for this film like it did with Kong and Narnia?

Guillermo_del_Toro: I would hope so!! I want them all!!

Galdor_Felagund: How does Christopher Tolkien feel about the two new films?

Peter_Jackson: Hi Galdor - Christopher Tolkien did not wish to be involved in the LOTR movies and I would assuem his feelings are the same with these two films. I totally respect him for that since he is looking after the legacy of his father's books and does not wish to be involved in someone else's interpretation of those stories.

Peter_Jackson: Here comes Q5

wetahost: 5 - Having recently reread the Hobbit with my children, it strikes me that the Hobbit contains a fairly linear story that doesn't necessarily follow the "three act" formula typical of movies. What do you see as the biggest challenge adapting the story to the big screen?

Guillermo_del_Toro: There are so many- I am all for trying to preserve every idiosyncrasy the novel has- the very things that seem �unfilmable� and that � in my mind- will make it thrilling as a film. The novel is much, much more inventive and dislocated in its narrative (Bilbo being hit by a rock during the Battle) than you may think at first. I think that you can treat a classic like a museum piece �stuffed and mounted- or you can make it a living, breathing narrative that is unfolding right then and there.

Peter_Jackson: Structure is important in film, but as Guillermo says, there's often structure to be found in the most unlikely of places! It's quite possible to build a structured story and retain idiosyncrasy. It's going to be part of the joy of writing this.

Lukas-Eldarion: Will you do another chat later on in the process?

Guillermo_del_Toro: Gladly- gladly- I'm in!!

Peter_Jackson: Hi Lukas - we would love to this has been a lot of fun. Let us just get the last of the official questions out because we are working down to the most popular ones in the final few

Peter_Jackson: Now for Q4

wetahost: 4 - Will Gollum play a role in the second film? If not, any plans to find a different role for Andy Serkis? Because, and I think most will agree with me, everything is better with more Serkis.

Guillermo_del_Toro: Yes! As all of you know, Gollum has a rather fascinating arch to go through and his alliance to Shelob or his period of imprisonment in Thranduil's, etc but it is early still- so early in fact that to reveal more would tie our hands and be counterproductive.

Guillermo_del_Toro: There can never be "too much Andy"

Peter_Jackson: Now for Q 3

wetahost: 3 - Hello from New Orleans! What production challenges do you feel will be different for The Hobbit and the sequel compared to the experience of making The LOTR?

Peter_Jackson: Yikes! Every film is a challenge. I always say that making a movie is like film school - you're always learning. But unlike most schools, you never get done with it. You never learn everything. Over time, you get to anticipate problems a little better - but new ones hit you. You get to figure out solutions, but there are always extreme problems you could never guess.

One of the things I'm going to enjoy in this experience, is that I'll be better placed to help anticipate the problems and fix them. When you're directing, you're right at the coal face, always exhausted, often emotional - and I'll enjoy being a couple of steps back from that and simply helping where I can. Having done it 3 times as director, there's a lot I know that can help smooth the way for Guillermo.

Peter_Jackson: And we will now do 2

wetahost: 2 - Hello Mr. Jackson and Mr. Del Toro! Thank you very much for this time. My question is one that I think you will hear alot of from many of us...from what material will you pulling the second movie from? I know it'll be great with you two on board, but I am mighty curious. I am a huge fan of both of you and I look foward to more Tolkien films!

Guillermo_del_Toro: The idea is to find a compelling way to join THE HOBBIT and FELLOWSHIP and enhance the 5 films both visually an in their Cosmology. There�s
omissions and material enough in the available, licensed material to attempt this. The agreement is, however, that the second film must be relevant and emotionally strong enough to be brought to life but that we must try and contain the HOBBIT in a single film.

Peter_Jackson: Lets do a few more random questions before the final grand question.

wetahost: Hi Guys my question comes in two parts. Firstly will we notice a significant shift in visual style from LOTR to the Hobbit due to Guillermo's unique asthetic? And if so will there be a complete re-imagining in the design of places seen in both books (ie Bag End and Rivendell) due to this differing style?

Guillermo_del_Toro: GDT The basic designs, the preestablished designs will be only �updated� insofar as the epoch difference. Half a century more or less which in Middle Earth terms is not that much but- think about how much our world has changed from � say 2001 to now� The new settings and designs should blend in enough not to feel like a completely different world but yes, the movies are bound to have some distinctive stylistic imprint.

wetahost: Gentlemen, a two part question. 1st, shooting on film or HD? 2nd, scope or flat?

Guillermo_del_Toro: I normally use 1:85 but I thoroughly plan to respect Peter�s choice of format used in the Trilogy (2:35:1) but it is my intention, for now, to shoot this on film, not HD.

wetahost: How will the new Gollum differ from the Gollum of the LOTR trilogy, if at all?

Guillermo_del_Toro: Once again, only in the passage of time (he�s half a century �younger�) but it will be Andy and the established design will be our Template

wetahost: Will the Mirkwood Elves be different from the Rivendell Elves of the LOTR trilogy?

Guillermo_del_Toro: That is definetly my intention but I cannot reveal anymore at the moment.

wetahost: Considering that you're stretching The Hobbit into 2 movies can we assume that Beorn will be featured and will not be given the Tom Bombadil treatment?

Guillermo_del_Toro: I may be in the minority, but I absolutely LOVE Beorn and I intend to feature him in the films. BTW I also like TB quite a bit�

wetahost: I would love to know how you are going to deal with goblins in the movie. Will they look like the smaller orcs in the LOTR movies or are you going to make a completely new design?Also will everything look like it did in the LOTR movies or will you be redesigning it to fit your vision?

Guillermo_del_Toro: This is an area in which I hope we can expand and enhance a LOT from the established designs in the Trilogy. I plan to come up with a very strong, new treatment for the Goblins. I also think the Wargs should be readdressed for their role in The HOBBIT.

wetahost: One thing I love about watching movies from different film makers is seeing their own visions put onscreen. But since these HOBBIT movies are being made to tie in with the LOTR series, does this mean Mr. Del Toro's wonderfully imaginitive vision will be limited to follow the rules set up by Mr. Jackson?

Guillermo_del_Toro: It is my privilege to roam through roads previously traced but I definetly intend to take you to new and exciting places that the Trilogy did not explore. Nevertheless it is our intention that, once done, the 5 films will play like a symphonic work that seamlessly transports you through this world.

wetahost: Hi there,i'm Beren from Romania and i'd like to ask Mr. GDT if he plans to use(as PJ did) extensive matte paintings and "big-atures" to portray the vast panoramas and cities of Middle-earth or the more simpler CG effects? Thanks and cheers.

Guillermo_del_Toro: Peter and I both love �old school� techniques. I adore physical miniatures and try to use them as much as I can and have a bit of a fetish about that. Matte Paintings and �Big-atures� will definetly be in these.

wetahost: Question for Guillermo, assuming they are all returning to write the screenplay, will you be writing alongside Peter, Philippa and Fran also?

Guillermo_del_Toro: I intend to. Their input in the literary creation of the screenplay is a must. I depend on them and expect to spend many delightful months wandering through Middle Earth.

Peter_Jackson: Writing a screen play with a group of collaborators is like the Lennon McCartney collaboration .... sometimes one or two people do more than others on certain parts of the process and vice versa, it all comes out in the wash and we share equal credit in what everyone has done, with 4 of us we will be able to divide the work up in interesting ways and everyone will be able to help craft these films.

wetahost: I'd comment on the awesomeness of director choice, but I'm sure that gets old. Concerning The Hobbit and the numerous Dwarves, I was wondering if all of them are going to find their way into the film. In Lord of the Rings, you had 9 in the Fellowship, but you had three movies to flesh them out. In the Hobbit, you have 13 Dwarves and one film to throw them all in. I'm definitely hoping to see all 13 make their way in, but what are you doing about this?

Guillermo_del_Toro: Tolkien wrote 13 dwarves and I intend to use 13 dwarves. I am, in fact, thrilled to keep them all and have them be distinguishable and affecting as characters. Much of the drama and emotion in the last third of the book and film will come from them.

wetahost: Guiilermo, I have always thought of you as a visionary director, and I love your work- could you please tell me what was the deciding factor that made you agree to direct The Hobbit?

Guillermo_del_Toro: Of all of Tolkien literary work I was only familiar with THE HOBBIT. I purchased it at age 11 and it struck a chord with me but, back then, I failed to connect with the Trilogy and the Silmarillion (Which now I find delectable) eluded me. I found them �unlike the HOBBIT- to be �too dense� for my young mind. I dreamt of Mirkwood and Smaug for ages (in fact, a Smaug-like dragon was scripted as part of the �fairy tale� Ophelia narrates to her brother in PANS LABYRINTH and was sculpted but was cut for budget reasons) but when I saw Peter undertake the Trilogy I thought thet the HOBBIT would never come to be for me. The proposition of spending half a decade crafting these films received- as Peter will atest- a 5 second �YES� from me. To people in my industry I�m usually a guy that tries to generate his own projects and I remain very elusive when people try and attach me to big projects. For decades I have passed on films of enormous scope but this is a fantastic privilege and I immediately said �Yes�.

wetahost: My question is, when Del Toro has acknowledged his disdain for Hobbits and "sword and sandals" fantasy, how can he do justice to the movie? Why can't Peter direct it himself after The Lovely Bones? He can direct these 2 movies and then direct the 3rd Tintin movie.

Guillermo_del_Toro: Okay- If by �Sword and Sandal� you mean �Sword and Sorcery� I stand by the general lines of my statement in 2006. But allow me to reproduce the following paragraph from ONERING.net and expand it-

Since the age of 4 I became an avid reader and collector of books; manuscripts, pamphlets, first editions, small press or worn-down paperbacks... they all find a home at my library which has grown so cumbersome and obtrusive that I had to move to a separate home from the family one...

For many decades my main area of interest has been horror fiction: Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, MR James, LeFanu, etc and classic Fairy tales and literature about the engines of Myth: unabridged Grimm, Andersen, Wilde, Bettelheim, Tatar, etc

Now and then I indulge in Science Fiction (not hardware oriented but more humanistic things) and thus I count Bradbury, Ellison, Sturgeon and Matheson amongst my favorites.

My area of interest gets much narrower when we deal with another genre... the genre that is shelved under Fantasy.

As a youngster I read Moorcock, Clark Ashton Smith, Lord Dunsany, Lloyd Alexander, Fritz Leiber, Marcel Schwob, RE Howard and a few others.

Nevertheless I was never propelled into an aleatory addiction to sub-genres like Sword & Sorcery or indiscriminate fantasies about magical this or that- Like any other genre or subgenre there's a great abundance that makes it hard to discern when a new "trilogy" or "chronicle" comes from as genuine a place as Tolkien's or derives from genuine fervor -religious or otherwise- like C.S. Lewis' did. But here I am now: reading like a madman to catch up with a whole new land, a continent of sorts- a Cosmology created by brilliant philologist turned Shaman.

As if he grasped an existing universe outside our Platonic cave, Tolkien channels an entire world, weaving expertly from myth and lore. The oustanding virtue is that all this scholarly erudition doesn't reduce his tales to mere Taxidermy. He achieves an Alchemy all of his own: he writes new life in the freshly sculpted clay of his creatures.

I have, through the years become familiar with the very roots of Tolkien's myths and the roots of Fafhrd or Elric or Hyperborea and many a time I have relished the intricate ways in which demonic wolves, shape-shifter and spindly-limbed pale warriors can be woven into those many tales that become, at the end, the single tale, the single saga- that of what is immortal in us all.

In creating Pan's Labyrinth I drank deep of the most rigid form of Fairy Lore and tried to contextualize the main recurrent motifs in an instinctive rhyme between the world of fantasy and the delusions of War and Politics (the grown man's way of playing make-believe) and in re-reading THE HOBBIT just recently I was quite moved by discovering, through Bilbo's eyes the illusory nature of possession, the sins of hoarding and the banality of war- whether in the Western Front or at a Valley in Middle Earth. Lonely is the mountain indeed.

When that statement was made- at different times during PANS LABYRINTH�s promotion, many a time I made the distinctive call to say that althought I had not read Tolkien outside THE HOBBIT I had been fascinated by the Trilogy films. A statement that I already had the chance to make in 2005 when PJ, Fran and I met about HALO.

So, no, generally I am NOT a �Sword and Sorcery� guy or a �Fantasy� guy- By the same token, I'm not a sci-fi guy but I would make a film based on Ellison in a second- or on Sturgeon or Bradbury or Matheson. I'm not into Barbarians with swords but i would kill to tackle Fafhrd and Grey Mouse... and so on and so forth... I'm a believer but not a Dogmatic.

Allow me to put a final, finer point to our discussion. The aesthetics of HELLBOY II are completely Pop and color-saturated, much more comic book / modern than I would ever use in THE HOBBIT but- I spend two years creating a world of Fairies, Elves, Trolls, etc

Two Years. A career / creative decision that precedes any inkling of THE HOBBIT. I wrote the script years before I met with PJ or Fran. In other words I dedicated the last 6 years of my career (between PL and HBII) to create Fantastical world inhabited by Fairies, Fauns, Ogres, Trolls, Elves, etc

In that respect- I guess I am a Fantasy guy when the particular world appeals to me. Back in the Jurassic Period (1992 / 1993) when CRONOS won the Critic�s Week at Cannes I was referred to as an �art house guy�- I followed that with a giant cockroach movie that proved successful enough to spawn two sequels and allow me to co-finance THE DEVILS BACKBONE which send me back to being an �art house guy�. Then I did BLADE II and people thought of me as an �Action guy�- PJ went through a similar mercurial career with HEAVENLY CREATURES, BAD TASTE, DEAD ALIVE, etc I squirm away from a tag and I hope I can avoid being just a �Fantasy guy� after PL, HBII and H�

I do the tales I love (regardless of what shelf Barnes & Noble classifies the book under) and I love the HOBBIT.

I love it enough to give it half a decade of my life and move half a world away to do it.

Peter_Jackson: Having directed the LOTR Trilogy, I really felt that I put my heart and soul into dramatising this world and story, only a few years ago. The idea of going back in and essentially competing against my own movies, seemed to be an unsatsifying way to spend the next 5 years. However, I love Tolkien and care deeply about the movies we made. I couldn't bear the idea of somebody else making them without our involvement. Being a writer and producer is the perfect way for me to work here. Guillermo has the ultimate responsibility of directing, and for him it's easier to make these movies feel different, simply because he's not me, and he therefore has an original vision, with new ideas to offer.

Believe me, I thought long and hard about this, and what we're doing here will result in better movies, I promise you. And that's all that counts!

Peter_Jackson: OK we are almost done here folks and we have our last Q which was the most popular Q from the 1000s of people who sent Qs in advance.

wetahost: 1 - Which of the actors from LOTR will be back to reprise their roles
in The Hobbit and its companion film?

Guillermo_del_Toro: Obviously, at this stage, the second film is still being figured out- so the actors that have been approached may or not have appeared in the HOBBIT as a literary work but still may appear in the second film as it �blends� into the Trilogy and expands. Therefore what can be said is: Unequivocally, every single actor that originated a role in the Trilogy will be asked to participate and reprise it. If Health, availability or willigness become obstacles � and only in that case recasting would be considered.

Peter_Jackson: Like Guillermo says, apart from extreme circumstances, we would never recast a character who appeared in the LOTR trilogy. You can read The Hobbit and pretty much see which characters play a part. The unknown facter is Film Two, which we are still developing. If we wished to write one of the LOTR characters into the narrative of Film Two, we would only do that with that actors blessing, and willingess to take part. Otherwise we'd take the writing in another direction.

Guillermo_del_Toro: Time is up-

But I can proudly say that only a FEW asked "How can I be an extra?" so my heart swell withy pride with the many questions that you were kind enough to submit- More chats and wandering in the message boards await us- See you soon...

Peter_Jackson: So that is it for us for this morning or this evening, or middle of the night wherever you are. We are sorry that is all we could get through but we did try to have each of the Qs represent similar things that many of you have asked. So hopefully it gives you a little bit of info. As I said the truth is there are a lot of unanswered Qs for us as well at this stage of the process. We will know a lot more once the scripts are written which is the next job that we will be doing and it will take most of the rest of this year I imagine. Hope this has been helpful and thank you for all the incredible support now and in years gone by. Best wishes, Peter J.

Guillermo_del_Toro: May the hair on your toes, etc-

Peter_Jackson: The transcript of this chat will be available here on the Weta site in a few hours time. Everyone here at Weta is looking foward to continuing this relationship with you throughout the hobbit experience and there are a lot of fun surprises to come over the next 4 years.

Guillermo_del_Toro: Viva WETA and the many "toys" they make! And may Cthulhu give me more shelves to put them on..

Guillermo_del_Toro: We finished a tray of shrimps together and agreed that NEW LINE should keep hiring round, bearded directors with funny accents...

Guillermo_del_Toro: Unlike Peter, I'm a Dwarf ( a coarse creature I am)- but I studiously avoid cameos�

Christopher Lee Would Return as Saruman

86-year-old Christopher Lee has expressed his interest in returning as Saruman in Guillermo del Toro's The Hobbits.

While the evil wizard is not featured in the "Lord of the Rings" prequel, the two films give plenty of room for Saruman to return in some aspect. Lee tells Empire Online:

I'd be interested in seeing how that transition from good to evil occurred and, yes, of course I would return to the role if I was asked.

Guillermo del Toro Talks to Dragons

Since Guillermo del Toro dropped Pan’s Labyrinth on us in ‘O6, everyone has been dying to work with him… and have him adapt the classics closest to their heart? With his increasingly questionable adaptations of the beloved characters of the Hellboy characters, how will Hobbit fan’s fare if he takes their little Frodo where they don’t want to follow? Del Toro recently attended the New Yorker Festival in Manhattan, and spoke with Daniel Zalewski, from The New Yorker on the topic of inspiration, dragon dialogue, and WWI. Coming Soon was there and published their highlights.

It seems that Del Toro will not be boning up on classic fantasy flicks like Willow, Legend or Labyrinth to prepare for the production of The Hobbit. He claims, “I wouldn’t be watching Krull, or The Dark Crystal, I need to find my own way into the story. That’s the same way I did Pan’s Labyrinth or Devil’s Backbone, by watching stuff you wouldn’t think about.” OK, so… he’s making sure to not be inspired by fantasy flicks with puppets in them? That seems to be good news.

So, where is he deriving his inspiration from? He explains that he is “reading or watching World War I documentaries or books that I think inform The Hobbit, strangely enough, because I believe it is a book born out of Tolkien's generation's experience with World War I and the disappointment of being in that field and seeing all those values kind of collapse. I think it's a turning point that you need to familiarize yourself with.” Thanks for the heavy handed suggestion, del Toro. I just hope we don’t see the effects of WWI in his interpretation of the Shire!

Although his basis for inspiration sounds dangerously un-fun, it seems we can all agree on something: Dragons are awesome and should have as much dialogue as possible. Del Toro says, “[All] my life I've been fascinated by dragons. I was born under the Chinese sign of The Dragon. All my life I'm collecting dragons. It's such a powerful symbol, and in the context of The Hobbit it is used to cast its shadow through the entire narrative. Essentially, Smaug represents so many things: greed, pride… he's 'the Magnificent,' after all. The way his shadow is cast in the narrative you cannot then show it and have it be one thing, he has to be the embodiment of all those things. He's one of the few dragons that will have enormous scenes with lines. He has some of the most beautiful dialogues in those scenes!” With his amazing interpretations of mythical creatures, I have no doubt his interpretation of Smaug will be nothing short of breathtaking.

With Peter Jackson winning Oscars and stuff for his versions of the same character that The Hobbit is based on, Del Toro most certainly has some shoes to fill, and an unusually large fan base to answer to. Few directors have been able to achieve the level of critical acclaim and fan approval that Jackson achieved with his LOTR trilogy. But it seems that del Toro is not here to re-create the LOTR ‘verse. He claims, “There will be different sensibilities involved in this movie than there were in the original trilogy. First of all, because we have the travelogues in The Hobbit which goes to places and variations on races that were not addressed in the trilogy.” I think we can all agree that Del Toro knows how to make a race of fantasy folk, as evidenced in his artful interpretation of the fawn in Pan’s Labyrinth and the Golden Army in Hellboy 2.

When asked about more specific races, like the ‘Wargs,’ Del Toro had this to say: “My belief on the 'Wargs' issue is that the classical incarnation of the demonic wolf in Nordic mythology is not a hyena-shaped creature. It is a wolf. The archetype is a wolf, so we're going to go back to the slender, archetypical wolf that is, I think, the inspiration for Tolkien.” He would not give any more details, joking that “Warner Brothers has a sniper right here at the theater!”

With The Hobbit becoming more and more concrete, LOTR fans will definitely be able to start looking forward to something. Whether they love or hate Tolkien adaptations, The Hobbit is happening! It seems that Del Toro, himself, is psyched: "Believe me, I am jumping up-and-down inside this fat body!"

Del Toro also has some other delectable sounding projects cooking in his Spanish sizzler: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, an adaptation of Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, a novel-style vampire trilogy, and a very modern interpretation of Frankenstein.

Guillermo del Toro Has Ideas For How To Waste A Day



It sounds like all the time Guillermo del Toro has been spending with Peter Jackson has had its effect. Del toro, when discussing The Hobbit, is sounding a lot like Jackson did when talking about his three Lord of the Rings movies-- a good thing for anyone hoping for two movies as narratively consistent as LOTR, which should be pretty much all of us. Del Toro spoke to MTV News about the two Hobbit, and suggested that one day it will be possible to consider his two films and Jackson's three as one, continuous movie.

"We all agree that if we do our job right, it should all feel like a continuous journey. That’s what we’re striving for. If we do our job right, you put in The Hobbit and you wind up watching the entire Pentology!” Does del Toro really think so little of us that he thinks we have nothing to do than to spend about 15 hours watching five movies? And how did he find out how he spends my Saturday?

Del Toro is still mum on details about the second movie, which bridges the gap in story between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, and will presumably involve a lot of hobbits dancing merrily in the Shire. We don't even know when the first movie will leave off, or how closely it will follow the events of the book; all del Toro is saying is “I think Smaug dies in the first movie. So draw your own conclusions.”

Del Toro is a doll to make himself open to reporter questions so frequently, especially when the questions can be really inane, really specific ones from Tolkien fanatics. And it's impressive that we're usually satisfied with whatever answers he gives, even when they're as vague as these. Shouldn't there come a point where we can leave the guy alone, and leave him to mess around with models of dragons and finally cast Bilbo?

Del Toro Talks Even More Hobbit Details



Guillermo del Toro, being the mensch that he is, went back online this week (hey, it’s not a holiday week in Mexico) to talk more details about The Hobbit. Of course, there aren’t many details left to share at this point—filming doesn’t begin until 2010, and they haven’t even figured out the shortlist for Bilbo yet. But the conversation at BilboHobbit.com contains a few small tidbits that at least the diehard del Toro and Hobbit fans will enjoy.

First of all, he promises lots of creatures and puppets on the scale of the ones in Hellboy 2, focusing on some of the creatures who barely showed up in Lord of the Rings. ”We will be pushing the goblin kingdom. We will be pushing Smaug, the Spiders of Mirkwood. We will be pushing them to the edge of technology where we will fuse animatronics and CGI into a seamless new art form in creating creatures.” Sounds cool, but who will be helping him pull it off? None other than several of his Hellboy creators, if del Toro has his way. “[Mike] Mignola [creator of Hellboy and writer of the movies], [Wayne] Barlowe [visual designer], Spectral Motion, Guillermo Navarro [cinematographer] and others…”

Del Toro’s most exciting promises, as usual, come on the visual effects front. “You will see some mind-boggling mixture of CGI / Puppetry like never before. The demarcation of where one technique ends and the other begins will NOT be as clean as in HBII or BLADE II or PAN’S LABYRINTH. I am going to push further than ever on both fronts.” At this point we’re all just ready for del Toro to stop making promises and make the movie already, but hey, these things take time. At least he’s continuing to keep the fans posted, and hey, we might be learning about Bilbo soon!

Who Will Be Moving From Music Biopics to Del Toro’s The Hobbit?



Two of the only three members of The Hobbit’s cast that I think we can so far bank on (the third being Ian McKellen) are set to make appearances in two separate music biopics before hand.

Firstly, Andy Serkis is to play Ian Dury in a film of the Blockhead’s life. He said “I’m actually doing a film in April about the life of Ian Dury, who’s a proto-punk rocker in the 1970s. He’s an amazing character, a real poet. He sort of came up out of the British pub rock scene. He sort of pre-empted the Sex Pistols and the whole punk movement. And he was a polio sufferer, so he basically didn’t have much use of his left leg or his left arm.”

This is perfect casting. If you don’t believe me, check out video of Ian Drury performing.



As I understand it, Michael Winterbottom collaborator Matt Whitecross will be the director (you may recall Serkis played Martin Hannet in Winterbottom’s 24 Hour Party People).

The second Hobbiter to sign up for a muso-movie is none other than Doug Jones. He’s in the cast of the Serge Gainsbourg biopic. He won’t be playing Gainsbourg himself (Eric Elmosnino will be ), and he hasn’t yet revealed who he will be playing, but he promises that the role will require his characteristic prosthetic make-up. Asking around, I have confirmed that the film is based upon a French comic book series (!) and will feature several supernatural creatures in “fable-like” scenes. These creatures will be handled by Studio DDT, who also worked on Pan’s Labyrinth - hence the Jones connection.

The film will also feature Laetitia Casta as Brigitte Bardot so, gentlemen, start your daydreaming now.

Exclusive: New Empire Hobbit Cover
You wants it...



January is, statistically speaking, the most miserable of months. It’s cold, it’s dark, and Moira Stuart is forever banging on about paying your tax bill by the 31st, or Mr. Taxman will be round to cut off a pound, or three, of flesh.

So here at Empire, we feel it’s our duty to cheer you up – and what better way than by presenting to you our brand new issue, which should be hitting newsagent and supermarket shelves near you any… second… now.

Inside, you’ll find all kinds of cheery tonics, such as our horror overload, featuring Bruce Campbell, Freddy and Jason, the Wolfman’s Emily Blunt, and the Lesbian Vampire Killers, and our lovely look at the individuals who make up the Watchmen.

But pride of place – on our cover and in our hearts – is our big special on The Hobbit. What’s that, you say? It’s not even out for two years? Well, yes, but inside our special feature, you’ll find a one-stop shop of information on the films that may be the most anticipated of the next few years.



Inside, we’ll tell you how the film finally became a reality after years languishing in tangled rights hell; why Peter Jackson stepped aside from directing; what might be contained in the mooted second movie; and just what director Guillermo del Toro has in store for the whole shebang.

Here’s a taster of our exclusive interview with del Toro: “Whatever The Hobbit ends up being, it has to ultimately blend seamlessly into the first movie of the trilogy. We have to respect the cosmology and the canon established by the trilogy and follow it.”

For more from del Toro, and more on The Hobbit, pick up the March issue of Empire – on sale Friday.

Matthew Goode Auditions For Bilbo Baggins



In an interview with the UK Daily Telegraph’s John Preston, actor Matthew Goode commented on some news that would be of great interest to those fans following developments on The Hobbit.  Preston writes:

“Now he’s a father, Goode doesn’t even like travelling that much. But just before we met, he’d auditioned for the role of Bilbo Baggins in Guillermo del Toro’s two-part film of The Hobbit. As he is the first to admit, he’s not an obvious choice – ‘Look at the size of me for Christ’s sake!’ If he got the part, he would, he says, find it almost impossible to refuse – despite the fact that it would involve him spending several months in New Zealand.”

Guillermo del Toro Confirms Hobbit 3D Discussions

I wouldn't read much on it just yet, but now, after all this time, after AVATAR doing the Box Office it did, we have had enquires from above about The Hobbit being in 3-D.

No impositions or heavy leaning. Just enquires. Just fulfilling my promise to let you all know if discussions ever started.

Cheers

GDT

Ian McKellen confirms start date on The Hobbit

THE HOBBIT's, two films, start shooting in New Zealand in July.  Filming will take over a year. Casting in Los Angeles, New York City and London has started.  The script too proceeds.  The first draft is crammed with old and new friends, again on a quest in Middle Earth. 

The director Guillermo del Toro is now living in Wellington, close to the Jacksons' and the studio in Miramar.

So, here I am again. As promised, I am posting a longer message before the week's end.

I have to thank those of you that have supported me from the start as well as those that converted along the way. And even say farewell to those that never did convert or believed.

I will miss Mr. Crere, the faith of Compa and Sir DennisC, the wisdom of Voronwe, the joy of Grammaboodawg, the support of Kangi Ska and so many, many others

Now, Pasi, et al- that is what is quite uncommon even on big films. Pete and co stuck to LOTR for years, I've developed films for years and I have shot many a movie on location... but rarely do you relocate for such massive amount of time specially when you have to do major ironclad agreements to put in deep freeze other contractual obligations with multiple studios.

My commitment to the project demanded enormous sacrifices both in personal and professional terms. The consequences of which will ripple for years. I relocated my entire life and family to New Zealand and first came on board in 2008.

So- while the cited delays, contractual complexities or obstacles, cannot be attributed to a single event or entity - you will simply have to believe that they were of sufficient complexity and severity to lead to the current situation. Trust me on this, Pasi- leaving NZ and the Hobbit crew is extremely painful.

As stated before- a wealth of designs, animatics, boards and sculptures is left behind representing accurately my ideas for Mirkwood, Spiders, Wargs, Stone Trolls, etc, etc and everyone (PJ, FW, PB and myself) has the same goal in mind: to try and ensure the best possible transition of the movie to a new director.

I believe these films will happen. Preproduction continues as we speak. The writing team of PJ,FW,PB and myself will keep moving the screenplays forward.

Perhaps even sooner than we may anticipate we will all look at the finished film and then- I will tear up whenever I recognize a set or a creature or a quirk created under my supervision. Everyone on these boards will get two movies. Me? I will be watching filmic family albums. Photos of my children from far away.

I hope you will understand how delicate the subject is for me.

I will drop by now and then, I will read the boards with interest and do hope to see some of you around at SDCC and many other places.

I am not here, however, to provide a blow-by-blow of what happened, but to assure you, as I have, that it has been the toughest situation of my life.

Beyond that- I am simply no longer an official voice for these projects. Be good, be well- and I invite you all to follow me into the next phase of my filmmaking journey.

Sincerely

GDT

Tim Burton
Tim Burton’s grasp of magic and high weirdness is initially encouraging to fans, but doubt sets in when Johnny Depp is brought on to play Gandalf and decides to base his portrayal on eccentric celebrity Ozzy Osbourne. When Helena Bonham Carter is tapped to play Gollum, hopes take a dive, and the final product is praised for its bold use of color and shapes, but criticized for introducing a 10-minute dream sequence in which Bilbo is chased by a giant ring in a clown suit.

Terry Gilliam
The first stills to come out of the production are very promising, but Terry Gilliam’s famed bad luck comes into play when, over the course of a single week, a fire destroys the Smaug set, a flash flood wipes out Lake Town, Thorin Oakenshield develops spasmodic dysphonia, and the special-effects budget is cut to about half that of Big Momma’s House 3. The movie as released, while flawed and a commercial failure, nonetheless becomes a cult favorite among film students and fisheye lens salesmen.

George Lucas
George Lucas decides that this Lord of the Rings prequel is lacking a certain something, and changes the plot to be about Sauron’s early life as an adorable toddler caught in the middle of a continent-spanning dispute over water rights. Also, Sauron’s best friend is an orc with an exaggerated Mexican accent named Boopily Boodily Moop. The resulting film is a failure on every conceivable level, although somehow this doesn’t prevent Lucas from producing a related Cartoon Network series called Ultimate Ring Force.

Michael Bay
While the film is visually impressive, most viewers can’t recall Middle-earth being quite so explosion-prone in the books. In particular, the opening scene — in which Bilbo, instead of providing food and drinks for 13 dwarves, must escape from his shuddering, collapsing hobbit hole, diving from the exit just as Bag End goes up in a massive eruption of lava and stone — is singled out as being “somewhat over the top.” Every geek goes to see it, every geek hates it, and every geek goes to see it again just in case they didn’t hate it enough the first time.

Uwe Boll
The movie garners less criticism than any previous Uwe Boll film, mostly because at this point everyone’s given up on even watching Uwe Boll films. However, Uwe Boll himself goes to see it, and posts some minor criticisms on a web forum. When he reads his own comments, Uwe Boll becomes enraged and challenges himself to a bare-knuckled MMA match. The resulting video of Uwe Boll spending two hours beating himself up is a critical and commercial hit, providing Uwe Boll with his first and only Oscar, for Best Concussion Based on an Original Screenplay.



Read More http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/06/alt...s#ixzz0qVnHOuXg

Photos from The Hobbit Set Construction



Images from set contruction on The Hobbit have appeared online, courtesy of the German fansite Herr-der-Ringe-Film.de.

The site, written in German, reports that these images were taken last month in New Zealand. While they do precede the recent departure of Guillermo del Toro as director, they also provide a fairly good look at exactly how much work has already been done on the films.

Is God Mad At The Hobbit?



The proposed “Hobbit” films are having problems. Problems is putting it mildly. First MGM went bust, Guillermo Del Toro left the movie
in favor of other projects, and then there is the well-publicized standoff between director Peter Jackson and a variety of unions. Add to that an estimated $500 million dollar price tag, and you might start to wonder if this is actually ever going to happen.

And things are only getting worse.

Yesterday flames gutted the New Zealand workshop set that would have been used for Jackson’s embattled adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved novel.



With everything that the production of “The Hobbit” has endured so far, it is no wonder that the media is making frequent references to “The Curse of The Hobbit”. However, even with the laundry list of impediments, the production could begin shooting as early as mid-January.

The Hobbit Will Finally Shoot in February 2011



The first three “Lord of the Rings” films are legendary, but they might be nothing compared to the behind-the-scenes turmoil that has gone on with the upcoming two “Hobbit” movies. After years of problems (and still more problems left to be resolved), Peter Jackson’s two “Hobbit” movies have now been given the official greenlight, with production set for as early as February of next year.

Jackson will once again direct both films with a combined budget of $400 million, with $30 million of that already sank into pre-production on the film’s New Zealand sets. Of course, whether the films will actually shoot in New Zealand remains to be seen given the labor issues the production is currently still mired in.

Of the cast, only Sir Ian McKellan is officially back as Gandalf, with Martin Freeman rumored to be the frontrunner for the lead, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. With the greenlight given, expect the first part of “The Hobbit” to land in theaters by December 19, 2012, followed by part two in the following year.

That is, unless something else comes up to sabotage the production. You know, like maybe meteorites from outer space, or mole men from the Earth’s core. Hey, this is the “Hobbit”, it could happen.

expect the first part of “The Hobbit” to land in theaters by December 19, 2012

The Hobbit Casting Official Announcement: Yes, Martin Freeman is Bilbo Baggins



With “The Hobbit” set to shoot early next year, the studio has released an official announcement on the film’s casting. And yes, as expected, Martin Freeman (left) is indeed playing Bilbo Baggins, played by Ian Holm in the first three “Lord of the Rings” films. The major casting also includes Richard Armitage (below, right) as Thorin Oakenshield, Aidan Turner as Kili, and Rob Kazinsky as Fili.

Press release below:

Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Rob Kazinsky, Aidan Turner, Graham McTavish, John Callen, Stephen Hunter, Mark Hadlow and Peter Hambleton have joined the ensemble cast of The Hobbit, it was jointly announced today by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line Cinema; Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.; Steve Cooper, co-Chief Executive Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., and Peter Jackson.

Since The Hobbit films received a green light on October 15, pre-production has been in full swing. Set for release in December, 2012 and December, 2013, we can confirm that Martin Freeman (The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Hot Fuzz) will play Bilbo Baggins, the hero of the story. Richard Armitage (UK TV’s “MI-5″ and soon to appear in Captain America: The First Avenger) is set to play Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the Company of Dwarves which sets off to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from a thieving dragon.

“Despite the various rumors and speculation surrounding this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us,” says Peter Jackson. “There are a few times in your career when you come across an actor who you know was born to play a role, but that was the case as soon as I met Martin. He is intelligent, funny, surprising and brave – exactly like Bilbo and I feel incredibly proud to be able to announce that he is our Hobbit.”

He adds: “Richard is one of the most exciting and dynamic actors working on screen today and we know he is going to make an amazing Thorin Oakensheild. We cannot wait to start this adventure with him and feel very lucky that one of the most beloved characters in Middle-earth is in such good hands.”

Rounding out the Company of Dwarves are Aidan Turner (TV’s “Being Human”) and Rob Kazinsky (TVs “EastEnders”) who play Kili and Fili, respectively. Jackson comments, “Rob is an extremely talented young actor with a huge career in front of him, I’m thrilled that he has agreed to take on the role of Fili. Besides his talent as an actor, Rob is also a champion sword fighter; I’m looking forward to seeing the damage he can do to a horde of marauding Goblins!” He continues, “Adian is a wonderfully gifted young actor who hails from Ireland. I’m sure he will bring enormous heart and humor to the role of Kili.”

The remaining dwarves will be played by Graham McTavish (Secretariat and TV’s “24″) as Dwalin; John Callen (TV’s “Power Rangers Jungle Fury”) as Oin; Stephen Hunter (TV’s “All Saints”) as Bombur; Mark Hadlow (King Kong) as Dori; and Peter Hambleton (TV’s “The Strip”) as Gloin.

Jackson notes, “Graham is a terrific actor, with a great depth of experience, which I know he will bring to the role of “Dwalin. I have worked with Mark Hadlow on many projects; he is a fantastic actor. I am thrilled to be working with both of them on these movies. He adds, “I am also proud to announce the casting of New Zealand actors as Peter Hambleton, John Callen and Stephen Hunter. Fran and I know that they will bring great depth and talent to our Company of Dwarves.”

The two “The Hobbit” films are being co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production, Warner Bros Pictures handling domestic distribution and MGM distributing internationally. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Carolynne Cunningham are producing the films, with Phillipa Boyens serving as co-producer and Ken Kamins as executive producer.

The Oscar-winning, critically acclaimed LOTR trilogy, also from the production team of Jackson, Walsh and Cunningham, grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box office. In 2003, Return of the King swept the Academy Awards, winning all of the 11 categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture — the first-ever Best Picture win for a fantasy film. The trilogy’s production was also unprecedented at the time.

Cate Blanchett Signs on For The Hobbit, More Official Casting



Apparently Cate Blanchett’s “Lord of the Rings” character Galadriel doesn’t actually appear in J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” book, but that’s not going to stop Peter Jackson from casting her in the two films anyway. Hey, when you can get Cate Blanchett in your movie, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, source material or not.

Besides Blanchett, Jackson also announced new castmembers:

Ken Stott (“Charlie Wilson’s War”) will play the Dwarf Lord Balin; Sylvester McCoy (“Doctor Who”) will play the wizard Radagast the Brown; Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt will play the shape-shifting bear-man Beorn; British actor Ryan Gage will play Drogo Baggins; and New Zealand actors Jed Brophy and William Kircher will play the dwarves Nori and Bifur, respectively.

Missing from the list is Sir Ian McKellan, who has already stated that he will return as Gandalf in “The Hobbit” films.

Orlando Bloom Near A Deal To Reprise His Role As Legolas In The Hobbit



After the announcement that Cate Blanchet will appear in Peter Jackson’s two film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, reprising her “Lord of the Rings” role as Galadriel (even though Galadriel isn’t in “The Hobbit”), a rumor started circulating that Orlando Bloom is “near a deal to return as Elven archer Legolas”. Similarly to Galadriel, Legolas is nowhere to be found in “The Hobbit”. Strange, considering that the role will be reportedly be “more than a cameo”.

Elves are immortal, so if they try hard enough, they’ll find a way to work Galadriel and Legolas into the story without age being a problem. Maybe they’ll show up near the conclusion as a way to tie the two “Hobbit” movies to the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

There is still no word on whether Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, and Hugo Weaving, will reprise appear as Gandalf, Gollum, and Elrond, respectively, all of whom figure prominently in both “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings”. It’s odd that so much effort is being expended on two roles that don’t appear in the book, instead of focusing on securing the lynchpins of the series. Then again, that stuff is probably going on behind closed doors and everything will work out eventually.

Frodo aka Elijah Wood All but Confirmed for The Hobbit Movies — SPOILERS



He doesn’t actually appear in the J.R.R. Tolkien novel, but that isn’t going to keep Peter Jackson and Elijah Wood from putting diminutive but heroic hobbit Frodo Baggins into the two “Hobbit” movies anyway. According to reports, Wood is already in negotiations to reprise his famous role, and TheOneRing.net has further details about how Frodo will appear in the movie.



Now the big question is, what’s a Frodo Baggins appearance without Sam (Sean Astin)? The two were practically inseparable in the first three movies, and I dare say, Sam held their storyline together while ol Frodo just looked all glassy eyed and whatnot.

Andy Serkis and Ian McKellen Officially Signed for The Hobbit Movies



No surprise here. Andy Serkis has signed a deal to return as Gollum in Peter Jackson’s two “Hobbit” movies. He’ll be joining Martin Freeman, playing a younger version of Bilbo Baggins, along with Elijah Wood, last reported to be reprising Frodo Baggins in the two movies. Ian McKellen, after a lot of surprising maybe/maybe-not, is now also officially back as the wizard Gandalf.

Also expected back: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel and Christopher Lee as Saruman. Orlando Bloom was previously rumored to also be back as Legalos, but that’s still up in the air. Both Galadriel and Legalos don’t actually appear in J.R.R. Tolkien’s source novel, but that didn’t stop Jackson from including Frodo in the upcoming movie anyway.

The premise of “The Hobbit” movies follows Freeman’s Bilbo, who is on an epic quest with Gandalf and 13 dwarves led by their King, Thorin Oakenshield (to be played by Richard Armitage), to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and strike down the talking dragon Smaug (possibly voiced by Bill Nighy, whose participation is also up in the air).

It’s during this journey that Bilbo runs across a little ring that everyone seems to want in that “Lord of the Rings” trilogy that came out a little while back. Serkis’ Gollum, of course, really, really wants that ring back.

Peter Jackson and company commences the back-to-back production starting in February 14 on location in New Zealand.