picture by THE HOBBIT on MARCH 21, 2011
Who can believe it’s been eight years since the last installment of the “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy was bestowed upon us and how long my dear “Tolkien fandoms” have we been waiting for more from our beloved director Peter Jackson especially in the form of “The Hobbit”? Well, good news, on Monday filming finally began on the long-awaited movies, ending years of delay due to funding problems and a labor dispute which nearly saw the project pulled out of New Zealand.
“The Hobbit” is based on the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who lives in the land of Middle-earth and journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug. The book, first published in 1937, is the precursor to the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which also takes place in Middle-earth.
The cast for the movies will include Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Ken Stott and Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins.
Both films of course are being directed by New Zealand native Peter Jackson, 49, who made the hit Oscar-winning “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
Stone Street Studios in Wellington will be the home of the project whilst a number of other locations around New Zealand will also play host to the films (the exact whereabouts are a highly guarded secret). Unfortunately we still have some time to wait until the first of the two films is released in December 2012 and the second will likely follow a year later.
The movies have been plagued by a succession of problems, most notably the threat last year by Time Warner Inc unit Warner Bros. to move production overseas because of fears unions would impose a boycott to back demands for a collective contract.
The government last year changed labor laws to keep the estimated $500 million production and increased tax breaks for Warner Bros, citing the damage that might be done to the country’s small film industry.
Before that, in 2010 issues around the funding of the films saw original director Guillermo Del Toro quit. The final test came when Jackson was hospitalized earlier this year for emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer.
So onwards an up wards now, better go dust off my Anduril and find my Elven ear tips.
