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Filming For The Hobbit Officially Wraps

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Filming for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again has officially wrapped. Jackson also released a new promotional poster for The Hobbit, in which strangely, there are no hobbits in sight. You can see the new poster above.

Director Peter Jackson announced the news via his Facebook page on Thursday, with the photo below captioned, “We made it! Shoot day 266 and the end of principal photography on The Hobbit. Thanks to our fantastic cast and crew for getting us this far, and to all of you for your support! Next stop, the cutting room. Oh, and Comic Con! Cheers, Peter J.”

An Unexpected Journey

The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargsand Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever…Gollum.Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

There and Back Again

Thorin and Company have reached Lake-town and it is time for the hobbit Bilbo Baggins to fulfill his contract with the dwarves. The party must complete the journey to Lonely Mountain and burglar Baggins must seek out the Secret Door that will give them access to the hoard of the dragon Smaug. If Bilbo and the others are able to gain the treasure, will they be able to keep it? And will they discover what has become of the wizard Gandalf?
An Unexpected Journey will be released in 3D, 2D and IMAX theaters on Dec. 14, followed by There and Back Again on Dec. 13, 2013.

The film has a very large cast with several award winning and well known actors including:

  • Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit and the protagonist of the film.
  • Ian Holm as old Bilbo Baggins.
  • Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey: A wizard who recruits Bilbo and helps to arrange the quest to reclaim the Dwarves’ lost treasure in Erebor.
  • Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield: The leader of the Company of Dwarves who have set out to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon.
  • Graham McTavish as Dwalin: One of the Company of Dwarves that accompanies Bilbo and Thorin on the Quest of Erebor.
  • Ken Stott as Balin: A member of the Company of Dwarves and the brother of Dwalin. He is described in the novel as “always their look-out man.
  • Aidan Turner as Kíli: One of Thorin’s nephews who sets out on the Quest of Erebor.
  • Dean O’Gorman as Fíli.
  • Mark Hadlow as Dori: A member of the Company of Dwarves. He is described in the novel as “a decent fellow, despite his grumbling,” while Thorin described him as being the strongest member of the Company.
  • Jed Brophy as Nori: A member of the Company of Dwarves and brother of Dori and Ori.
  • Adam Brown as Ori: A member of the Company of Dwarves. The role will mark Brown’s first film appearance.
  • John Callen as Óin: A member of the Company of Dwarves and brother of Glóin.
  • Peter Hambleton as Glóin: A member of the Company of Dwarves and brother of Óin.
  • William Kircher as Bifur: One of the twelve companions of Thorin and Bilbo on the Quest of Erebor and the cousin of Bofur and Bombur.
  • James Nesbitt as Bofur: One of the Company of Dwarves and the cousin of Bifur and brother of Bombur, he is described as “a disarmingly forthright, funny and occasionally brave Dwarf.”
  • Stephen Hunter as Bombur: Described in the novel as being fat and clumsy, he is the brother of Bofur and the cousin of Bifur.
  • Andy Serkis as Gollum.
  • Hugo Weaving as Elrond: The Elven master of Rivendell. Elrond gives shelter to Bilbo’s party, after which, presumably, the two become friends.
  • Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug: One of the last remaining dragons in Middle-earth. He guards the treasure in Erebor.
    • Also voices the Necromancer: Ruler of the stronghold of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood; he is later revealed to be Sauron and is driven out by the White Council.
  • Mikael Persbrandt as Beorn: A shape-shifter (or, in the actual text, a “skin-changer”), a man who could assume the appearance of a great black bear. In the novel, he lives with his animal retinue (horses, dogs and cows, among others) in a wooden house between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood. Beorn received Gandalf, Bilbo and the 13 Dwarves and aided them in their quest to reclaim the Dwarves’ kingdom beneath Erebor, the Lonely Mountain. He was convinced of their trustworthiness after confirming their tale of encountering the Goblins of the Misty Mountains and Gandalf’s slaying of their leader, the Great Goblin.
  • Lee Pace as Thranduil: Referred to in the novel as “The Elvenking”, he is the ruler of the realm of the northern part of Mirkwood. He is also the father of Legolas. In the novel, the Dwarves are captured by Thranduil’s guards and locked in his dungeons when they refuse to divulge their intentions.
  • Stephen Fry as Master of Lake-town: The leader of the settlement of Men at Lake-town near the Lonely Mountain.
  • Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman: Bard of Esgaroth was a skilled archer and the heir of Girion, the last king of old Dale, described as “grim faced”. He rallied the guards to defend the town when the Dragon came, slaying the dragon himself. He later leads the Men of Esgaroth at the Battle of Five Armies and is crowned king of the re-founded Dale.
  • Billy Connolly as Dáin II Ironfoot: A great dwarf warrior, ruler of the Iron Hills and cousin of Thorin Oakenshield.
  • Barry Humphries as the Great Goblin: The ruler of the underground caverns in the Misty Mountains.
  • Christopher Lee as Saruman the White: Head of Gandalf’s Order of Wizards and the White Council.
  • Cate Blanchett as Galadriel: An Elf and the co-ruler of Lothlórien along with her husband, Lord Celeborn.
  • Sylvester McCoy as Radagast the Brown: A wizard of Gandalf’s Order.
  • Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins: A hobbit and favourite relative of Bilbo Baggins.
  • Jeffrey Thomas as Thrór: King of Durin’s folk, the son of Dáin I, father of Thráin II and grandfather of Thorin Oakenshield.
  • Mike Mizrahi as Thráin II: A Dwarven king, Thráin is the son of Thrór and father of Thorin Oakenshield.
  • Conan Stevens as Azog: An Orc chieftain of Moria. He killed King Thrór, who came to revisit the ruins of Khazad-dûm. In the following years, he was the common enemy of all Dwarves and the war he started climaxed in the Battle of Azanulbizar, where he killed Náin, only to be himself slain by Náin’s son Dáin II Ironfoot.
  • Orlando Bloom as Legolas: The Elven Prince of Mirkwood and the son of Thranduil.
  • Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel: A female elf from Mirkwood. Her name means “daughter of Mirkwood”.
  • Bret McKenzie as Lindir: An Elf of Rivendell.
  • Ryan Gage as Alfrid:The Master of Laketown’s “conniving” servant.
  • John Bell as a yet-unnamed character who “is confident and brave and ready to do battle if required even though he is still a boy.”

New Production Video Released For The Hobbit

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Peter Jackson, the famed director helming The Hobbit, has released Production Video #7, a 14 minute tour of Stone Street Studio. It was also announced by Warner Bros. Pictures that the premiere of “An Unexpected Journey” the first of two Hobbit films will take place on November 28th in New Zealand.

According to a press release from Warner Bros. Pictures the plot for both films is as follows:

An Unexpected Journey

The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargsand Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever…Gollum.

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

There and Back Again

Thorin and Company have reached Lake-town and it is time for the hobbit Bilbo Baggins to fulfill his contract with the dwarves. The party must complete the journey to Lonely Mountain and burglar Baggins must seek out the Secret Door that will give them access to the hoard of the dragon Smaug. If Bilbo and the others are able to gain the treasure, will they be able to keep it? And will they discover what has become of the wizard Gandalf?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will hit 3D, 2D and IMAX theaters on December 14 and will be followed up by The Hobbit: There and Back Again on December 13, 2013.

You can watch Production Video #7 below:

The film has a very large cast with several award winning and well known actors including:

  • Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit and the protagonist of the film.
  • Ian Holm as old Bilbo Baggins.
  • Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey: A wizard who recruits Bilbo and helps to arrange the quest to reclaim the Dwarves’ lost treasure in Erebor.
  • Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield: The leader of the Company of Dwarves who have set out to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon.
  • Graham McTavish as Dwalin: One of the Company of Dwarves that accompanies Bilbo and Thorin on the Quest of Erebor.
  • Ken Stott as Balin: A member of the Company of Dwarves and the brother of Dwalin. He is described in the novel as “always their look-out man.
  • Aidan Turner as Kíli: One of Thorin’s nephews who sets out on the Quest of Erebor.
  • Dean O’Gorman as Fíli.
  • Mark Hadlow as Dori: A member of the Company of Dwarves. He is described in the novel as “a decent fellow, despite his grumbling,” while Thorin described him as being the strongest member of the Company.
  • Jed Brophy as Nori: A member of the Company of Dwarves and brother of Dori and Ori.
  • Adam Brown as Ori: A member of the Company of Dwarves. The role will mark Brown’s first film appearance.
  • John Callen as Óin: A member of the Company of Dwarves and brother of Glóin.
  • Peter Hambleton as Glóin: A member of the Company of Dwarves and brother of Óin.
  • William Kircher as Bifur: One of the twelve companions of Thorin and Bilbo on the Quest of Erebor and the cousin of Bofur and Bombur.
  • James Nesbitt as Bofur: One of the Company of Dwarves and the cousin of Bifur and brother of Bombur, he is described as “a disarmingly forthright, funny and occasionally brave Dwarf.”
  • Stephen Hunter as Bombur: Described in the novel as being fat and clumsy, he is the brother of Bofur and the cousin of Bifur.
  • Andy Serkis as Gollum.
  • Hugo Weaving as Elrond: The Elven master of Rivendell. Elrond gives shelter to Bilbo’s party, after which, presumably, the two become friends.
  • Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug: One of the last remaining dragons in Middle-earth. He guards the treasure in Erebor.
    • Also voices the Necromancer: Ruler of the stronghold of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood; he is later revealed to be Sauron and is driven out by the White Council.
  • Mikael Persbrandt as Beorn: A shape-shifter (or, in the actual text, a “skin-changer”), a man who could assume the appearance of a great black bear. In the novel, he lives with his animal retinue (horses, dogs and cows, among others) in a wooden house between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood. Beorn received Gandalf, Bilbo and the 13 Dwarves and aided them in their quest to reclaim the Dwarves’ kingdom beneath Erebor, the Lonely Mountain. He was convinced of their trustworthiness after confirming their tale of encountering the Goblins of the Misty Mountains and Gandalf’s slaying of their leader, the Great Goblin.
  • Lee Pace as Thranduil: Referred to in the novel as “The Elvenking”, he is the ruler of the realm of the northern part of Mirkwood. He is also the father of Legolas. In the novel, the Dwarves are captured by Thranduil’s guards and locked in his dungeons when they refuse to divulge their intentions.
  • Stephen Fry as Master of Lake-town: The leader of the settlement of Men at Lake-town near the Lonely Mountain.
  • Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman: Bard of Esgaroth was a skilled archer and the heir of Girion, the last king of old Dale, described as “grim faced”. He rallied the guards to defend the town when the Dragon came, slaying the dragon himself. He later leads the Men of Esgaroth at the Battle of Five Armies and is crowned king of the re-founded Dale.
  • Billy Connolly as Dáin II Ironfoot: A great dwarf warrior, ruler of the Iron Hills and cousin of Thorin Oakenshield.
  • Barry Humphries as the Great Goblin: The ruler of the underground caverns in the Misty Mountains.
  • Christopher Lee as Saruman the White: Head of Gandalf’s Order of Wizards and the White Council.
  • Cate Blanchett as Galadriel: An Elf and the co-ruler of Lothlórien along with her husband, Lord Celeborn.
  • Sylvester McCoy as Radagast the Brown: A wizard of Gandalf’s Order.
  • Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins: A hobbit and favourite relative of Bilbo Baggins.
  • Jeffrey Thomas as Thrór: King of Durin’s folk, the son of Dáin I, father of Thráin II and grandfather of Thorin Oakenshield.
  • Mike Mizrahi as Thráin II: A Dwarven king, Thráin is the son of Thrór and father of Thorin Oakenshield.
  • Conan Stevens as Azog: An Orc chieftain of Moria. He killed King Thrór, who came to revisit the ruins of Khazad-dûm. In the following years, he was the common enemy of all Dwarves and the war he started climaxed in the Battle of Azanulbizar, where he killed Náin, only to be himself slain by Náin’s son Dáin II Ironfoot.
  • Orlando Bloom as Legolas: The Elven Prince of Mirkwood and the son of Thranduil.
  • Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel: A female elf from Mirkwood. Her name means “daughter of Mirkwood”.
  • Bret McKenzie as Lindir: An Elf of Rivendell.
  • Ryan Gage as Alfrid:The Master of Laketown’s “conniving” servant.
  • John Bell as a yet-unnamed character who “is confident and brave and ready to do battle if required even though he is still a boy.”

Peter Jackson Answers Criticism Regarding Filming The Hobbit

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Director Peter Jackson is facing criticism for the style of filming he used for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. A preview of the highly anticipated film was unveiled at Cinemacon last week and despite the excitement, many of the viewers were displeased. Some of the viewers who saw the preview for the unfinished movie stated they were unimpressed with the footage. The film was shot in a “hyper-realistic” style at a rate of 48 frames per second, instead of the standard 24.

Jackson recently took on the criticism of his hyper-realtistic film during an interview with TheWrap.

He spoke about his reasons why he decided to film the movie using the 48 frames per second stating that it would “improve the film’s 3D imagery and better immerse audiences in the action.”

The director plans to continue with his original format despite audience protests.

I can’t say anything, just like you can’t say anything to someone who doesn’t like fish,” Jackson said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “You can’t explain why fish tastes great and why they should enjoy it.”

Jackson also said he feels that people will get used to the film style, and prefers that they enjoy other aspects of the movie.

“I just wonder if they were getting into the dialogue, the characters and the story,” Jackson said. “That’s what happens in the movie. You settle into it.”

Though audience members may be able to “settle into it,” Jackson may run into more problems when getting movie theaters to screen the film. Because of the style used, most theaters will have to upgrade their technology to show the film. While this may not be an issue for large chain theaters, smaller operations may turn The Hobbit down.

One theater owner said “he was unimpressed by the high frame rate footage and unsure if it was worth the investment,” according to an article by Brent Lang. “He noted that he had already made a substantial investment to convert his theaters from film to digital in recent years, spending roughly $150,000 per screen. He said that he estimated updating his projectors would cost $8,000 apiece.”

Jackson, however, said he feels higher film rates are in many directors’ future.

Nobody is going to stop,” he said. “This technology is going to keep evolving.”

An executive from New Line told TheWrap that they almost didn’t preview with film with the high frame rate but that Jackson had pushed very hard for the preview and ended up winning the debate. The executive also assured that the film would look even better once the finalized coloring and special effects were included.

Despite the lackluster response to the look of his film, there was a strong positive reaction to the overall tone and story of the film with MSN calling it “chilling and absorbing.”

The Hobbit will be released Dec. 14, and will also be available at the standard film rate of 24 frames per second. It’s sequel, The Hobbit: There and Back Again will be released on December 13, 2013.

Billy Connolly Goes to Middle-Earth in The Hobbit

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Actor-Comedian Billy Connolly joins the cast of Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated film The Hobbit. Adapted from J.R.R. Tokien’s books of the same name, The Hobbit serves as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings series which Jackson also directed.

The Hobbit which has been split into two films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again are currently in production and being shot back-to-back in New Zealand.

Connolly is known for his roles in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Last Samurai and of course as Il Duce; the one man army; in The Boondock Saints. In the Hobbit, he will play the role of Dain Ironfoot, the warrior dwarf who is lord of all dwarves and second cousin to Thorin Oakenshield; maybe he’ll even become crowned King under the Mountain one day after Oakenshield.

Director Peter Jackson welcomed this news of Connolly bringing the firefight to Middle-earth:

“We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of Dwarves, than Billy Connelly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of ‘The Hobbit’ is now complete. We can’t wait to see him on the Battlefield!”

Connolly’s presence as a warrior will be greeted with just as much excitement as other notable members of this eclectic cast.

There’s the healing aura of Sylvester McCoy who is known for his role as the seventh Doctor in the Doctor Who series; The last lead to have his face in the Doctor Who opening titles. McCoy will play the role of Radagast the Brown, a member of the order of wizards specializing in animal lore.

Aidan Turner; the non-sparkly vampire from the original U.K. version of “Being Human”; will be playing the role of Kili. Kili is one of the nephews to Oakenshield and is one of the youngest Dwarves in the Company who is always seen with his brother Fili.

The central role of Bilbo Baggins will be played Martin Freeman; Arthur Dent in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Dr. John Watson on the BBC show of Sherlock.

Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey from the Lord of the Rings trilogy; which is just another overpowered character that Mckellen plays like Dumbledore and Magneto.

I knew that the Hobbit was coming out but I never took a look at the cast until now. Even if we were to remove the Tolkien Fantasy element; a most appropriately used description; a handful of the cast alone generates so much geek cred that it could band together to defeat Peter Jackson’s ego once and for all.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is slated to be released beginning December 14, 2012. The second film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, is planned for release the following year, beginning December 13, 2013.

Open “Hobbit” Auditions End With Police

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There was recently an open audition for the upcoming Hobbit films that ended with police. My guess is the casting call was for extras but when more than 3,000 hopefuls turned up, things got out of hand. When they were initially expecting around 1,000 applicants to appear, they were overwhelmed with the extra 2,000 that ended up turning up. Continue reading →