Hobbit Filming Finally Gets Under Way

[Turborama]

Source: Sky News

12:05pm UK, Monday March 21, 2011
Lorna Blount, Sky News Online

Cameras have started rolling on the two Hobbit movies following months of delays.

Filming is taking place at Stone Street Studios in Wellington, New Zealand, and around the country.

In January, director Peter Jackson had surgery for a perforated ulcer.

Warner Bros and New Line studios had previously considered taking the production away from New Zealand after acting unions threatened to boycott the films in protest over payments.

Read more: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Showbiz-News/Hobbit--Filming-Finally-Gets-Under-Way-On-Peter-Jacksons-Movies-In-New-Zealand/Article/201103315956939?lpos=Showbiz_News_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_4&lid=ARTICLE_15956939_Hobbit_:_Filming_Finally_Ge

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What with all the violence that's going on at the moment, it's a nice change to be able to share some good news.

Seems like the issue with the unions has been resolved.

[xchrom]

1. yay! nt

[Lucinda]

2. Cool! I barely recognized Peter Jackson.

He's lost a lot of weight. I'm looking forward to the films. Thanks for the post!

[FailureToCommunicate]

3. Can't wait for this song...

(Sung when dwarfs visit Bilbo's home)


Chip the glasses and crack the plates!
Blunt the knives and bend the forks!
That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates –
Smash the bottles and burn the corks!

Cut the cloth and tread on the fat!
Pour the milk on the pantry floor!
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!
Splash the wine on every door!

Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;
Pound them up with a thumping pole;
And when you’ve finished, if any are whole,
Send them down the hall to roll!

That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates!
So, carefully! Carefully with the plates!

[DCofVA]

4. I am puzzled by the cast listed over at IMBD

Many of the characters listed in the cast are never mentioned in The Hobbit.
I was hoping Peter would stick more to the story this time.
Howard Shore will be doing the music again, yay!

[JHB]

5. Who knows? They might only be cameos...

...or in a framing scene to set the stage for those who haven't read the books.

[thereismore]

7. Like Legolas. I know. nt

[Very_Boring_Name]

9. Legolas is not mentioned in the Hobbit, but he *is* there

He's from Mirkwood afterall, and PJ has said many from the LOTR cast will have cameos.

[Very_Boring_Name]

8. Which characters in particular are you referring to?

The only character listed that I can't remember being in the hobbit is Itaril, but it's likely she won't be a main character in the Hobbit but rather a flashback character to help with the historical context.

[SidDithers]

16. That's what I'm thinking too...

:thumbsup:

Sid

[Beaverhausen]

26. I read somewhere that Frodo is narrating?

or something like that.

[wickerwoman]

27. I think he's still filming two movies,

the first one is "The Hobbit" and the second one covers the time between the end of the book until the beginning of Lord of the Rings.

So that would explain some of the cameos.

[Glorfindel]

6. Cuio i Pheriain anann! Aglar'ni Pheriannath!

Long live the halflings! Praise them with great praise!

[keroro gunsou]

10. show-off....

:evilgrin:

[Teaser]

12. say it in Khuzdul and then I'll be impressed

.

[Teaser]

11. can't wait for the porn parody

.

[Akoto]

13. The Knobbit.

:hide: :evilgrin:

[Bandit]

14. Why two movies?

I don't remember the Hobbit being any longer or more involved than any of the books in the trilogy..:shrug:

[Motown_Johnny]

15. because they can

double the revenue

I'll pay it, and they know it.

[wickerwoman]

28. The second movie covers events from the end of the book

to the beginning of LOTR. Like Aragorn tracking down Gollum and Saruman being corrupted by Sauron.

Because *real* fans need every second of the timeline committed to celluloid. And as long as you have a lot of A-list actors and directors on board for it, and it's guaranteed to make money, why not?

Plus, it's super-awesome for the New Zealand economy.

[WildEyedLiberal]

30. I am convinced they should just rename the country "Middle Earth"

A friend of mine went on an LOTR tour in NZ, and she said there's very little of the country that didn't appear, even for a few minutes, in one of the films. I'd LOVE to go on one of those tours someday. What a truly gorgeous country.

[Bandit]

31. How about the Silmilrillion (sp)

I think it should be a part of it all as well.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

17. Cool

I wonder what took them so long. After adapating the entire LOTR trilogy, I would've thought that the Hobbit would be pretty easy to do. I don't understand why they're "fattening" it up and breaking it into two separate movies when it could easily be adapted into one? :shrug: Thankfully, they didn't have to break each of the LOTR movies into two separate movies or they'd probably still be making them.

[eShirl]

19. I dunno, it's still a lot to cram into one movie IMO

As long as it's good, I'd rather it not be rushed


(I know, "that's what she said")

[Proud Liberal Dem]

22. I thought that the (much) shorter animated adaptation of the Hobbit

done by Bass & Rankin back in the late 70's (or early 80's) was actually quite well done and captured the important highlights of the story. I think that that a longer single movie adaptation could work just fine- depending on what PJ thinks is the most important to include. If they need a whole two movies to do the book justice, then fine but it sounds like it's being expanded to two movies AND including a lot of extraneous things that took place off-screen (i.e. Gandalf's battles with the Necromancer while he was away from Bilbo and the Dwarves). However, I still do look forward to seeing it get a big-screen treatment.

[blackspade]

18. Thanks for something positive to read this AM!

[kctim]

20. Is that Golem thing in the Hobbit?

Maybe it took so long to start filming because they couldn't come to terms with Bush?

[Occulus]

21. Gollum is there

Rather pivotal scene: that's when Bilbo finds the One Ring in the first place.

[joe_sixpack]

24. Spoiler alert!!!

just kidding. Every LOTR fan already knew that. Two movies is a double edged Elvish sword. It means they can keep more of the book in the movie. (Sad to see that Tom Bombadil wasn't in the trilogy) But it also means at least a year wait between flicks. :-(

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. Wow we were wondering yestrday

[Twinguard]

25. The Hobbit is my favorite book of all time.

If they do as good of a job as they did on the LotR trilogy movies, it's (technically "they're" since they are splitting it up into two movies) going to be out of this world! I can't wait! I know they changed some details here and there from the books to the movies in the trilogy, but for the most part I felt the movies captured the spirit and story quite well. I'm excited to see what they do with The Hobbit.

[AllenVanAllen]

29. Most excellent!

Back at Bag End.





Check out part of an entry from Ian McKellen's Hobbit blog:


"Martin Freeman was transmuting into a character whose reality will soon be as authentic as his own."

http://www.mckellen.com/cinema/hobbit-movie/110308.htm