The Hobbit to start filming on March 21
This date has been chosen following practical considerations of the filming schedule requirements, actor availability and the NZ seasons. Shooting will take place at Stone Street Studios in Miramar and on location around New Zealand.
Confirmed cast include: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Robert Kazinsky, Aidan Turner, Peter Hambleton, John Callen, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Mikael Persbrandt, Sylvester McCoy and Elijah Wood.
Director, Sir Peter Jackson, comments: "Despite some delays we are fully back on track and very excited to get started."
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey comes to theaters December 14th, 2012 and stars Cate Blanchett, Saoirse Ronan, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee. The film is directed by Peter Jackson.
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Narzion
@TheNarrator del toro himself said that they will probably change a lot, a lot of his designs
1 year agoby @narzionFlag
The Narrator: The Better Man
@Sly, no it would be for no reason, because Jackson was well aware of what Del Toro was doing and approved of it. He may change a few things to suit his "historical" tastes, sure, but I doubt anything major. Jackson would understand, as @Park stated, that The Hobbit is more fantasy driven in style, and a lot more humorous. He supervised the project, so he probably told Del Toro to keep continuity with Lotr in terms of weapon designs, and creatures, etc. In fact WETA already has all the previous layouts for the previous creatures (save Beorn, and Smaug) so all Del Toro did was tweak Jacksons designs from Lotr (goblins, dwarves, orcs, etc), lol! I'm sure he'll find a more than equal balance somewhere, without having to change much.
1 year agoby @narratorFlag
ParkWilliams
The Hobbit has always had a much more whimsical tone to it than LotR (seeing as it was written for Tolkien's children), which was why I was really happy to hear Del Toro was taking the reigns back when. But looking at it, they really need to strike the right balance between fantastical and realistic, for the sake of continuity if nothing else. I think the balance between Pj and DT could really bring that out nicely.
1 year agoby @azadorFlag
Dan
It'll be a little hard to get around the fantasy aspect with Smaug :P
1 year agoby @dan1Flag
slysnide
@Narrator: On the contrary, it wouldn't be for the sake of changing it. It'd be for the sake of achieving a less fantasy driven, more historical appearance to the creatures and new settings.
1 year agoby @slysnideFlag
Shadow Of The Day
Great News.
1 year agoby @asifFlag
Dan
I hope we still see some Del Toro influences. I love his creature designs, that was the single most thing I was excited over when he initially got the job.
1 year agoby @dan1Flag
The Narrator: The Better Man
True @Sly, but that doesn't mean the film won't still have strong Del Toro driven creatures. They were half ways through pre-pro when he was booted. Jacksons not gonna change that much just for the sake of changing it.
1 year agoby @narratorFlag
slysnide
@Narzion's got a good point. PJ did instruct his props team, production designer(s), and art director(s) on "LOTR" to treat "LOTR" like it was historical fact--not fiction or fantasy. So we could well indeed see more PJ and less GDT inspired designs in these two upcoming films.
1 year agoby @slysnideFlag
Bane5000
Its understandable, man had to get surgery and recover, as long as it gets sum momentum and filming begins we can all breathe easier...
1 year agoby @bane5000Flag
CUPID
@ Worth5Bucks Looks that way.
1 year agoby @cupidFlag
Worth5Bucks
its officially official
1 year agoby @mattbierwagenFlag
CUPID
THATS GOOD.
1 year agoby @cupidFlag
MovieWiz001
I'm, currently reading the book. can't wait!
1 year agoby @moviewiz001Flag
RojoDiablo
Can't wait! At least with Transformers, Capt. America, Thor, and Sucker Punch, not to mention plenty others, we have MANY others to keep us busy till these come out.
1 year agoby @rojodiabloFlag
Narzion
@The Narrator well, even del toro said that they will change a lot of his designs
that is logical because del toro likes to go crazy and his style is very distinctive, jackson treats fantasy like history so his designs are much more realistic
bouth are great but i think that del toro is a little better artist
1 year agoby @narzionFlag
The Narrator: The Better Man
Amen @Park. A-f*cking-men.
1 year agoby @narratorFlag
ParkWilliams
This day just got so much better. This completion of the core Middle Earth mythology will be a milestone not only for fantasy film, but film itself. I can't wait. These two movies are hands down the two movies I'm most excited for in the future, bar none.
1 year agoby @azadorFlag
The Narrator: The Better Man
@Narzion, Jackson made Middle Earth. And Del Toro still co-wrote the film and had a huge hand in creature designs so no big deal. If anyone was to take the reigns from Del Toro, it would be Jackson, the godfather of mainstream fantasy.
@Sly, lol, fail on me for not catching that. :P
1 year agoby @narratorFlag
Dragon1991
YAY :D
1 year agoby @Dragon1991Flag
Narzion
now atfter transformers sh*t and thor crap, FINALLY SOMETHING GOOD
but i am still depressed because Del Toro will not direct this, Jackson is great but we have already seen his take on middle earth
1 year agoby @narzionFlag
slysnide
@Narrator: I was actually implying a sarcastic tone on the delay part, as this was the most reasonable of all; given that there's been dozens of them. :P Oh, and I replied to you on my "Chinatown" review.
1 year agoby @slysnideFlag
The Narrator: The Better Man
@Sly, no more delays. They postponed it till March 21st due to Jacksons health problems, which he's recovering from. So yeah, you should be excited, not cynical. :)
@K-Man. Thanks for the heads up man. Blessed is a great match.
1 year agoby @narratorFlag
slysnide
So Ron Perlman, Hugo Weaving, Saoirse Ronan, and Doug Jones aren't among the confirmed cast, yet have been slated as having been cast ages ago? Oh yeah, that makes a boatload of sense.
March 21st, so in other words, another delay.
1 year agoby @slysnideFlag
Mutant
Now that's what I call good news
1 year agoby @zenderFlag
K-Man
Hell yes! Man, I'm so pumped for this!
People, do you realize just how awesome these movies are going to be? I'm so damn excited.
By the way, in other Hobbit news, which I'm hoping will turn out real, Brian Blessed, who is a complete and utter genius as an actor and was born to play a Dwarf, has been rumored to have a role in The Hobbit for months. However, in the past few days his IMDB status has changed from "rumored" with no character name to now being "rumored" as King Dain.
Movieweb, you guys need to find out if this is true! If so, this just got even better. Also, Dominic Keating, who is also rumored to have a role, is now being rumored as Galion, the elf who is the right hand man of Thranduil (legolas's father) and also the one who falls asleep when the Dwarves are escaping, who they ultimately take the keys from.
Even though they are both still rumors, I find them interesting.
1 year agoby @k-manFlag
Diaigma
The greatest adventure is what lies ahead! :P
1 year agoby @diaigmaFlag
The Narrator: The Better Man
Oh happy day. :)
1 year agoby @narratorFlag
Cripple
Hell yes!!!
1 year agoby @crippleFlag
Josh
Not even the apocalypse can stop this movie from getting made! I was thinking the other day about just how much had to happen in just a certain exact way in order for Jackson to end up directing this. It all seemed like a clusterf*ck of trouble at the time, but looking back it almost seems like divine intervention.
1 year agoby @shuabertFlag