For some time we've known that The Hobbit will be broken into two parts, but until now, we could only guess as to what the titles would be.
According to The BBC:
"The first film will be called The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and will be released in December next
year.
The Hobbit: There and Back Again is scheduled to be out in December 2013".
"An Unexpected Journey" is paying homage to the first chapter in The Hobbit, entitled, "An Unexpected Party". There and Back Again: A Hobbit's Tale was the title given by Bilbo to his memoirs, and apparently was also the original first title to Tolkien's book.
According to The One Ring, early "unofficial" reports are saying that Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), will do the voice of Smaug, the dragon. Everyone is keeping very hush hush, and the actor refused to say more, claiming "I can't say at the moment, than you very much."
Apparently the secret was accidentally leaked by Martin Freeman, who will play Bilbo. He later told reporters, "I knew I was a sort of a big mouth but I didn't realize to what extent I was a big mouth, and I've just ruined everything. I might not actually go back to a job- they might have just sacked me."
Is this ZZ-Top or Ian McKellen? It's a bit hard to tell, but this shot comes direct from Wellington and shows Ian McKellen wearing 3D glasses-probably checking out some footage from The Hobbit, which is currently filming there.
Peter Jackson has confirmed, via his Facebook page that Sir Ian Holm will definitely be back as the older Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit. It is not clear exactly in what capacity, though, as the younger Bilbo will be played by Martin Freeman for the majority of the film. Perhaps we will meet the older Bilbo at the beginning, and the story will be told as a flashback?
The Hobbit is currently filming in New Zealand, though they are taking a short Easter break (Jackson has said that the script is being tweaked during their time off).
According to his Facebook profile, Peter Jackson has a confirmed that The Hobbit is "indeed (being shot) at the higher frame rate (48 frames per second)." He goes on to say "The key thing to understand is that this process requires both shooting and projecting at 48 fps, rather than the usual 24 fps...So the result looks like the normal speed, but the image has hugely enhanced clarity and smoothness. Looking at 24 frames every second may seem ok...but there is often quite a lot of blur in each frame, during fast movements, and if the camera is moving around quickly, the image can judder or strobe. Shooting and projecting at 48 fps does a lot to get rid of these issues. It looks much more lifelike, and it is much easier to watch, especially in 3-D."
To read more in the director's own hand, go here. This is really cool news, though I can't say I understand all the technicalities behind shooting at 48 fps. I do know this movie is going to be frakking awesome! Check back often to the official Hobbit Blog, or to yours truly, for updated info in a new weekly post entitled - A Day In The Life of The Hobbit.
In an official exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter, Peter Jackson is using social media to reach out to his fans in a 10 minute "vlog" (shot in HD)- in the first official production video for The Hobbit. The video has been released via Facebook and on the official Hobbit blog, and according to THR,the vlog "will be the first in a series of vlog [posts] that will keep fans in the know over the next 2-3 years." Check out more at the official Hobbit Blog.
The video includes Jackson leading us through Bag End, as well as several sets from Rivendell, which he says are the same as the first movies. Jackson said "Walking through Rivendell is strange...because it was 10 or 11 years ago. I'm used to looking at the set on film and now we're walking back into it again, its like you're stepped back into a movie." In several places, it is obvious that Jackson doesn't want to reveal too much, especially when referring to the Mystic Mountains, saying "the iconic scenes where Bilbo...well you'll know if you've read the book."
In the 10 minute video, we also garner images of costumes (fittings) and props, as well as Andy Serkis in his Gollum motion capture suit, and "Dwarf training". There is also brief commentary from a few members of the cast: Martin Freeman (Bilbo), Ian McKellan (Gandalf), and Andy Serkis (Gollum).
The video also shows Jackson kidding around with Ian Mckellan, and a traditional Maori welcoming ceremony, which according to THR, is called a "Powhiri", that is supposed to bless the main sound stage at dawn on the first day of shooting".
To read further details about the video, check out the exclusive over at THR, or just check out the video for yourself, below.
