After one of the most luckless pre-productions in recent memory, filming began today in New Zealand on The Hobbit, the long-awaited prequels to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Warner Bros. released a statement, confirming that the production had finally outlasted financial concerns, a labor conflict, the loss of director Guillermo del Toro and subsequent rescue by LOTR godfather Peter Jackson, Jackson’s health scare, and an earthquake that rattled New Zealand. Perhaps to convince the skeptical, Jackson even launched a new Facebook page with two new photos of him from the set. Is that Bilbo’s place in the Shire? Note that the photos are specifically dated, but you’d understand if Jackson felt compelled to display the morning’s newspaper — like some kidnapping victim — just to reassure fans that this movie is really finally happening.
May we hear nothing more of this until we see the first teaser trailer! Godspeed, The Hobbit!
Read more:
‘Hobbit’ director Peter Jackson released from hospital
Peter Jackson recovering from surgery
‘The Hobbit’ scoop: Ian McKellan and Andy Serkis on board
Elijah Wood will appear in ‘The Hobbit’ as Frodo Baggins
‘The Hobbit’ to shoot in New Zealand
I am soooo excited. Bilbo Baggins is my hero.
Should have stuck with the original crew to do this movie. They did great job on all the others.
what do you mean?
They did. It’s not said here but if you read other articles about it Jackson says that he brought back allmost all of the crew from the original trilogy.
Peter Jackson HAS ended up doing it.
[I'm speechless]
LONG LIVE BILBO BAGGINS!!!!!
here here!!!
you mean, “HEAR, HEAR!”
COOL yeahhhhh!!!!! go hobbit and new zealand aka middle-earth!!!!!
While Bilbo holds a close 2nd place in my heart, right behind Frank T. as my favorite Baggins; I am overzealous this movie is finally taking flight and rolling ahead after the rocky start it experienced early on. Can’t wait until it’s released, hopefully the world will still be here by then!
This cast is epic. Martin Freeman, Aidan Turner, and RICHARD ARMITAGE?! I can’t wait.
I have read Tolkien’s Biography by Humphrey Carpenter,followed by the Hobbit, followed by The Lord of the Rings. What an emagination Tolkien had to create a new world, Middle Earth, populated by strange beings such as hobits,dwarves, elfs, etc. And what a great movie is The Lord of the Rings. I’m sure the Hobbit will be as good.
Tolkien took every one of his ideas from existing folklore and almost all of it from Wagner’s opera “The Ring”. Love the books but he didn’t use much of his own imagination in them.
Umm… given that Tolkien created entire languages and worlds for his works, it doesn’t matter what the source material was. Shakespeare lifted plots from Ovid, but does that make Romeo and Juliet less of a work based on his own imagination? The folklore and other elements from Wagner gave him a framework; what he did from there is all him.
Ummm … you make some good points. But I think “framework” is a little generous. Let’s agree upon “very detailed outline.”
and Wagner took most of his ideas from the ring cycle from norse mythology…so what? it doesn’t mean that the ring cycle operas are bad, and it doesn’t mean that LOTR and The Hobbit aren’t great literature.
Bilbo Baggins is a running sore, running from himself and society. Yet his scab will heal us all.
You forgot the fire at the studio. Yes, this production has certainly had its setbacks — let’s hope for smooth sailing now!
I’m dying to see how they’re going to make Richard Armitage, a 6’2 gorgeous hunk of man, into a dwarf!
John Rhys Davis is 6’1″.
LMAO me too. It’ll be interesting for sure…
The ONLY good movie series ever. Will be first in line to go see The Hobbit.
Who plays Bombur?
Hi Hobbit-Lovers! That last Hobbit hole cake was made by me for my son’s 9th birthday! I did model it after the last scene in ROTK, but I was just using it as a gereanl model for a Hobbit-esque cake with a Hobbit-esque, uh, Hobbit. Hope you guys like it. It was a blast to make!
Oh great, another Peter Jackson snoozefest aimed at Internet nerds…….ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Oh go away you troll. What are you posting this same comment everywhere? Already read your comment on E, idiot.
Don’t worry, you’ll be in this one. There’s a whole part about trolls.
LOL
Nicely done Nick.
…and we all know what happens to trolls in Tolkien’s stories, don’t we, my precious? (sorry, couldn’t resist a bit of Gollum slipping in there)
Nothing like saying The Hobbit is for internet nerds when this book was out so long before a computer was even thought of.
He posts ironically.
He posts idiotically.
the last hobbit hole cake is atlcaluy samwise’s home i believewv: congonal: if your mind is as far in the gutter as mine you will figure out what congonal makes me think of….. (hint replace the second o with a different vowel and replace the n with a different consonant… or maybe it’s just me…..)
why are you here then?
Looking forward to the journey! Best of luck on the production!
I was hoping the picture would be of Richard Armitage…! (Would love to see any pics you have on him.)
Same. I especially want to see how the visual effects department will play around with stools and what-not to make him seem shorter (they did it in LOTR before using CGI)!
In case you haven’t seen it yet – you need to watch North and South with Richard Armitage……. drool, drool, droooooool
Can’t speak for the others, but that was my first glimpse of Richard Armitage and I’ve been drooling ever since! Honestly, his Thornton beats Firth’s Darcy in my book (and I LOVE Darcy). Also loved RA on Robin Hood.
Gotta agree Chelsea. North & South was amazing (as was Armitage). It’s currently on Netflix’s Instant Watch. Everyone give it a chance!!
That was my introduction to Armitage as well, and I agree with Chelsea; he’s definitely better than Darcy. How he acted in North and South really convinced me he’d be great as Thorin, too. I am so excited about these films finally starting production, good luck to everyone involved!
Um, yeah. Just saw it for the first time this weekend and am now officially obsessed.
Yes, I was also hoping there would be pics. And yes I love North & South for the story and SEXY Richard Armitage!
You people need to get a life!
No, we already have one – filled with a lot more imagination than yours and we are also obviously a lot more openminded than you are….. You poor sod!!!!!
So sayeth the person finding fulfillment trolling an entertainment website.
So does slagging people off online classify as a life?