The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Basq

Not a cruel late / early April Fools joke thankfully!

The announcement, made jointly by New Line president and COO Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros. president and COO Alan Horn, and MGM co-CEO Steve Cooper, says the "the two films based on 'The Hobbit' are now greenlit and will begin principal photography in February 2011, under the direction of Peter Jackson."

The announcement does not mean, however, that the labor issue acting as a hurdle for the production has been resolved. And it's the resolution of that dispute which will determine where the movie will shoot.

The dispute lies between Jackson and an array of unions, including New Zealand Actors’ Equity and SAG. A “do not work” order is in place on the production, which has refused to recognize union jurisdiction for local actors. Discussions in New Zealand are being facilitated by that country’s government, with little progress reported to date. SAG would not comment on whether it is involved in negotiations.

If the movie does not shoot in New Zealand, the country where Jackson made his "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the filmmaker said Warners are looking at five different locales around the world to host the project.

maquiladora

Fantastic news.

I can't believe its 11 years ago to the month that LOTR started principle photography. It doesn't feel that long.

Not sure how I feel about it being shot on digital 3D cameras. I prefer film to digital but I'm sure they will try to get the look as similar to LOTR as possible.

I'm sure we will hear casting news very soon.

Mindkiller

I'd have preferred to see what Del Toro's interpretation of Middle Earth would have been like.

Still, I can't wait to see what Peter Jackson will do with the Hobbit.
I just hope he remembers that The Hobbit is meant to be a little more upbeat than LOTR. No-one wants a grimdark one out of this.

maquiladora

Mindkiller wrote: »

I'd have preferred to see what Del Toro's interpretation of Middle Earth would have been like.

Del Toro was one of the writers on the script so there will at least be some part of the films with his stamp on them.

Limerick3

What connection does this have to LOTR? Other then the director obviously..

DeVore

Bilbo?


The Ring?

Gandalf?


Middle-earth?

Um.... you have read the book, right?


DeV.

Kazuma

It really looks like I'm the only person who isn't so keen on Jackson doing the Hobbit...

The only thing I saw in LOTR was big ass battles, everything else just seemed like filler...

So depressing, no doubt the spider scene will turn into an "epic battle", the goblin scene will turn into an "epic battle", etc, etc.

So while I will reserve a tiny amount of hope that he will get it right (different tone, different pace, different story to LOTR - also, better) I really have a terrible terrible feeling about this

maquiladora

Limerick3 wrote: »

What connection does this have to LOTR? Other then the director obviously..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit

TonyD79

What connection does this have to LOTR? Other then the director obviously..

Does the title of the film not give away the connection???:rolleyes:

Also I dont know how you can anyone can complain about Jackson directing it.

gandalf

Excellent news indeed

maquiladora

Heard James Nesbitt is moving to New Zealand after being offered a major role in this.

I'm reading a book called "Strain" at the moment; it's written by Chuck Hogan with Guillermo del Toro's name attached - on his biography it says "He will direct two films based on The Hobbit, to be produced by Peter Jackson".

Ha, kinda sickening that it changed probably a few weeks after the book was published.

jpm4

Kazuma wrote: »

It really looks like I'm the only person who isn't so keen on Jackson doing the Hobbit...

The only thing I saw in LOTR was big ass battles, everything else just seemed like filler...

So depressing, no doubt the spider scene will turn into an "epic battle", the goblin scene will turn into an "epic battle", etc, etc.

So while I will reserve a tiny amount of hope that he will get it right (different tone, different pace, different story to LOTR - also, better) I really have a terrible terrible feeling about this

I see where you're coming from but I think you are being harsh...the films are only Jackson's interpretations of the books at the end of the day. Those films are aimed at the popcorn munching public and not high brow book types so it's no surprise that the battles are going to be emphasised. Anyways, the Spider scene is an "epic battle"

Am really looking forward to this....The Hobbit has a special place in my heart and I think it could actually translate far more easily to the big screen than LOTR. I just hope Smaug is done well.

Duggy747

Nice, I didn't get to appreciate the LOTR films in the cinema so this will be a nice compensation.

Eurgh, though cue the merchandise overload everywhere!

PeterIanStaker

I hope this is done right, I'd also love to hear Christopher Lee voice Smaug!

me-skywalker

Limerick3 wrote: »

What connection does this have to LOTR? Other then the director obviously..

Oh dear... Oh dear....

Lamper.sffc

Great news. ill be counting the days.

maquiladora

Martin Freeman is in talks to play Bilbo.
James Nesbitt will be playing Bofur, one of the dwarves.
Sylvester McCoy is tipped to be Radagast.
Michael Fassbender and David Tennet are rumored to be up for roles too.

Basq

maquiladora wrote: »

Martin Freeman is in talks to play Bilbo.

I'm pretty sure that fell apart, due to committments with the BBC's 'Sherlock'

maquiladora

basquille wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that fell apart, due to committments with the BBC's 'Sherlock'

Trying to see if they can jig the schedule to fit both The Hobbit and Sherlock I think.

http://www.metro.co.uk/film/843612-sherlocks-martin-freeman-i-still-want-to-star-in-the-hobbit

Jonny7

Stick to British actors - adds authenticity

hopefully not some flavour of the month douchebag like that guy from transformers and the hideous indiana jones

If Jackson stays commited and doesn't produce tooo broad a film (like avatar) then this could be very good

I never forget reading about Lord of the Rings trilogy being made for the first time and immediately thinking how some douche would screw it up.. but then discovering the amount of detail and thought and depth going into the film.. was great to see them turn out so good

humanji

Kazuma wrote: »

It really looks like I'm the only person who isn't so keen on Jackson doing the Hobbit...

The only thing I saw in LOTR was big ass battles, everything else just seemed like filler...

So depressing, no doubt the spider scene will turn into an "epic battle", the goblin scene will turn into an "epic battle", etc, etc.

So while I will reserve a tiny amount of hope that he will get it right (different tone, different pace, different story to LOTR - also, better) I really have a terrible terrible feeling about this

I'm kind of the same. I honestly don't rate Jackson as that great a director. He has his moments, but I'd have prefered Del Toro to do it.

Plus, The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings are fairly different in how they play out. As said above, The Hobbit is more upbeat and LOTR is fairly grim. I'd have thought that two different directors would emphasis that difference a little better.

maximoose

have heard that Aidan Turner is lined up to play Fili and Kili

Mindkiller

You have to wonder how the ring will be represented in this film. It's inevitable that it will have a greater significance attached to it now that it did in the book (which came out 2 decades before LOTR).

I just hope they don't dwell on it too much. I don't remember it being a vital plot piece, just a handy way to accelerate the plot.

If Jackson tries his best to make this a family-friendly PG film, I think he'll manage to capture the charm and magic of the Hobbit rather well.

Basq

I do think two movies on it is a big excessive.. must be the studios out-in-force ($$$$$$).

It's a 300 page book for fecks sake.

Sanjuro

Wasn't David Tennant up for Bilbo too? I like Tennant, but Bilbo must be played by Martin Freeman. He's absolutely perfect for the role. Unfortunately, I'm not holding out much home for it. The second season of Sherlock is due in November 2011, which means the filming will probably take place at the end of spring, start of summer 2011. Probably too much of a clash with The Hobbit for Freeman to do both.

Never the less, glad it's Jackson. As much as I'd like to see a Del Toro Hobbit film, the continuity of Jackson Hobbit and Rings will be the most important thing. Very interested in seeing what role Michael Fassbender is rumoured for.

dmaxontour

humanji wrote: »

I'm kind of the same. I honestly don't rate Jackson as that great a director. He has his moments, but I'd have prefered Del Toro to do it.

I'd be the same, although I just watched The Lovely Bones by Jackson and really enjoyed it. I thought he did a great job.

For LOTR, there were lots of bits in Jackson's version where I kept thinking how I prefered the scene the way Ralph Bakshi (sp?) did it... like the end of the battle at the end of the Two Towers.

Tabnabs

Hate to be the bearer of bad news

http://www.movieweb.com/news/NExDMlYlP6MKBD

Basq

Dyflin wrote: »

Hate to be the bearer of bad news

http://www.movieweb.com/news/NExDMlYlP6MKBD

Well... balls!

maquiladora

basquille wrote: »

I do think two movies on it is a big excessive.. must be the studios out-in-force ($$$$$$).

It's a 300 page book for fecks sake.

By November 2008, he (Del Toro) acknowledged that the book was more detailed and eventful than people may remember.[64] He decided to abandon the "bridge film" concept, feeling that it would be better for the two films to contain only material from The Hobbit:

"When you lay out [...] the story beats contained within the book (before even considering any apendix [sic] material) the work is enormous and encompasses more than one film. That's why we are thinking of the TWO INSTALLMENTS as parts of a single NARRATIVE. That's why I keep putting down the use of a "bridge" film (posited initially). I think the concept as such is not relevant anymore. I believe that the narrative and characters are rich enough to fit in TWO films.[65]}}


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit_film_project#Structure

If I remember correctly, its been a few years since I read it, but a lot of stuff that happens in the book is only touched on briefly, like the Battle Of Five Armies where Bilbo gets knocked out and when he wakes up its all over.

maquiladora

maximoose wrote: »

have heard that Aidan Turner is lined up to play Fili and Kili

Interesting, where'd you hear that from?

maximoose

maquiladora wrote: »

Interesting, where'd you hear that from?

probably not the most reliable source, his cousin! :pac:

supposedly he madly impressed at auditions and was signed up straight away

JP Liz V1

http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/10/17/martin-freeman-is-reportedly-set-for-bilbo-baggins-in-the-hobbit/

Martin Freeman seems to be set to play Bilbo Baggins

Basq

I'm all for Freeman and Tennant... but I do think James Nesbitt is one of the most over-rated actors working today.

maquiladora

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/10/17/martin-freeman-is-reportedly-set-for-bilbo-baggins-in-the-hobbit/

Martin Freeman seems to be set to play Bilbo Baggins

Does sort of look the part alright.

Basq

maquiladora wrote: »

Does sort of look the part alright.

It's just gonna be 3 hours of Tim... I mean Martin.. disapproving glances to camera..

maquiladora

There are rumours going round in New Zeland now that the production of The Hobbit (with a $500 million budget) is moving to Ireland.

Lamper.sffc

From a protest in New Zealand

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v186/caras_galadhon/Hobbit%20Boycott%20Protest/?action=view&current=meaaprotest01.jpg

maquiladora

Lamper.sffc wrote: »

From a protest in New Zealand

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v186/caras_galadhon/Hobbit%20Boycott%20Protest/?action=view&current=meaaprotest01.jpg

I feel sorry for the NZ film industry if that happens but it would be some unbelievable boost to the film and tourism industry here if we got it.

humanji

Well they better shoot a hell of a lot of background footage in NZ before they come here. It won't look too good having Bilbo wandering through ghost estates.

maquiladora

Peter Jackson has confirmed that Warners are flying down to New Zealand next week to make arrangements to move production to another country.

bnt

maquiladora wrote: »

There are rumours going round in New Zealand now that the production of The Hobbit (with a $500 million budget) is moving to Ireland.

I read that here: it has to do with unions. :mad: I disagree with Ireland as a location, though: I think it would be better to shoot in South Africa. Specifically, in the Drakensberg, the original "dragon mountains" of which Tolkien was surely aware, since he was born not far away. I've been there, they're incredibly rugged and beautiful and would make a great setting IMHO.

maquiladora

bnt wrote: »

I read that here: it has to do with unions. :mad:

The Union has just now removed the boycott but it might already be too late for New Zealand because countries like Ireland have jumped in to offer Warners special one off incentives to get The Hobbit in their country. Warners will have a tough time turning down those offers now.

mikhail

I've read eastern Europe as a possible location. Somewhere like Hungary would probably make a lot of sense.

norrie rugger

I just do not think that ireland has the mountains, to do this.
We have hills not mountain ranges

maquiladora

Looks like Ireland may be off the list.

The latest is that Warner Bros are considering moving it to the UK to make use of their own studios where they shot Harry Potter.

Lamper.sffc

norrie rugger wrote: »

I just do not think that ireland has the mountains, to do this.
We have hills not mountain ranges

They could do what they did for Braveheart. As far as I remember they shot all the footage of the high mountain ranges in scotland and the rest in Ireland.

Personally I hope for the films sake that it remains in New Zealand but as said previous it would be some shot in the arm for Irelands economy and that wouldnt be a bad thing at all.

maquiladora

Another rumor going around now that Warner Bros are considering shooting in UK & Ireland making use of their big soundstages in the UK and the Irish countryside.

Looks like nothing will be decided till some big meetings next week between WB and the New Zealand government.

aidan_walsh

Freeman confirmed as Bilbo.

Peter Jackson has, at long last, made an official announcement about who will appear in The Hobbit. He has confirmed Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, taking over the role originated by Ian Holm in The Lord of the Rings. A great many other names were released as well, almost all of whom make up the large company of Dwarves that hires Bilbo to be their ‘burgler’ before setting out to kill the dragon Smaug and recover the dwarven treasure the dragon uses as a bed.

Complementing Mr. Freeman are:

Richard Armitage (MI-5, Captain America) as Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the Dwarves, whose grandfather ruled the Lonely Mountain settlement destroyed by Smaug.
Aidan Turner (Being Human) and Rob Kazinsky (EastEnders) as Kili and Fili, nephews of Thorin.
Graham McTavish (Secretariat) as Dwalin, blue-bearded, first to arrive at the home of Bilbo Baggins.
John Callen as Oin, skillful fire-maker. Brother of Gloin.
Stephen Hunter (All Saints) as Bombur, the fat, sleepy and slow member of Thorin’s company.
Mark Hadlow (King Kong) as Dori, strongest of the Dwarves, who carries Bilbo on his back at one point.
Peter Hambleton (The Strip) as Gloin, brother of Oin, initially suspicious of Bilbo’s worth, but eventually convinced. Father of Gimli from The Lord of the Rings.

More info to come in the coming hours. That’s only eight Dwarves, so we need five more names to make up the film’s company of thirteen.

jayteecork

Kind of hated Martin Freeman till Sherlock where I thought he did a very good job.

I dunno, I think he seems about right.

stiffler123

How is he stretching two movies out of this? I read the book in about an hour.