THE HOBBIT’s Journey Begins

hobbit-begins-filming

After all the delays that production on The Hobbit prequels have encountered, Warner Bros recently announced that the films have commenced shooting. At one stage the New Zealand labor strike forced producers to consider the possibility of relocating the production and the financial woes of MGM saw Guillermo del Toro leave the project with Peter Jackson taking over the reigns…yey! Check out the official Hobbit blog here.

Peter Jackson on Hobbit set 2011Production was set to begin last month until Jackson fell ill and under went surgery for a perforated ulcer in January, which saw the start date pushed back to March.

It’s great to know that production is finally underway and director Peter Jackson is looking healthy posing for snaps in what is presumably Bilbo Baggins dwelling, posted via Facebook.

‘The Hobbit’ prequels takes place in Middle-earth 60 years prior to the events of  ‘The Lord of the Rings’. The two-part adaptation will follow Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he goes on a similar quest accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug,  who Leonard Nimoy is rumored to be voicing.

Reprising their roles from the ‘Rings’ trilogy are Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Andy Serkis will don the motion cap suit as Gollum, and Elijah Wood will reprise his role of Frodo to help bookend the stories.

Orlando Bloom is expected to return as Legolas, though no word yet on whether we’ll see Christopher Lee as Saruman or Ian Holm appear (albeit briefly) as Old Bilbo. Saoirse Ronan joined the cast in January as Itaril, and we’re still yet to hear whether former ‘Doctor Who’ star David Tennant will be playing the Elvinking Thranduil.

The cast of Dwarves consist of Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield), Ken Stott (Balin), Graham McTavish (Dwalin), William Kircher (Bifur) James Nesbitt (Bofur), Stephen Hunter (Bombur), Rob Kazinsky (Fili), Aidan Turner (Kili), Peter Hambleton (Gloin), John Callen (Oin), Jed Brophy (Nori), Mark Hadlow (Dori) and Adam Brown (Ori). Jeffrey Thomas and Mike Mizrahi also joined the cast as Dwarf Kings Thror and Thrain. Expect more casting announcements soon.

hobbit_cast_2011

The tone of the Hobbit book was more akin to a children’s tale so this story has presumably undergone a huge makeover so that it’s in a similar vein as the ‘Rings’ trilogy.

Here’s the Synopsis:

The-Hobbit-Book-CoverThe Hobbit follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.
Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever … Gollum.
Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

The Hobbit films are scheduled for release in late 2012 and 2013 and The Lord of the Rings trilogy will be available in extended editions on Blu-ray on June 28th.

 

via: Collider

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