-
This weekend sees the opening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which is great news for Lord of the Rings who will get to see plenty returning characters such as the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) aids a young Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and an assembly of dwarves in their quest to unseat the dragon Smaug from the treasure he's guarding. It's only the first of a three-part adaptation, which means there will be plenty more Gandalf to go around for the next few years, even if he will still be one appearance behind another literary-turned-cinematic wizard, Harry Potter's Dumbledore.
Speaking of Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (first played by the late Richard Harris and then by Michael Gambon), this week's arrival of Gandalf got us thinking about our two favorite, long-bearded wizards and which of the two would survive the cybernetic cage that is our Character Cage Match! No doubt, fans of either J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling may already have their minds made up, but we make a case for both and only you can decide which wizard will leave victorious!
check out the characters' strengths and weaknesses before voting >> Posted 12.14.12 by Ryan -
High fantasy adventures on the big screen are among the most thrilling, enthralling movies to watch because of the fantastical people, places and monsters that populate them. They allow us to escape from our comparatively mundane lives by offering us a glimpse into another world, another reality where magic is real and noble heroes go on quests and do battle with dragons and other fantastical creatures. However, even some of the most fantastic elements of this genre of popular fiction are not the stuff of myth, but of history. In fact, not too long ago, diminutive "Hobbits" living in Indonesia were forced to protect their "Hobbit holes" from the deadly dragons that claimed the island as their own.
Middle-earth on Earth??? >> Posted 12.14.12 by BrentJS -
Extreme fandom manifests itself in many ways: fan fiction, fan films, and, in worst case scenarios, stalking. And, despite the amount of fame one achieves, it's hard for anyone to not "geek out" on their favorite stuff. Take Stephen Colbert of ComedyCentral's The Colbert Report who managed to devote an entire week to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and interviewed members of the cast and director Peter Jackson. While doing celebrity interviews isn't exactly new, Colbert is a notorious fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, with knowledge of Tolkien bordering on the academic since he speaks elvish. Colbert was even invited to the New Zealand set of The Hobbit while the movie was in production.
"He’s such an expert on Tolkien, he really is, he can quote it at length," Ian McKellen told THR about Colbert. That expertise was on display when Jackson appeared for his interview. While discussing The Hobbit's recent transformation into a trilogy, the director asked Colbert to explain what Tolkien's intent was for the appendices at the end of the Return of the King novel, which Jackson is using as further source material.
watch the interview >> Posted 12.10.12 by Ryan -
Since The Lord of the Rings trilogy left theaters, fantasy fans have slowly gravitated to George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones novels and subsequent HBO TV adaptation. But now that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is on its way, the inevitable comparisons are starting to be raised. Which series has the toughest warrior? Which series has the fiercest creatures? Fantasy fans could no doubt debate the subject for hours, but MTV Geek took the topic straight to Martin during this interview.
watch the video >> Posted 11.15.12 by Ryan -
A dwarve primer of sorts
While the name is in the title, there won't be many hobbits in the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of a three part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's novel, which will instead be dominated by a company of 13 dwarves who take Bilbo Baggins (this time played by Martin Freeman) with them on a journey to Lonely Mountain to steal back the treasure being protected by the dragon Smaug. So far, the dwarves have had a decent showing in the movie's promotional materials, singing though most of the movie's first trailer, and causing havoc in Bilbo's life in the second trailer, but received slightly more attention in the second trailer's subsequent extra scenes.
With audiences already familiar with Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Gollum (Andy Serkis) and Elrond (Hugo Weaving) from the Lord of the Rings movies, it seems time to find out how the dwarves will fit in to director Peter Jackson's epic adventure. To that end, Warner Bros. has released a new poster of the extensive dwarf company, but, for those that have never read Tolkien's novel, there likely are plenty out there that still have no knowledge of the characters outside of their appearance. To rectify this, we have provided a brief introduction to each character, so audiences will be better prepared when An Unexpected Journey arrives this December.
learn about the 13 dwarves >> Posted 10.01.12 by Ryan -
Now that we know that Peter Jackson is turning his Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit, into a trilogy, there's many questions fans have. What will the third installment entail? Will the epic conclusion with the dragon Smaug be removed from the second movie, There and Back Again, and delayed until the now final third movie? How can Jackson possibly stretch the Hobbit story into a third movie (J.R.R. Tolkien's novel is only 272 pages)? Another big question is what will the third movie be called? Well, we might have our answer. TheOneRing.net reports that New Line has registered several titles for the third Hobbit movie. The studio registered The Desolation of Smaug (which would answer the Smaug question) and The Battle of Five Armies (New Line also registered the variations The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies).
As TheOneRing points out, it's highly possible that New Line will not use either title. The site also speculates that the studio could change the title of the first installment — An Unexpected Journey, though that seems highly unlikely given the movie unspools in just five months.
So what do you think of the possible titles? Have other suggestions? We know no one is asking us, but here is our suggestion: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Trilogy.
Posted 08.01.12 by Chris -
Earlier this month at the San Diego Comic-Con, director Peter Jackson revealed that he might shoot more footage for his two-part prequel of The Hobbit, arriving this December as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and December 2013 as The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Even though principal production just wrapped up for The Hobbit, looks like Jackson is headed back for more Middle-Earth. On his Facebook page, Jackson officially announced that The Hobbit will become a trilogy.
read jackson's announcement >> Posted 07.30.12 by Ryan -
It's been over a month since director Peter Jackson released the seventh production video from the set of his two-part prequel, The Hobbit, which was the last footage available to fans until Jackson revealed some edited footage to those lucky enough to get inside Hall H during Warner Bros.' Comic-Con presentation. Luckily, Jackson has released an eighth video, which shows snippets of what was shown that day.
Starting at Comic-Con, Jackson introduces a behind-the-scenes look at the final week of shooting, which concentrated mostly on the second part, There and Back Again. Jackson is quick to point out that he can't reveal much from the second movie, but there's plenty for fans to enjoy, including Cate Blanchett on the set as Galadriel acting alongside Ian McKellen as Gandalf; Orlando Bloom as Legolas being directed by second unit director Andy Serkis (who also plays Gollum); plus sections devoted to new cast members Sylvester McCoy (who plays the wizard Radagast) and Lee Pace, who is seen preparing to play the Elven King Thranduil.
watch the video >> Posted 07.24.12 by Ryan -
Those lucky enough to make into Warner Bros.' panel at the San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday were treated to some footage from the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but Peter Jackson saved yet another surprise for after the panel and press conference: The Hobbit could become a trilogy.
Speaking with ComingSoon, Jackson revealed that he and his wife and co-writer Fran Walsh are talking to Warners and trying to convince them to allow even more footage to be shot. The duo plans on utilizing additional notes from J.R.R. Tolkien that "expand the world" of The Hobbit and, ultimately, split 2013's The Hobbit: There and Back Again into two parts. They would include, amongst other things, explaining why Gandalf disappears for a little while. While Jackson says the possibility is "very premature," the director spoke at length about the prospect, admitting that "I don't want to make a children's story to go into The Lord of the Rings."
read jackson's comments >> Posted 07.16.12 by Ryan -
There's good news today from Middle Earth. Director Peter Jackson announced on his Facebook page that he has wrapped principal photography on his two-part movie adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.
We made it! Shoot day 266 and the end of principal photography on The Hobbit. Thanks to our fantastic cast and crew for getting us this far, and to all of you for your support! Next stop, the cutting room. Oh, and Comic Con!
Cheers, Peter J
Shooting for both An Unexpected Journey and There and Back Again took 266 days to complete, which was only slightly more than the 254 day shoot that was initially planned for the movies. Luckily for the cast and crew, there were a couple of breaks in the shooting schedule.
Posted 07.06.12 by Mandy