EntertainMENt

A pretty exciting news tidbit dropped earlier this week, but since I only write entertainment stuff on Friday (I actually wrote this on Monday but its not important enough to bamp up to Monday, so shut up) I appreciate your patience. Grown up news blogs around the world (we were not invited) have gotten a hold of press releases hyping up the much anticipated beginning of production on Peter Jackson's next project - The Hobbit. In addition to that an official facepile page has been opened and contains some highly erotic photos of a very svelte looking Jack Black Peter Jackson entering a hobbit hole (not a dry or sandy hole, or a wet dank hole). Read on nerds:

Start of Production press release:

PRODUCTION BEGINS IN NEW ZEALAND ON THE HOBBIT, PETER JACKSON’S TWO FILM EPIC ADAPTATION OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN’S TIMELESS CLASSIC

In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit…

Wellington, NZ, March 21, 2011—Production has commenced in Wellington, New Zealand, on “The Hobbit,” filmmaker Peter Jackson’s two film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s widely read masterpiece.

“The Hobbit” is set in Middle-earth 60 years before Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

The two films, with screenplays by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson, will be shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming will take place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.

“The 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.

Martin Freeman (SEE PIC ON RIGHT) takes the title role as Bilbo Baggins and Ian McKellen returns in the role of Gandalf the Grey. The Dwarves are played by 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). Reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy are Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Andy Serkis as Gollum and Elijah Wood as Frodo. Jeffrey Thomas and Mike Mizrahi also join the cast as Dwarf Kings Thror and Thrain, respectively. Further casting announcements are expected.

“The Hobbit” is produced by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, alongside Carolynne Cunningham. Executive producers are Ken Kamins and Zane Weiner, with Philippa Boyens as co-producer. The Oscar-winning, critically acclaimed “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, also from the production team of Jackson and Walsh, grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box office. In 2003, “The Return of the King” swept the Academy Awards, winning all of the 11 categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture – the first ever Best Picture win for a fantasy film. The trilogy’s production was also unprecedented at the time.

Among the creative behind-the-scenes team returning to Jackson’s crew are director of photography Andrew Lesnie, production designer Dan Hennah, conceptual designers Alan Lee and John Howe, composer Howard Shore and make-up and hair designer Peter King. Costumes are designed by Ann Maskrey and Richard Taylor.

Taylor is also overseeing the design and production of weaponry, armour and prosthetics which are once again being made by the award winning Weta Workshop. Weta Digital take on the visual effects for both films, led by the film’s visual effects supervisor, Joe Letteri. Post production will take place at Park Road Post Production in Wellington.

“The Hobbit” films are co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production. Warner Bros Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television licensing being handled by MGM. The two films are planned for release in late 2012 and 2013, respectively.

-MGM, courtesy of /film and Peter Jackson's Facemash page

The release goes on to talk about how neat Peter Jackson is and Wingnut Studios and Newline Cinema, but since you've already bought 4 different versions of The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy you probably already know all that.



We leave you with an EXCLUSIVE first look at the entire cast of the dwarves (did you know JRR Tolkien made up that word? The proper word is dwarfs.) and Bilbo, AND Sir Ian McKellan reprising his role as Gandalf. This is not a clip from the 1977 animated The Hobbit they used to show on the Disney channel and you had on VHS, fuck you this is my blog. (You remember they used to occasionally show The Lord of The Rings, and even more rarely they used to show The Return of The King? And you could never find copies of it in movie stores but then in 1998 you found them on Amazon.com and you begged your parents to buy it for you and you had to give them like 2 weeks allowance but when it finally got there you were pretty stoked? A similar memory exists for the Ralph Bakshi version of Lord of The Rings, but your quest to find it began a little while before production for the first Peter Jackson film started so the studio that held the rights to the DVD held out to drop it near the release so they could cash in on all the newfags that bought it thinking it was the Jackson movie and it was really a rotoscoped epic that was crippled by rewrites and budget shortfalls.)



-G