With kind permission from French Premiere magazine, here is the article in it’s entirety. Translated by yours truly. (Note: conflicts with what we here have reported to you at TheOneRing.net are plain to see, I have quoted this article word for word as asked by me from Alexandre Brillant of French Primere)
‘The Lord of the Rings Releases it’s first Images’
New Line opens some of Peter Jacksons artistic choices on Lordoftherings.net.
By: Alexandre Brillant.
New Line has recently opened it’s official site for ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’, first episode of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, a film Peter Jackson will begin filming in September. Not a single name, apart from rumors about Sean Connery as the role of Gandalf, has been mentioned. The adaptation of JJR Tolkiens books will take 18 months to film in New Zealand, as well as another 18 for pre and post production. Jackson has chosen New Zeland, his homeland, to become Middle-earth because all the geographical features of Middle-earth are available there. Volcanic plateaus, snow capped mountains…
The script, written by Jackson, Fran Walsh (his wife) Philipa Boyens and Stephen Sinclair. Will include a cast of thousands of extras, 20 000 to be exact, as well as 300 crew members, whom have been scouted from the four corners of the Earth. All for 130-150 million dollars.
For the past 2 years, Wingnut Films Ltd. (Jackson’s own production Company) and WETA Ltd. (special effects company) Are working together to make people and miniatures, prosthetic creatures and armor. WETA has been asked to push computer technology to new heights. For instance 1200 special effects are in the works. WETA is very occupied with creating Middle-earth, the famous little people with big feet, the Hobbits, as well as their land. Artists such as Alan Lee and John Howe are working with WETA to make this vision a reality.
When New Line announced in August of 1998 that they will make ‘The Lord of the Rings’, ‘The Two Towers’ and ‘Return of the King’. Fans of the books were excited beyond belief and wanted to contact Jackson to offer their ideas and support. They also created many web sites devoted to the subject. The production then decided to open the official site ratherdiscreetly,(www.lordoftherings.net) At a time when cyberspace is obsessed with The Phantom Menace, it is very obvious that they will soon be pointing their computers in another direction.
