Andy Serkis who’s new to directing was honored to be asked to be the second unit director on The Hobbit (and he does a good job as we have seen through out Peter Jacksons video blogs). Peter Jackson gave Andy Serkis filmmaking tips and acted as a mentor. contactmusic.com quoting from EMPIRE magazine:

Serkis explained: ‘‘He would watch form his set, call: ‘No, no, it’s not working. Just bail out of the shot.’ He was mentoring me. ”There were different ways we worked. We’d set up entire sequences, or he’d start a scene and I would finish  it if there wasn’t time.

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The Hobbit News for iPad App from TheOneRing.net is finally here! A feast of rich imagery and content, many have already found it in the Apple App store and downloaded it.  As well as the good stuff already found in the iPhone App, the iPad version spreads it out for easier and more colourful reading with a brand new interface. Among the highlights are reading through all of the major stories from TheOneRing.net, a complete listing of cast and characters, video features, a diverse variety of Tolkien content, and even the ability to chat in Barlimans! We did have to charge a very small fee for this one, so we hope you consider spending the 99¢ to get it from the App store today. And of course, if you like it, why not drop us a review on the store! [iPad Version] [Free iPhone App]
Continue reading “TheOneRing.net’s Hobbit iPad App is Available!”

I admit, when I first heard talk of “a third ‘Hobbit’ movie” from the floor of Comic-Con, I was skeptical. Reporters Quickbeam and Justin brought back footage from a press conference (that you can watch right here) breaking the story that additional shooting was a possibility, directly from Peter Jackson’s mouth. I downplayed it because from a five-week set visit I knew the team was going to return to shooting right after Comic-Con. I thought the media was being its usual bombastic self by calling a little more shooting “a third “Hobbit” movie. They absolutely had it posted first, breaking the story so kudos to them, but I dismissed it. How quickly things change.

Now it seems inevitable that this will happen. Jackson clearly has the will or he wouldn’t have spoken about it so fully. The studio clearly has the will because they are talking about it instead of dismissing it. So what would this mean besides another year of happy blood sweat and tears at TheOneRing.net? Lets look at all the facts and see if we can’t come to some conclusions educated guesses.

ON THE RECORD, WHAT WAS SAID:

Jackson spoke about this, very likely not by accident, from the television press line meet-and-greet at Comic-Con that took place before the famous Hall H event for fans. (Watch the first two or three minutes of Jackson’s own production diary #8 for the best account of Hall H.) Continue reading “Third ‘Hobbit’ movie: How? What? When? Why?”

When it comes to LOTR & the Hobbit, the online gushing is usually non-stop.

Not today, though. The unconfirmed news that Peter Jackson may turn “The Hobbit” into a trilogy has been blowing up on social media, and it’s not all happy. A common response has been “not sure how I feel about this,”  but there’s been quite a bit of negativity mixed in with the happiness and mixed-emotions.

We combed through the last 12 hours of tweets and pulled together a selection of what Twitter users have to say. You’ll find Yays, Naes and a whole bunch of head-scratching. Read on:

Continue reading “Three Movies? Twitter’s A-Buzz”

Talking to USA Today’s Brian Truitt in San Diego, Peter Jackson talks about raising the bar for The Hobbit, with a new movie technology. Peter Jackson says using 48 fps “gives you an illusion of life that’s so much more vivid than 24 frames does,” he says.

“The entire industry is in some respect waiting to see what happens with The Hobbit. I’m very happy to be the guinea pig.”

Jackson predicts that by the time The Hobbit is released, there will be several tent-pole studio movies that will be using the technology.

If not, he says that the industry might as well throw in the towel. Read more [here]

TheOneRing.net scored a few exclusive moments with Peter Jackson in the Comic-Con press line to chat. He was asked about his additional filming plans for The Hobbit.

Jackson says that he greatly desires to go back and film more in Middle-earth. This extra footage may or may not be destined for extended editions — extended editions are something that we definitely expect to see. However, the exciting possibility is that a third Hobbit film is also on Jackson’s mind — and he admitted it!

He wouldn’t outright commit to anything. He didn’t say: “Yes, I’m doing a third film”. On the other hand, he didn’t close the door completely.

His words: “There’s much more material from the Appendices of Lord of the Rings that we didn’t fit in.”

Remember though, we reported the other day that Warner Bros has no plans for a third film. Studio sources told Variety that “the plan was always for two.” What will happen? Well, it may all hinge on what sort of success An Unexpected Journey has this December.

Update: Now with video from the press chat!