BREAKING NEWS: Peter Jackson Slated to Direct ‘The Silmarillion’ for HBO!
Posted by Valdis on April 1, 2015 at 7:30 am


Sir Peter Jackson will return to Middle-earth ONE LAST TIME!

In an exclusive interview with Middle-earth News, Kiwi director Sir Peter Jackson revealed that he will be returning to Middle-earth as early as 2016 as production begins on Tolkien’s timeless epic, The Silmarillion. HBO has secured the rights to the book, and plans a big budget series in the vein of Game of Thrones.

Many fans have clamored for the director to take on Tolkien’s great history of the creation of Arda and First Age of Middle-earth, but Jackson had quashed their hopes earlier this year by pointing out that the rights for The Silmarillion were not available. Little did fans know that Sir Peter’s denials were a smokescreen for top-secret negotiations between HBO and the Tolkien Estate.

Jackson told Middle-earth News that he and his screenwriting team of Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh have been signed for the planned 10-season television series. Assuming the usual 10-episode season length for HBO drama series, that’s 100 hours to tell the complex tales of The Silmarillion! Sir Peter expressed doubt that will be enough time to do justice to the work, hinting that HBO may also seek the rights for the material contained in the 12-volume The History of Middle-earth, so that stories of The Silmarillion can be fleshed out a bit more. Jackson reported that they were considering asking George R. R. Martin to serve as a special consultant on the show, since he is an expert on killing characters, and there is even more death in The Silmarillion than there is in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire.
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES

‘The Silmarillion’ will provide a stage for even more epic battles than those seen in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ trilogies. Photo credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

The series is in the earliest stages of development, but Jackson shared a few tidbits about what fans can look forward to. “We’re really excited to be able to tell the full tale of the Were-worms of the Last Desert. They’ll have an entire episode! And I expect that the Dagor Nírnaeth Arnoediad [“Battle of Unnumbered Tears,” the climactic battle in which Morgoth utterly defeated the Elves and the Edain] will take 3-4 episodes. At least”

The director had no comment about the air date or potential casting for the series, but he said with a wink, “Oh, I think you’ll be seeing lots of familiar faces in the cast. Well, familiar names at least, because their faces will be covered in prosthetics.”

Keep your eyes on Middle-earth News for more news on this exciting project!

@TheHobbitMovie #onelastlasttime #threeextendedlasttimes http://t.co/UaxePcAVQa

Hobbit Extended Edition Trilogy in Theaters this October

AUGUST 3, 2015 at 11:25 PM BY ALTAIRA -
2012_01_TheHobbitLogoClear your calendars this coming October! Extended editions of all three Hobbit movies are set to show in theaters over three nights and, of course, you’ll want to see them all! From FarAwayEntertainment.com:

Fathom Events and Warner Bros. are partnering to present the extended editions of all three Hobbit movies. Shown over three nights, the epic Peter Jackson trilogy will be the first time the extended editions have ever been released in theatres. Also included will be an exclusive introduction by director Peter Jackson. First night showing starts Monday, October 5th, 2015 at 7:30pm local. Tickets will be regular admission prices for each movie.

It’s not clear whether the three nights will be consecutive nights, as the AMC Theater website has The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies billed for October 13th. It’s also not clear if other theater chains other than AMC will be carrying the movies. Look for updates here as we get them and if you hear anything from your local theaters, let us know at spymaster@theonering.net.

Richard promoted #onelastlasttime :

The Hobbit ‏@TheHobbitMovie

The #TheHobbitTrilogy #ExtendedEdition is coming to theaters 10/5. Get your tickets here: http://www.fathomevents.com/event/the-h ... d-editions …

Journey to Middle-earth with the Hobbit guide to New Zealand

How to make your Tolkien film fantasies a reality – with help from Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly and location manager Jared Connon


By Jade Bremner
Saturday 17 December 2016 at 7:30PM

The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey is on TV tonight (7.30pm, ITV). It wasn't Peter Jackson's finest film about Middle-Earth but that's no fault of New Zealand, which played a starring role. Or as location manager (and proud Kiwi) Jared Connon put it: "This place is scenery on steroids!"

Back in 2014, Connon and cast members Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and Evangeline Lilly revealed to us the real places behind the shoot...

THE TROLLSHAWS FOREST

Piopio, which doubles in The Hobbit as the Trollshaws forest, is a picturesque village in the King Country of North Island, with forests, pretty farmlands, exotic fauna and the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Many scenes from the first film, An Unexpected Journey, were filmed at Piopio, including the Wargs and Orcs’ attack; the Troll Hoard Cave; and Gandalf ’s gift to Bilbo Baggins of a magical weapon. “The King Country was certainly one of my favourite locations from the film,” says Connon. “I loved scouting there as I got to explore
 the amazing cave systems.” Richard Armitage, who plays Thorin, also made the most of his time there: “I visited the Waitomo Caves and saw the glowworms,” he says. “And I skied down Mount Ruapehu, and the ski locations of Queenstown [on South Island]. I took a helicopter out to the marine volcano of White Island and to the fjord of Milford Sound – this was all in my playtime!”


THE MISTY MOUNTAIN

Paradise, in the Otago region of the South
 Island, overlooked by looming Mount Earnslaw, was the setting used for filming the journey through the Misty Mountain in the first Hobbit film, An Unexpected Journey. Paradise is also where shape-shifter Beorn’s house was captured in the second film, The Desolation of Smaug. And Jane Campion set her harrowing BBC2 drama Top of the Lake here, too. “The name says it all really,” says Connon.

When you’re not transfixed by the view, there’s plenty to do – from lounging in hot pools and trekking on volcanos to visiting geysers and watching wildlife, including whales, dolphins, seals and penguins. Evangeline Lilly, who plays the elf Tauriel, managed to sneak off to explore. “I’d heard it was incredible, and of course it is more incredible than you can describe,” she says. “Truly and utterly breathtaking.”

FOREST RIVER

In The Desolation of Smaug, dwarves go bobbing down the rapids of the Forest River in barrels. The action was actually filmed on the Pelorus River in the Marlborough region of South Island. “I loved spending time on the rocky river edge, staring into the crystal-clear waters, looking for trout and reminiscing about swimming here when I was younger,” says Connon. Visitors, thankfully, can take to the water by kayak, rather than trying the barrel option. River tours go to the exact spots where the young dwarf Kili was filmed and where the dwarves clambered out of their barrels.

HIDDEN BAY

Doubling for Hidden Bay and the entrance to the Lonely Mountain in The Desolation of Smaug, staggering Mount Ruapehu in the Tongariro National Park on North Island is an active stratovolcano that last erupted in 2007. “This is probably one of the most surreal and incredible landscapes in New Zealand,” enthuses Connon. “There’s hardly a soul around, and it really offers a great rugged wilderness experience for people who love the outdoors.” It’s possible to hike to the crater or take a scenic chairlift ride into the clouds and have lunch at New Zealand’s highest café.

LAKE-TOWN

To re-create Lake-town or Esgaroth for The Desolation of Smaug, the film production team built a giant set of higgledy-piggledy, Tudor- style houses against the turquoise Lake Pukaki. The water here originates in a glacial feed, which is what gives it that otherworldly colour. The area attracts stargazers, cyclists and winter sports fanatics. Martin Freeman says the beauty of the landscape wasn’t lost on him. “It looked like CGI,” he says. “It looked more perfect than nature. We were just looking at mountains thinking, ‘No one is going to believe this is real’.” To see this mesmerising lake in all in its glory from the air, local helicopter companies offer flights over it.


THE SHIRE

Matamata, in the Hamilton and Waikato region of North Island, is a must on any Hobbit pilgrimage. This once-sleepy, horse-breeding town now houses the Hobbiton film set, with Hobbit-sized doorways cut into the side of the hills, and a Green Dragon Inn where you can stop for a tankard of ale and hearty Hobbit grub, such as homemade stew, beef and ale pie and a ham and cheese mousetrap. Hobbit attire is encouraged.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'The Hobbit'
Ann Schmidt Jan. 2, 2019, 11:45 AM
"The Hobbit" was originally a book. Warner Bros. Picture
"The Hobbit" was first published in 1937 and was later adapted to a trilogy in 1954, then films.
There are three films in "The Hobbit" trilogy and they were released in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Actors like Cate Blanchett, Stephen Fry, and Martin Freeman have been in a variety of movies and TV shows since being in "The Hobbit" movies.
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote "The Hobbit," published in 1937, for his children. The book was soon followed by the epic "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, published in 1954.

"The Hobbit" was also adapted into three films, starting in 2012 with "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" was released in 2013 and "The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies" was released in 2014.

Each film tells a different part of the story of Bilbo Baggins, a peaceful hobbit, who goes on an adventure with 13 dwarves to help them rescue their treasure from the evil dragon Smaug. On their journey, they come across trolls, eagles, giant spiders, and elves before finally making it to the Lonely Mountain and battling against goblins.

It's been six years since the first "Hobbit" film was released. Here's what the cast of the three films is up to now.

Martin Freeman played Bilbo Baggins.
Prior to his role, Martin Freeman was in the UK version of "The Office." MGM
Bilbo is the main character of the films, a peaceful hobbit who gets roped into being a "burglar" for 13 dwarves trying to rescue their long-lost treasure.

Before being cast in the leading role in the fantasy film trilogy, Martin Freeman acted on the British sitcom "The Office" from 2001 to 2003. He was also in "Love Actually" in 2003, "Shaun of the Dead" in 2004, "Hot Fuzz" in 2007, and he began his recurring role as Dr. Watson on the BBC's TV series "Sherlock" in 2010.

Now, Freeman continues to act in high-profile films and television shows.
He was in "Black Panther." Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Freeman has continued to play Dr. Watson and also earned a role as Lester Nygaard in the television series "Fargo." He's also appeared in the films "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" (2016), "Captain America: Civil War" (2016), and "Black Panther" (2018). He has also produced two documentaries.

Richard Armitage played Thorin, the lead dwarf.
His character's full name was Thorin II Oakenshield. Warner Bros. / MGM
As Thorin, Richard Armitage starred as the lead dwarf of the group that Bilbo joined on their way to the Lonely Mountain.

Before taking on Thorin, he played John Thornton in the BBC miniseries "North & South" in 2004 and he had a role in "Captain America: The First Avenger" in 2011.

Armitage is still acting, taking on film roles and starring as the lead in a television show.
He was in "Ocean's 8." Getty/Donna Ward
Since "The Hobbit" trilogy has been completed, Armitage continues to act, taking film roles in "Alice Through the Looking Glass" (2016) and "Ocean's 8" (2018). He also stars as the lead in the television series "Berlin Station."
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