Titles and Release Dates Announced

The hobbit blog releases titles and dates!

New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM have announced the titles and release dates for filmmaker Peter Jackson’s two-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s enduringly popular masterpiece THE HOBBIT.  The first film, titled “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” will be released on December 14, 2012.  The second film, titled “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” is slated for release the following year, on December 13, 2013.
 

Both films are 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 adventure of 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 from the fearsome dragon Smaug.

Barry Humphries is set to join the cast of The Hobbit

The Age reports Barry joins cast!


Australian actor, comedian and satirist Barry Humphries is set to join the cast of The Hobbit, which is filming in New Zealand. Director Peter Jackson announced on Facebook that Humphries will play the role of the Goblin King.


‘‘Barry is perhaps best known for his business and social connections as the long-time manager of Dame Edna Everage. He has also been an ardent supporter of the rather misunderstood and unfairly maligned Australian politician, Sir Les Patterson,’’ Jackson said referring to Humphries’ alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and Sir Les Patterson, a politically incorrect cultural attache.

‘‘However, in his spare time, Barry is also a fine actor, and we’re looking forward to seeing him invest the Goblin King with the delicate sensitivity and emotional depth this character deserves,’’ Jackson wrote. Also joining the cast of The Hobbit is Evangeline Lilly who will be playing the new character, the Woodland Elf, Tauriel. Another recent signing is British comedian Stephen Fry who will play The Master of Laketown.


Jackson, who directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy, adds: ‘‘Evangeline and Barry, along with Welsh actor Luke Evans as Bard and Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug, just about rounds out the major casting. I cannot wait to get stuck into these new scenes!’’


With the first round of shooting over, The Hobbit has started scouting locations for the second block of shooting for which Humphries and Lilly will be joining the cast. The $US500 million ($A474 million) Hobbit movies, a two-part prequel to blockbuster The Lord of the Rings trilogy, began filming in New Zealand in March.


Australian actress Cate Blanchett will return as Galadriel, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Christopher Lee as Saruman, Elijah Wood as Frodo and Andy Serkis as Gollum.

Orlando Bloom returns to Middle Earth for The Hobbit

The Age reports Orlando is back!

Orlando Bloom will reprise his role as elf Legolas in the new Hobbit film.Director Peter Jackson announced the casting decision via Facebook late last week. He also revealed that Stephen Fry would be joining the cast as The Master of Laketown, a character he described as a "conniving civil servant".
"I'm thrilled to be working with Orlando again," Jackson wrote.

British actor Bloom, who is married to Australian model Miranda Kerr, shot to stardom on the back of his performance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy."Funny thing is, I look older—and he doesn't! I guess that's why he makes such a wonderful elf."His return to Middle Earth has excited fans with almost 14,000 people opting to 'like' the announcement on Facebook."Eeek that's so great! And it doesn't matter that he wasn't in the book, the fact that his father is in it you can assume Legolas would be right with him," wrote one fan.He is not the only cast member from the highly successful films to be reprising their roles. Cate Blanchett will return as Galadriel, Sir Ian McKellan as Gandalf, Andy Serkis as Gollum, Elijah Wood as Frodo and Hugo Weaving as Elrond.The lead role of Bilbo Baggins will be played by Martin Freeman.Jackson has been using his Facebook wall to update fans on the progress of the highly anticipated film version of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel. It is set 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, and follows Baggins and a group of 13 dwarves on a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.The project has been in the works for more than a decade, delayed by legal issues and a union dispute. Filming commenced in Wellington, New Zealand, in March.  The Hobbit will be shot in digital 3D and told in two films. The first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, will be released on December 14, 2012. The second film is expected to be released in December the following year.Another of Jackson's films, an adaptation of the Tintin books, is almost completed. For the past five years he has been working on the project with Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy.

Totally Look like....

            cate blanchett to star as galadriel...

Ian McKellen as gandalf...

Andy Serkis as Gollum

Orlando Bloom as Legolas...

Elijah Wood as frodo ...

Hugo Weaving as Eldrond

Christopher Lee as saruman...

hundreds of short people try out for elven roles...

wannabe elves queue for hours...


stuff.nz.co reports:

People queued for about two hours for the Elf extras call for the Hobbit at Te Whaea Men had to be taller than 183 cm and women 175 cm. Rowan Fordham, 32 , left, Samantha Lee, 21 and Max Austin, 42. Max came from the Blue Mountains, Australia to audition he works in the film industry as a fight scene choreographer.


Some tried to stack the odds with platform heels, but there was no fooling casting agents on the hunt for elvish folk.


Hundreds of people flocked to Te Whaea dance and drama centre in Newtown on Saturday in response to a casting call for The Hobbit, seeking people to play elves and elven riders in the Lord of the Rings precursors, which are due to start shooting next month.
The audition called for men over 1.83m tall and women over 1.75m, aged between 17 and 40.
Wellington woman Carys Lloyd, 24 and 1.85m tall, said she arrived 15 minutes before the advertised time, and there were already about 200 people ahead of her.
''There were some girls in really, really high heels and they would have had to wait for three hours just to get turned away because they were too short.''


She and her husband waited for about two hours in line for their turn.
''We got in the room, they took our height, measured our head circumference, bust, waist, hips and shoe size, took a close-up and a full-body shot, and that was it.
''It was literally a two-hour wait for two minutes inside.''
Ms Lloyd said despite the cold wind that kept those in line shivering during their wait, she did not mind all the standing around.
''It was just good practice for if we do get in, because I know it's just going to be a full-on day of waiting around. ''But I just want to experience it and see what it's like it'd be cool to be able to say I was in a movie.''

Ian Holms not sure if he should be heading to NZ yet..

the actor who plays bilbo baggins doesn't know if he is coming back for the third movie

the belfast telegraphs reports

Sir Ian Holm apparently still doesn't know if he'll be packing his bags to head to New Zealand for The Hobbit.

The acclaimed actor had been in talks with the film's producers about reprising his role as hobbit Bilbo Baggins, which he played in the first and third Lord Of The Rings films, and it had been reported that he was included in the star-studded cast for Peter Jackson's forthcoming prequel, due to start filming in New Zealand next month.

But he told the Daily Telegraph: "I don't know what's happening - I haven't heard anything for weeks."

The 79-year-old was keen to return to the part and was hoping to act alongside Martin Freeman, who plays the younger version of the character.

"I had great fun playing Baggins in the first two films and the plan had been, with Martin Freeman playing Young Baggins, I would be the Old Baggins. I suppose the earthquake in Christchurch couldn't have helped with communications," he said.

Melissa Booth, a spokesperson for the company making the film, said: "Filming starts on March 21," without addressing Sir Ian's remarks.

casting call for elves

if you happen to be in new zealand - the land of the long white cloud and also happen to match the following criteria then YOU too can be an elf:



physical build is tall and slender.

aged between 17 to 40 years old (yep elves top out at 40 years old, no wrinkles here)

 men should be at least 6ft (183cm) or taller

women at least 5ft 9 (175cm) tall.