In addition, they report that Warner Bros has announced that the third film will be renamed The Hobbit: There And Back Again.
The second film, to be released on December 13, 2013 will be called The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of International Distribution said in the press release: “The Hobbit: There and Back Again will be an action spectacle and an emotional conclusion for this already much-anticipated trilogy. Opening in the summer will maximize playability for what promises to be an event film for fans the world over.”
EDIT: I think that the second title Desolation of Smaug means that it will conclude with the demise of Smaug at the hands of Bard the Bowman. Highlight to see spoilery speculation.
Ok, so officially things don’t really get going until tomorrow, but in the hearts of everyone arriving at hotels in Atlanta today, DragonCon has started! And as you know, TheOneRing.net and Tolkien fandom are here in force! Staffers deej and greendragon are hard at work to make the TORn table fun for all – come and see us from 11am Friday in the Hyatt (Exhibit Level, near the Art Show) to try your hand at trivia or pick up one of TORn’s fabulous new shirts! Or just pop by to chat – we love seeing old friends and new!
You can also visit TORn’s good friends Badali Jewelry here at DragonCon. They will be found in the Dealers Room located on the bottom floor of the Marriott Marquis. For your spending pleasure, they will have a full inventory of Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit items, as well as some of their most popular Fantasy, Celtic, Pirate, Vampire, and Elven pieces. There will be 3 brand new Officially Licensed Hobbit pieces to see, and they even have a fabulous offer for fans here at TheOneRing.net – 15% off your entire purchase!! Just stop by and say the magic words “Gandalf Sent Me”.
The good times keep coming with ‘Evening at Bree’ Friday night, and panels from TORn 4pm on Friday, 5.30pm Saturday and 11.30am Monday. For a complete list of Tolkien Track panels, click here. Can’t wait to see everyone! – and for those of you who can’t join us, we’ll bring you updates of all the fun, right here on TORn. Let the games begin!
London2012’s Paralympics got started last night with an opening ceremony which included Professor Stephen Hawking, Queen Elizabeth II and Gandalf himself – only this time in the role of Prospero. The Tempest has been a running theme for London2012 – the bell housed in the Olympic Stadium and rung in July’s opening ceremony is inscribed with a line from Shakespeare’s play, ‘Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises,’ and in the Olympic closing ceremony actor Timothy Spall (as Winston Churchill!) gave the speech from which that line is taken. Continuing the theme, Sir Ian appeared in a stunning blue and golden robe, holding one of Prospero’s books, and bid actress Nicola Miles-Wildin, in the role of Miranda, to ‘shine your light on the beautiful diversity of humanity.’
Diverstiy was appropriately and wonderfully represented in this ceremony, with 141 disabled performers taking part, including 27 wheelchair users – 6 of whom were flown into the stadium in golden chairs! Sir Ian was quoted in British press as saying, ‘I’m the least sporty person I know, but thrilled to have a small part to play in the Paralympic opening ceremony in praise of endeavour and enlightenment.’
You can read a description of the ceremony and Sir Ian’s role here, and can see some highlights here.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Annual 2013, one of several film tie-in books scheduled for this year, released today, and our message board member Bexlin was awesome enough to share some hi-res scans of its full colour pages.
Besides character pictures of the 13 dwarves, Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel, we also get our first look at Saruman the White, and a brilliant reveal of Lee Pace’s character Thranduil the Elvenking.
Here in the image upon the right sits Saruman with the rest of the White Council, seemingly in the much-talked-about scene of the discussion surrounding a certain Wraith’s blade.
And as for Thranduil, the Elf gets his revel after the break.
A fair warning to those who do not want to be spoiled… believe us, you do NOT want to click the “Continue Reading” button.
The Official Facebook page for The Hobbit has recently put up a little Trivia Challenge that comes with some rather cool prizes. Here is what they say about the contest:
“Longing for a quest of your own? Test your knowledge of Middle-earth and its many inhabitants by taking The Hobbit Trivia Challenge! Score a perfect 10 out of 10 for a chance to win a special prize pack for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey from Comic-Con!http://bit.ly/HobbitTrivia
List of Prizes
SDCC Exclusive invisible Bilbo Baggins action figure from our Master Toy partner, The Bridge.
Limited Edition Thorin Oakenshield Bust from Gentle Giant
Limited Edition 1/6 scale Thorin Oakenshield statue from WETA
Limited Edition Art Print—An Unexpected Journey from WETA
First ever LEGO Hobbit minifigure – Bilbo Baggins from the upcoming LEGO The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey constructions sets releasing this December”
One word of caution, you do need to get all 10 questions correct, and this is a timed test, each question has its own timer. So, don’t dilly dally, take a deep breathe and go have some fun.
As you undoubtedly know by our grand adventure across the country, TheOneRing.net is set to invade Dragon*Con , the world’s largest Sci-Fi/Pop Culture convention, this Labor Day weekend (August 31st – September 3rd) in Atlanta, Georgia.
This years LotR/Hobbit guests feature a star-studded line-up: Billy Boyd, John Rhys-Davies, Craig Parker, and Sylvester McCoy.
Meet up with other Tolkien fans at the annual Evening at Bree event on Friday August 31st, hosted by Tolkien’s Middle-earth Track with music by Emerald Rose and a costume contest MC’d by Craig Parker. The Tolkien Track will also host fan film screenings, costuming panels, scholarly discussions, even open mic nights! Stop by TOR.n’s fan table to pick up a TOR.n t-shirt and try your hand at Tolkien trivia. And of course TOR.n staffers will be on hand to discuss all the latest information on ‘The Hobbit’ films.
Hollywood Reporter and various other outlets are reporting that July 18, 2014 will be the release date for the third Hobbit film.
