Elessar sends along a curious tweet from artists/illusionist Derren Brown, not 2 hours ago he tweeted the following:
@DerrenBrown Off to watch some Ian Holm and Christopher Lee being filmed for The Hobbit. HOW EXCITING!
The tweet gives us a little more info on the apparent ‘UK shoot’ taking place sometime soon (maybe even today). Along with news that Elijah Wood is heading to the UK soon, and of course word that Christopher Lee wants to be involved in The Hobbit, save for traveling to New Zealand. No official word can be gleamed from the production (trust me, I tried), let us hope we learn more soon!
NYMag.com has a new interview up with Elijah Wood who’ll be reprising his role as Frodo in The Hobbit, and perhaps the most interesting bit is his response to the question about when he’ll be going down to New Zealand to shoot his scenes.
Here’s what Elijah said:
October. I’m going to the U.K. first to do some shooting, but then I’m going down in October for the New Zealand part.
Not to jump to any conclusions, but does this potentially mean Sir Christopher Lee will be shooting his scenes in the UK this October? Discuss over at our message boards. The entire interview can be found over at NYMag.com.
On this episode of Hobbit in 5, we talk about Peter Jackson’s newest Facebook note, share some viewer experiences, let you know of a Blu-Ray release party in LA, and give you a look at some new pictures from The Hobbit set! We also cover Saruman for our character study!
Thanks to our executive producer: Jonathan W. Platt
John Farrell’s blog on Forbes has a delightful new video interview with Sir Christopher Lee, the first of a series planned over the next few weeks. His initial interview included a discussion on new media and Lee’s early entrance into hosting a website with help from his son-in-law.
What caught my eye was an initial statement by Farrell on his blog. He mentioned that Lee was ”getting ready to reprise his role as Saruman in Peter Jackson’s two-part production of The Hobbit”.
While there is nothing on the video discussing The Hobbit nor is the statement itself a confirmation, the fact that Farrell recently spoke with Lee and chose this particular phrasing of words (without hedging) suggests this was part of their conversation and that Lee directly stated this. It could be a case of an over-zealous Tolkien fan reading too much into that statement but TORN followers may want to scour any future videos for tidbits of information.
Is this a backwards confirmation that Sir Christopher Lee will return as Saruman? Talk about it on our message boards here!
Wellington, NZ, March 21, 2011—Production has commenced in Wellington, New Zealand, on “The Hobbit,” filmmaker Peter Jackson’s two film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s widely read masterpiece.
“The Hobbit” is 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 two films, with screenplays by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson, will be shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming will take place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.
“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, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. (more…)
On this episode of Hobbit in 5 The Dwarves and Bilbo make there first press appearance since arriving in New Zealand a month ago. Also Sir Christopher Lee receives a Bafta Award, location scouting, character studies and much much more!
Ok so maybe it ran a little long this week but there was a lot to cover!
Veteran actor Sir Christopher Lee has received a Bafta Fellowship at the academy’s film awards. The event ended with a standing ovation for the distinguished thespian, who is famous for his roles as Dracula, and in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, The Wicker Man and The Man with the Golden Gun. He accepted the Bafta Fellowship from director Tim Burton, who described the 88-year-old as an “electrifying screen presence”. More..
As we reported last week, Christopher Lee (Saruman), will be honored by BAFTA with their highest award, the Academy Fellowship. Check your local listings for BAFTA broadcast times in your area. In the US, the BAFTAs will air tonight at 8pm ET. [Read More] [BBC America Schedule]
BAFTA has announced that Christopher Lee (Saruman) will receive the Academy Fellowship – the most cherished prize of the Orange British Academy Film Awards – at prize ceremonies on Sunday.
Awarded annually by the Academy, the Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film. Previously honoured Fellows include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor, Julie Christie, John Barry, Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Hopkins, Terry Gilliam and Judi Dench. Last year’s recipient was Vanessa Redgrave.
From Sir Christopher Lee’s Official Site: Slowly but surely, Peter Jackson has managed to secure the return of the majority of the major stars from The Lord of the Rings franchise for his soon to be shooting prequel, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
Sir. Christopher Lee had been in talks to reprise his role as the wizard Saruman and it now looks certain, providing that he is in good health, that he will be appearing in the movie.
Sohaib at Fictional Frontiers keeps asking us back to his radio show and podcast and when it comes to popular culture and talking about the works and adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien, how can we say no? This week, among many other things, we chatted about our hopes and fears for “The Hobbit” film including a tie to those crazy Burger King toys. You can hear the conversation, which already aired live on the radio, right here as a podcast.
Production has begun in London on Academy Award®-winner Martin Scorsese’s adventure film Hugo Cabret. The live-action film, to be photographed in 3D, stars Academy Award®-winner Ben Kingsley (Shutter Island), Sacha Baron Cohen (Bruno), Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas), and Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass).
Hugo Cabret, Scorsese’s first film shot in 3D, tells the tale of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. When Hugo encounters a broken machine, an eccentric girl, and the cold, reserved man who runs the toy shop, he is caught up in a magical, mysterious adventure that could put all of his secrets in jeopardy.
Also appearing in the all-star cast are Academy Award®-nominee Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes), Ray Winstone (London Boulevard), Christopher Lee (Lord of the Rings), Helen McCrory (“The Special Relationship”), Frances de la Tour (Alice In Wonderland), and Richard Griffiths (The History Boys). Read
As we reported last week, 
From 
