What exactly is going on with the two-part adaptation of The Hobbit? The world seems to be holding its breath in anticipation, including us, but as the calendar turned to November, we turned to a trusted rock-solid inside source and found a dragon’s treasure of updates. Read the rest of this entry »

The folks from Radio NZ write: Just letting you know that contrary to your article (’Radio NZ Talks to ‘Queen of the Geeks’’) the audio for the interview with Philippa Boyens will available indefinitely from here. There are now download links on the page, but please note that this is for personal use only. Most of the audio on the Radio NZ site is now available on this basis. The best way to link to these persistent pages is via the date encoded URL which can be obtained from the archive box on the left side of those pages.

Jack M writes: On Sunday 25th of October, Radio NZ broadcast an extended interview with Philippa Boyens; An extended interview with Philippa Boyens, an integral member of the trio of filmmakers who put New Zealand on the map with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong. Philippa talks about the trio’s dynamics and looks ahead to the release of Peter’s next film, The Lovely Bones. (duration: 24′41″). The interview is available for streaming on here or on Apple iTunes PodCasts by searching for Radio NZ’s Arts On Sunday program. Be quick though, it’ll only be available for a couple of weeks.

Oscar-winning Kiwi screenwriter Philippa Boyens has revealed that she introduced The Lovely Bones to Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, but she did not believe the novel could be turned into a film. It was only after Walsh and Jackson had read the book and both believed it could be a film that Boyens, who co-wrote The Lord of the Rings and King Kong with the couple, changed her mind. Boyens discussed details about The Lovely Bones and The Hobbit, the script for which she is also co-writing, at a writers talk at Te Papa yesterday just hours before she was to watch a final cut of the film, to be released in December. More..

From Scoop Books: Philippa Boyens, MNZM, co-wrote the screenplay for the Lord of the Rings trilogy with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, for which the trio won an Oscar in 2004. She also worked on the screenplay for King Kong and the adaptation of Alice Sebold’s novel The Lovely Bones, and is collaborating on The Hobbit. She talks to Ken Duncum about her scriptwriter’s dream run. Where: The Marae, Level 4, Te Papa, Cable Street, Wellington (please note that no food may be taken onto The Marae). The Writers on Mondays series is presented by the International Institute of Modern Letters and The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Each session is open to the public and free of charge.

Thanks to Diane and Justin for sending word that the first trailer for Peter Jackson’s “The Lovely Bones,” is now available. Jackson’s adaptation of Alice Sebold’s novel is due to hit theaters December 11, just in time for Oscar season. It is the first feature he has directed since “King Kong,” in 2005. Jackson introduced the clip looking pretty much exactly like he did at the Comic-Con geek summit. Our guess is he filmed the intro while in California last week. Watch it right here.

(Note: This is the first of several stories details what Peter Jackson told a select group of journalists about ‘The Hobbit’.)

Peter Jackson made the most of his first trip to Comic-Con by inviting 40 or so journalists, including TheOneRing.net and internet reporters to sit and chat in a room about “The Hobbit,” “The Lovely Bones,” “District 9,” and various other projects and passions.

For fans, the good news: ‘The Hobbit’ is progressing and Jackson and the writing team of director Guillermo del Toro, Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens are close to have a finished screen-play for the first of the two movies, allowing the studio to give the film a green light. The bad news for the impatient: Casting isn’t being talked about much as the focus is firmly on nailing the story on the page. Read the rest of this entry »

During my association with TheOneRing.net I have often felt very fortunate to know great people and be in great places. Sometimes I have been lucky enough to have my camera along.

Out of that vast TORn photo library that includes digital images, and old scratched negitives, I put a few images together with some music from Arjan Kiel, (with thanks to fan film ‘Born of Hope,’) to pay tribute to the whole community of TheOneRing.net.

Click on the small triangle to play and to see the best fullscreen version, click on the box at the far right.

Kerrie from KOMPOLT sends this along: Lord of the Rings Cast & Crew Autograph Original Movie Poster for American Cinematheque – Movies have the power to not only tell a story – they fill our lives with emotions, make us see things differently, help us discover new ideas, or simply create an escape from the daily bustle of life. To mark the release of the all new step-by-step movie making guide “Filmmaking for Dummies” and to celebrate the movies we know and love, Wiley Publishing will be auctioning off autographed movie posters ranging from hilarious comedies, classic dramas, and every movie in between. Among the featured listings is an original Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings Movie Poster signed by Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, Mark Ordesky, Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, Ngila Dickson, Howard Shore and Robert Shaye. Decorating your walls has never felt so good because 100% of proceeds benefit the American Cinematheque, the cultural organization dedicated exclusively to honoring and preserving America’s favorite pastime: the movies! Head over to www.ebay.com/wiley to find out more! Ebay…

You can enjoy this gigantic remake in high definition this January. King Kong will be released on Blu-ray on January 20. We don’t have any cover art or pricing details at this time, but we’ll surely update this story as soon as we have more information. The disc will include both the theatrical and extended versions of the movie. The film stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody and Andy Serkis performing the motion-capture for the title character. Read the rest of this entry »