Movie fans will again have stars in their eyes when The Lovely Bones gets the red carpet treatment at the Embassy Theatre. Two of the film’s biggest names – Oscar winner Susan Sarandon and nominee Saoirse Ronan – will attend the Kiwi premiere on December 14. New Zealand stars Rose McIver and Carolyn Dando are also expected to attend, along with Peter Jackson, who co-wrote, produced and directed the film. Fans will have the opportunity to collect autographs on the red carpet. The last major Hollywood film to have a Wellington premiere was Jackson’s King Kong in 2005, when thousands lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the stars. More..

Kristin from Reelz Channel sends this in: So we are having a bit of fun in the Hobbit Casting Rumors department. Since there isn’t much else to report on, why not? This time we’ve narrowed the possible monsters that Guillermo del Toro might play in the movie. More..

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Filmmakers trying to satisfy a U.S. movie rating aimed at mostly teenagers often complain that they’re forced to cut violent scenes, and those edits compromise the director’s vision. But Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson found he had the exact opposite problem with his eagerly-anticipated new film, “The Lovely Bones,” due in theaters on December 11. More..

“I’m a 22-year-old who’s been making films all my life – how can I get a job on The Hobbit?” Towards the end of a remarkable two hours with Guillermo del Toro, this question got a remarkably friendly answer from the 44-year-old Mexican who has made seven movies and who’s getting ready to make his next two in Wellington. More.. (Paid registration required)

Film director Guillermo del Toro is to take time out from making The Hobbit to help out some other little movie guys in Wellington. Mexico-born del Toro has given up his valuable time to help independent New Zealander Sam Kelly raise money to make a musical feature film. One For The Road, directed by Kelly, is due to begin filming in January, with just $60,000 of its $1.5 million budget raised so far. In a bid to close the gap, the film’s makers are hoping to sell out Wellington’s Paramount Theatre tonight. More..

Guillermo Del Toro paid a visit to our message boards today to confirm that he will definitely be making a cameo appearance in The Hobbit as a small monster:

“I had a hand on the design of the creature and I will personally sculpt the appliances that will be applied on my face and hands. I used to sculpt the creatures for NECROPIA (my FX company) and I miss it a bit. I will have a line or two and die quickly.”

His comments were in response to a discussion on our Hobbit Movie message board of a German interview about The Strain posted on YouTube, with some English audible and a comment or two about The Hobbit.  Guillermo is known for dropping in from time to time to join in the discussions, awarding us with tidbits about The Hobbit production, or simply how life in Middle-earth is treating him. Follow the link to read his comments and join in the discussion. Guillermo Del Toro Cameo..

Five years ago, while Peter Jackson was immersed in directing his large-scale remake of “King Kong” for Universal, executive Mary Parent mentioned a project the studio was developing based on the wildly popular video game “Halo.”

Jackson was intrigued. He loved to play “Halo” with his two teenage children; his special effects company, New Zealand-based WETA, seemed perfect to handle the FX; and a 15% tax rebate made a Kiwi shoot ideal for Universal and co-financier Fox. So Jackson agreed to produce, alongside his lifetime partner Fran Walsh and their colleague Carolynne Cunningham. Jackson would not direct, but he would find a promising young helmer to work under his supervision. When Parent suggested Neill Blomkamp, based on a short film of his she’d seen, the South Africa-born filmmaker left his home in Vancouver and flew to meet the Jackson team. More..

From english.people.com.cn: U.S. producer-director Peter Jackson is expected to be in China in late November to promote his latest project – “District 9,” which will be released across the country on Nov. 27, the Oriental Morning Post reports. The director of the “Lord of Rings” series will visit Beijing and Shanghai to interact with moviegoers. Exhibitions of his films will also be presented in the two cities, the report said.

“District 9,” made on a tight budget of 30 million U.S. dollars, has proved to be a box office dark horse in the U.S. market with total earnings of over 115 million dollars since it rolled out on Aug. 14.

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 »

From Total Film: Eighteen months ago, Guillermo del Toro had a 10-year-plan. His life was mapped out, and it had nothing to do with JRR Tolkien’s lovingly rendered cartography of Middle-earth.  “I was calmly laying out the next decade of my life when The Hobbit appeared,” he laughs. “I was preparing all these things and all of a sudden The Hobbit shows up and takes over my life.” Make no mistake: The Hobbit is his precious. Del Toro knows more than anyone that this diptych could – should – define his career.  And so the director has been busy building a world that not only honours JRR Tolkien’s book and Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings trilogy but will emerge assuredly, triumphantly, his own. More..