The day-to-day operation of the website, and the events we host, require a lot more resources than when we first started nearly 15 years ago. We sometimes find it hard to ask our readers for the help we need to keep running, so we began discussing what it is that makes TheOneRing.net worth helping out. It started out as a search for the Top Ten Moments of TORn, but the list got so long because each staff member had their own idea of important moments in TORn history. Here, instead, is something more encompassing: Ten Ways TORn helps serve Tolkien and Lord of the Rings fandom (listed in no specific order).

And, if you enjoy what we do, consider a donation (no amount too small, because every bit does help!) to keep us running!

If you can’t, that’s fine as well — keep reading, commenting and contributing. Because TORn is as much you as it is us!

If you’ve ever sent in an article, submitted a photo or report, posted on our messageboards, visited our chat, or commented on our twitter, facebook or g+, you’re the reason TheOneRing.net is among the largest and most-respected pillars of the Tolkien community on the web.

• Spy Reports

• Spy reports were a big part of our content when the website first started. From casting announcements to secret location pictures to leaked images of important plot points, spy reports were our bread and butter stories. Some of the reports were from random, anonymous sources, while others were official leaks from cast and crew. In fact, there were many production members who said they used TheOneRing.net to keep track of what some of the other filming units were doing. Other spy reports were just someone stumbling upon a film location and sending in a story or images and then we’d all try and guess what location it actually was. Some of our biggest spy reports were of Arwen at Helm’s Deep (which subsequently didn’t happen), Saruman’s prone body on a spiky wheel (which did happen), and TheOneRing.net was given the honor of introducing Thorin to the world. And very soon, we will be seeing stories from MrCere’s visit to the set from his Production Embed last year.

• Hall of Fire Chats and the Message Boards

• Literary discussions on the message boards and Hall of Fire chats – From the very beginning of TheOneRing.net, discussions of the books, chapter by chapter, has been a hallmark. After all, while we waited for news on who would be cast, where filming would take place, and rumors of what might be cut out, we had the books to talk about. Discussions worked by talking about one chapter at a time, and luckily, there are enough books with enough chapters, to keep those discussions going on for a long while. Since the beginning, we’ve looped through the books several times, but luckily, there are always new readers joining the discussion, and new interpretations to be had. And for something a little more dynamic, there are the Hall of Fire chats in Barlimans. Sometimes the talk is about a specific chapter, or a certain character, and sometimes it is about current events, such as new character images or reviews of a recently released trailer. No matter which forum you use, there is always someone to talk to about some aspect of Tolkien, the books or our fandom.

• TORns Live Videos

• We began with TORn Live, which consisted of Red Carpet interviews at premieres, awards ceremonies and special events like Cannes 2001 and SDCC. These would be recorded, edited and released online a few days or weeks later. But technology now allows for live streaming interviews and vlogs and the like. Quickbeam hosts a weekly TORn Tuesday event with interviews and discussions, while he interacts with a live chatroom. The Happy Hobbit ladies record and post their vlogs and post them within a day or two of their recordings, for a much quicker turnaround on video content. And right now we have the Road to DragonCon in full swing with live streaming from across the country.

• Conventions

• Convention appearances – Calisuri and Quickbeam hosted a panel at San Diego Comic Con in 2001, before the release of FOTR, and since then barely a year has gone by that TORn hasn’t had a presence at at least one convention. At many of the conventions we appear at we also have a presence on the exhibit hall floor where we have sold some of our classic TORn shirts. We love it when we get up on stage for a panel and half the people in the audience are wearing some of our older shirts.

•  

  

  Baggins Birthday Party sign

  Line Parties and Fan Events

• Line Parties and other fan hosted events – TheOneRing.net has always been a grass roots type of fan-site and that is no more apparent then looking at the Line Parties of years past. Whether it is just a few friends, or some hundreds of people signing up on the website to attend, fans like you all over the world hosted Line Parties. A few even took place over several days, and included costume contests and trivia games for prizes. Other fan hosted events over the years have been the Hobbit Day/Baggins Birthday Bash events on Sept. 22, the Tolkien Toast on Jan. 3 and the Tolkien Reading Day on March 25. TORn staff in Los Angeles have been hosting a Baggins Birthday Bash party for 11 years now, but there are fan groups around the world that have hosted similar events. Smaller moots happen around the world all the time, there is a very active group in Wellington and one in Croatia. If you are hosting a fan event in the next year or two, please feel free to tell us about it.

• The Oscar Parties

• Originally conceived as a fan event to help raise funds to buy TORn a new server, who could have imagined the Cast and Crew actually showing up to the FOTR oscar party? Even more surprising, who could have imagined the ROTK sweep and all those Oscars on stage at a fan hosted party?

• O.R.C and E.L.F.

• TheOneRing.net hosted conventions – The One Ring Celebration on the West Coast (O.R.C.) and the Eastern Lord of the Rings Festival on the East Coast (E.L.F.) were co-productions with a professional convention company, but they definitely had a TORn stamp on them. The conventions allowed us to combine our love of the films by interacting with cast and crew with our love of the books through academic discussions, the art shows and costume displays. We really did break the mold on how a commercial scifi convention is run and hope everyone who attended had a blast.

• Academic essays and editorials

• TORn has long standing relationships with many in the academic community who have posted guest essays and editorials. Over the year several staffers have posted in depth analysis to fan questions on the site as well. In fact, we have a whole section on the ‘old TORn’ (pre-crash) called Green Books for academic posts. This section had so much good stuff in it, we published a book called “The People’s Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien” and a sequel book as well.

• Driving fan initiatives

• After Return of the King was done and Peter Jackson moved on to do King Kong, the fans waited to see what would happen with The Hobbit afterwards. Months turned to years and still no word while studios went bankrupt, copyrights issues got tangled up and various lawsuits were filed for missing payments. Finally, a few fans decided they had had enough and started a petition to ‘Make the Hobbit Happen’. They brought it to TORn and we got thousands of you to sign so that a big pile of names was delivered to TPTB. A similar thing happened when there was talk that the production would be moved out of New Zealand. The fans could see no where else as Middle-earth, so the ‘Keep the Hobbit in NZ’ campaign was born, but this time on Social Media. And most recently, there was an explosion of Tolkien fan love over the #Votebilbo twitter event prompted by an MTV Audience Award.

• TORn Community

• This list compiles many of the things that TheOneRing.net does to keep you informed, entertained and engaged, but there is really just one thing that makes TheOneRing.net so important to keep around. And that is the community of fans that convene on our message boards, in Barliman’s chat, on Facebook and Twitter.

This site was built by fans getting together to discuss what they hoped for from Peter Jackson long before FOTR ever saw the light of day. The fact that a long existing fan-base gathered here meant engaged and informed discussion began from day one, including analyzing all the spy reports about casting and location details. We didn’t have to wait for the release of the films, or for several episodes of a new show to take off before we could discuss the minutia of every detail because our fan base was already well established.

And what is ‘fandom’ if not a community of like minded people passionate about the same thing. Sure, everyone has their own opinions, so every time a new image was released, or a new trailer appeared, the message boards and chatroom erupted into heated discussions. But as the years wore on friendships were made, some turning into marriage, and we all began meeting up at various moots, conventions, concerts, premiere events, trips to New Zealand or just coffee and a movie. How many of you newer fans were galvanized by the #Votebilbo campaign and now have a wider array of Twitter friends because of it? The fact that TORn was able to continue to exist during all those lean years between film productions is due mostly to you, the readers, sticking around to discuss anything and everything to do with Tolkien, and sometimes other bits of pop culture. We know that after the release of The Hobbit: There and Back Again we will see another decline of readership, but we also know that the community is strong, the friendships have been forged and all of you take that fandom with you where ever you go next.

So again, if you are so inclined to help support us and keep the website going, please do make a pledge or bid on one of the many cool auction items we’ve been posting about the past few days. On behalf of the All Volunteer Staff at TheOneRing.net, you have our deepest gratitude for all the support over the years.

1. Image 01 – Wrap of Filming

Shooting wraps on the first 54 days of filming. Peter Jackson with the first unit on the left, in what looks to be a set for Goblintown. Andy Serkis with the second unit on the right, also on a set that looks like Goblin-town.

Staffer MrCere - Wicked spikes and lot of skulls and bones, especially on Andy’s set.  Did they save any of those from the army of the dead skull avalanche?

2. Image 02 – Wrap of Filming

Just another look at the suspected Goblin-town sets. The set design implies evil – pointy objects, skulls, some kind of caged animal.

3. Image 03 – Andy on Goblin-town Set?

Larger view of the suspected Goblin-town set. Second unit directory Andy Serkis announcing the wrap of the first phase of filming.

Staffer MrCere - Do goblins keep pets or do they imprison other creatures besides Dwarves?

4. Image 04 – Peter at Bilbo’s Desk in Bag End

A wonderful shot of Peter Jackson at Bilbo’s desk in Bag End, Hobbiton. Check out the high res for all the little details!

5. Image 05 - Peter and Andy at Bilbo’s Desk in Bag End

Andy joins Peter in the Bag End set. Love the hair-do and beard Andy!

6. Image 06 – PJ and Andy are shown to be in a very small Bag End set

Notice the screen caps on the right? Sure looks to us like screen caps from The Fellowship of the Ring for reference.

7. Image 07- Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis in Gollum’s Cave

A great peek at the Gollum’s Cave set. Andy is sneaking towards Bilbo as they play Riddles in the Dark.

Staffer Garfeimao: Holy quacamole, it’s Riddles in the Dark, and Bilbo is wearing the reddish jacket we see in Rivendell, so now all that is left is to get a good look at the original costume in FOTR.

8. Image 08 – Andy Serkis as Gollum in Motion Capture

Andy Serkis playing Gollum on the Gollum Cave set. He completed most of his filming before taking over as Second Unit director.

9. Image 09 – Woodland Location

This appears to be some type of wooded scene. Based on the actor in the motion capture suit, this could be the stone roll sequence? The monitors seem to show a campground type layout.

Staffer MrCere - The barrel below the monitors catches my eye.  It is clearly part of a set but it is quite small. Speculatively, if this is a motion capture scene for a stone troll, it might contain small-scale things like that to make the trolls much larger in scale.

10-11. Images 10 & 11 – Woodland Scene Part 2

We see what looks to be bags/gear that would be carried by Dwarves here. This could be a sister shot to the one previous, or it could be the campground near the entrance to Goblin-town.

12. Image 12 - Hugo Weaving as Elrond and Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in Rivendell

One of the most exciting shots from this video…here we see Hugo Weaving as Elrond and Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins. Unless there are some significant changes to the story, this is in Rivendell.

Staffer MrCere - Rivendell was built as a set for the LOTR films in a NZ park but this is obviously on a closed, indoor set. Much of Rivendell may well have been shot on a set in LOTR as well, or the production may have changed its approach.

13. Image 13 – Bilbo and Elrond in Rivendell

A view from the back as Elrond and Bilbo take direction from PJ.

Staffer MrCere - Are we sure that isn’t Def Leppard’s drummer, Rick Allen?

14. Image 14 – Andy Serkis Motion Capture

A view behind the scenes as we see a close-up on Gollum aka Andy Serkis

Staffer MrCere - It isn’t surprising but the motion capture looks a little more updated.  Weta’s 10-years of experience, including Avatar couldn’t hurt anything.  And, no big deal for actors maybe, but having that camera that close would make it hard not to be self conscious. Fearless.

15. Image 15 – More Goblin-town?

Peter Jackson wearing the ’200 Days to Go’ shirt (soon to be an Ebay hot item!) on the set of Goblin-town?

Staffer MrCere - More skulls on the stairs make me think of goblins as well but could it perhaps be a spiders’ lair or where trolls keep treasure and discard eaten meals?

16. Image 16 – More filming in Goblin-town?

Possibly more of Goblin-town

17. Image 17 – And once more…Goblin-town?

The crew anxiously awaiting wrap on the first phase of filming. Probably another Goblin-town set.

18. Image 18 – Ann Maskrey with Legolas Costume Sketches and more…

In the background we can see a few new costume designs for Orlando Bloom as Legolas, as well as various buttons, decorations, buckles, etc. Most of them look dwarvish.

TORN Staffer Deej: The 2 sketches on the top look to be costumes we’d see in Mirkwood – very formal and regal.  The bottom 2 are more casual ;  possible battle attire in the Battle of the Five Armies?

19. Image 19 – Tami Lane with Orc/Goblin in Background

Check out the image posted on the mirror. Looks like a fighting Uruk-hai, but could possibly be photo reference for the ‘new’ Goblins? Or are they Orcs? Come to think of it…will we get ‘Orc-town’ now? Hrm….

Staffer Garfeimao: I know the two bottom pics are Legolas, but I’m not entirely sure the two top ones are. I’m more inclined to think they may be options for Thranduil, but then, anything is possible there. I love the buttons and buckles including the things that look like claws and teeth, totally cool.

20. Image 20 – Peter King with Dwarven Beards

Peter King with various Dwarven beards and prosthetics in the background.

Staffer Garfeimao: The picture over Tami’s right shoulder, is that a Goblin? He looks like he’s in pain whatever he is.

21. Image 21 – PJ Reviewing Footage

While its rather blurry, the scene on the monitor seems to be a camp/woodland type scene. Possibly the final footage from the scenes we saw earlier.

22. Image 22 - Bilbo walking around…

We can definitely see Martin Freeman as Bilbo on the screen, but are unsure of the character that appears on the ‘bridge’ type element in the background. Maybe he is sneaking around Goblin-town? Or Mirkwood? Or possibly Lake-town? Your guess is as good as ours!

23. Image 23 – The All-Stars

We’ve got a lot of folks in this shot including Alan Lee (left) and John Howe (right). We see a lot of concept sketches on the walls and table. You’ll also notice the set mock-ups in the foreground are similar to what we saw in the footage above. What do you think we see? Is that the Lonely Mountain above Dan Hennah’s head?

Ringer Diane: The labels on the walls above the sketches read “City of Dale” on our left and “Five Armies” on our right.

Ringer Kyriel: When I noticed the large paper on the center of the table, I realized it was an Alan Lee sketch and decided to take a closer look. I’ve rotated and cropped the screen grab down to the sketch, then stretched it out to make it look “flatter,” and finally sharpened the contrast, here. Do you see what I see? The architecture looks Elvish, but not like Rivendell; and that could be Thranduil standing on the left with Thorin kneeling on the right, guarded by two other Elves. What do you all think?

Staffer MrCere: In front of Alan Lee is a model of styrofoam with what looks like dead trees and some wicked spikes and a character action figure on the left standing with his back to the camera looking right. Perhaps we also see the back of a ruin, also made of styrofoam. I think the drawing on the table looks like a structure of some kind.  Home of the Woodland Elves perhaps?

24. Image 24 – Richard Taylor shows some Cool Stuff!

There is a lot to take in with this picture as well. Along the backwall we see a Goblin head? Near Richard Taylor’s right shoulder it looks like a headless Troll maquette?

Staffer MrCere: The left side of this picture is intentionally blurred. On the shelf around the top of the room I see a wolf.  These could be office leftovers of collectible decorations or it could signal that the wargs will be more natural looking than the beasts in LOTR.

Behind the guy in the black shirt’s arm I think we have a portrait of David Wenham, but that is crazy isn’t it? Couldn’t be. Below that we have a goblin head with really big ears.

Behind Richard’s hand I definitely see an orc / goblin head, but maybe more than one.

======================================

We hope you enjoyed this look at the images from PJ’s production video. If you have comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to leave them in our comments or on Facebook or in our forums! We’ll be updating this post pretty often with your thoughts as they come in.

On the episode of Hobbit in 5 we talk about Peter Jackson’s new video, shooting at 48 frames per second, and have a character study of Gandalf.

April 15th, 2011 – Episode 13

Chat Details – http://bit.ly/torn-chat-info
Chat App – http://bit.ly/torn-chat

Rebekah has her own Facebook page now! Go check it out and “like” her!

Go like theOneRing.net on Facebook as well!

Mr Key told Breakfast on TV One today that there had been “tentative discussions” with ministers, including Minister for Economic Development Gerry Brownlee. Read more

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Peter Jackson, Executive Producer of the upcoming Hobbit films says of the films’ behind-the-scenes footage that “We’ve been filming DVD material for about a year. Guillermo has been doing location scouts and design work, with the DVD people following him around, so we’ve shot 20 or 30 hours of DVD material so far and we’re still a few months away from the first day of shooting.”

Asked about converting the LOTR films to 3D, he says, “You can do [2D to 3D] conversions well if you take time. If you do it quickly, fast and cheap, it’s not going to turn out well. If we were going to convert LOTR, I’d want to do it properly, which would be a very long, time-consuming, and expensive process.”

Lastly, his opinion on the not-so-positive fan reaction to the recently released Theatrical BluRay version seems to jibe with the majority of the fans. “I agree with the fans”, he says. “I was heavily involved in the DVD process when the films were being released through New Line, but now that Warner Brothers has taken control over the releasing of the films, they just tell me what they’re doing and don’t involve me in the process. [With New Line,] the one thing we never did with the fans was make them feel cheated. Back in the original release, we always put extra material in, extra documentaries — a lot of added value. I so totally understand why the fans would be upset; I don’t disagree with them.”

Read the entire interview over at The Wall Street Journal.

Thanks to Patty on our message boards for alerting us to this interview.

It concludes with, “It’s a big bet for us. But it’s one we think will pay off given the success of ‘Lord of the Rings,’” says Emmerich. “This is one of the few movies it feels like people are waiting for.”

We know a few people who are indeed waiting for these films. In fact that “2012″ date that just got thrown around may start a riot. Remember fans, biting your nails and tearing out you hair will not make things happen faster, nor will turning over cars or looting – the latter two reactions only lead to jail time. Read the whole story here.

Thanks GDT! We happen to agree and coincidentally a bunch of us were saying the other day that we think you are intelligent, articulate and a dissenter when it comes to following old, tired movie formulas, so now we are even except that Time freaking magazine will not be quoting us about you. Sorry! That really is mighty kind praise from a guy who made cool flicks like “Cronos,” “The Devil’s Backbone,” and “Pan’s Labyrinth.”

Not only did our message board folks post about it here but Ringer spy ToroFan wrote in to our news desk about it. The deep undercover spy asked if its the first time to make it into . . uh . . . Time. That is a pretty legitimate question ToroFan, thanks for asking. The equally legit answer is: Nope! There are at least three other occasions.

One happend in a story about how directors are opening up access to films-in-progress and used TheOneRing.net and sister site KongIsKing.net as examples of Peter Jackson’s openness with fan communities. If you haven’t checked out the Kong production diaries, you only think you know stuff about movies.

Another was when one of our classic shirts appeared in a great article called “How to Nerd an American Quilt“. It seems likely to be the greatest mention of a TORn shirt ever, although perhaps not the greatest TORn shirt ever.

A third mention came when ‘The Hobbit,’ was finally given the green light as explained in an article that went on to define just how troubled it looked back when Jackson announced through TORn that New Line Cinema told him it no longer needed his services. If you aren’t familiar, it was quite a saga.

I thought I remembered another instance, at least one, but I couldn’t find a trace of it online. If anybody knows of others hit us up at Spymaster@TheOneRing.net.

It is 1933, and vaudeville actress Ann Darrow (NAOMI WATTS) has found herself — like so many other New Yorkers during the Great Depression — without the means to earn a living. Unwilling to compromise and allow herself to sink into a career in burlesque, she considers her limited options while aimlessly wandering the streets of Manhattan. When her hunger drives her to unsuccessfully try to steal an apple from a fruit vendor’s stall, she is rescued — literally — by filmmaker and multiple hyphenate Carl Denham (JACK BLACK).

Special Features:

Original Version
- U Control: The Art Galleries
- My Scenes
- BD Live Features: My Scenes Sharing

Extended Version
- U Control: Picture in Picture
- U Control: The Art Galleries
- My Scenes
- BD Live Features: My Scenes Sharing
- Feature Commentary with Writer / Director Peter Jackson and with Co-Writer / Producer Philipa Boyen (SIC)

Here’s to a 2008 that’s just as exciting! Stay tuned!

1) The Children of Hurin – published April 17

To the delight of Tolkien fans everywhere, The Children of Hurin, by J.R.R. Tolkien’s son, Christopher Tolkien became the first book of Tolkien’s works published in 30 years. The Children of Hurin tells the story of one of Tolkien’s most tragic heroes: Turin Turambar. The story was compiled by Christopher from various sources written by his father over the course of decades. To the added delight of fans, the book includes new works of art by Alan Lee, the book’s illustrator. The book debuted at the top of the New York Times bestseller list and remains on the list today at #24.

Order ‘The Children of Hurin’ on Amazon.com today.

2) The Lord of the Rings musical – re-opened in London June 19

After playing for a time in Toronto, the new and improved The Lord of the Rings musical moved across the pond and re-opened at the Theater Royal Drury Lane. The Lord of the Rings captures the magic of Tolkien’s Middle-earth using lighting effects, beautifully designed costumes and sets and elaborately choreographed battles. The production is currently set to run through September of 2008. So, if you’ve always wanted to see Hobbits actually do the ‘springle-ring,’ a trip to London may be in your future.

3) 70th Anniversary Edition of The Hobbit – published September 21, 2007

The publication of The Hobbit: 70th Anniversary Edition gave fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and Bilbo Baggins plenty of reason to celebrate this year. Complete with a new introduction by Christopher Tolkien, this edition also features a reproduction of the original watercolor painting done by Tolkien himself for the cover, as well as and Tolkien’s own illustrations and drawings throughout. For those of us who already own several editions of The Hobbit, the cover and illustrations alone make this a worthwhile addition to our collections.

Order ‘The Hobbit: 70th Anniversary Edition’ on Amazon.com today.

4) The History of the Hobbit – published September 21, 2007

John D. Rateliff’s two volume work is the culmination of years of research including the study of various Tolkien manuscripts at Marquette University. It features the complete unpublished draft of J.R.R. Tolkien’s original version of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, as well as text notes and essays by the author, illustrations and maps. Part I, Mr. Baggins, covers the story up to Bilbo’s arrival in Laketown and the story continues in Part II, Return to Bag End. Another ‘must have’ for lovers of Tolkien and his stories, both volumes of The History of the Hobbit are also available as a boxed set along with The Hobbit: 70th Anniversary Edition.

Order ‘The History of the Hobbit ‘ on Amazon.com today.

5) “The Lord of the Rings, The Return of The King (The Complete Recordings)”- released November 20.

If you still had any spending money left by the end of the year, “The Lord of the Rings, The Return of The King (The Complete Recordings)” was another irresistible buy. Together with the complete recordings from the first two movies, this 5 disc set provides hours and hours of geeky enjoyment for lovers of The Lord of The Rings movies and Howard Shore’s stunning soundtrack. Performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the release has been getting rave reviews by our readers. Although there were some problems with initial shipments, we have it on good advice from our readers that the problems have been fixed and the recordings are again in stock and available at Amazon.com (but is still unavailable at amazon.co.uk). Thanks to everyone for your input on this!

Order ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (The Complete Recordings) ‘ on Amazon.com today.

6) Tolkien Fans get a chance to buy into Ent statue to be erected in the U.K. – from October 1, 2007

You may never have the chance to drink ent-draught from the pools of Treebeard’s Wellinghall, but thanks to The Moseley Statue Group and sculptor Tim Tolkien (great nephew of J.R.R. Tolkien) you can now be part of an Entish tribute to Tolkien being planned in Moseley Village, U.K.. From The group’s website: “The giant statue will be fabricated in recycled stainless steel with bronze and copper coatings. The individually wrought leaves will be embedded into a paving of resin bonded, crushed green glass at the base of the Ent. Tim will engrave each unique leaf with wording of the sponsor’s choosing.” Leaves are now up for bid on Ebay. If you can’t afford one of your own, you may be interested in joining with some of our message board members to purchase a leaf on behalf of readers and members of TORn.

7) Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema join with MGM to produce “The Hobbit” movie. – December 18.

What better way to end the year for fans of Tolkien’s books and the Lord of the Rings movies alike than with the extraordinary news that The Hobbit movie is going to happen!! Who will direct? Who will be cast as Gandalf, Thorin and, of course, as Bilbo? And just what will that second movie include? 2008 will be filled with speculation, spy reports and exciting new developments surrounding these and many other topics, so stay tuned to TORn for all the latest.

ACADEMY AWARD-WINNER PETER JACKSON AND NEW LINE CINEMA JOIN WITH MGM TO PRODUCE “THE HOBBIT,” EAGERLY-ANTICIPATED FANTASY ADVENTURE EPIC

NEW LINE AND MGM TO CO-PRODUCE AND SHARE WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS

PETER JACKSON AND FRAN WALSH TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCE TWO FILMS BASED ON “THE HOBBIT”

Los Angeles, CA (Tuesday, December 18, 2007) Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson; Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM); Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of New Line Cinema have jointly announced today that they have entered into the following series of agreements:

* MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, “The Hobbit” and a sequel to “The Hobbit.” New Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.

* Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on “The Hobbit.” New Line will manage the production of the films, which will be shot simultaneously.

* Peter Jackson and New Line have settled all litigation relating to the “Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) Trilogy.

Said Peter Jackson, “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth. I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us find the common ground necessary to continue that journey.”

“Peter Jackson has proven himself as the filmmaker who can bring the extraordinary imagination of Tolkien to life and we full heartedly agree with the fans worldwide who know he should be making ‘The Hobbit,’” said Sloan, MGM’s Chairman and CEO. “Now that we are all in agreement on ‘The Hobbit,’ we can focus on assembling the production team that will capture this phenomenal tale on film.”

Bob Shaye, New Line Co-Chairman and Co-CEO comments, “We are very pleased we have been able to resolve our differences, and that Peter and Fran will be actively and creatively involved with ‘The Hobbit’ movies. We know they will bring the same passion, care and talent to these films that they so ably accomplished with ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy.”

“Peter is a visionary filmmaker, and he broke new ground with ‘The Lord of the Rings,’” notes Michael Lynne, New Line Co-Chairman and Co-CEO. “We’re delighted he’s back for ‘The Hobbit’ films and that the Tolkien saga will continue with his imprint. We greatly appreciate the efforts of Harry Sloan, who has been instrumental in helping us reach our new accord.”

The two “Hobbit” films – “The Hobbit” and its sequel – are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, with pre-production beginning as soon as possible. Principal photography is tentatively set for a 2009 start, with the intention of “The Hobbit” release slated for 2010 and its sequel the following year, in 2011.

The Oscar-winning, critically-acclaimed LOTR Trilogy grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box-office. In 2003, “Return of the King” swept the Academy Awards, winning all of the eleven categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture – the first ever Best Picture win for a fantasy film. The Trilogy’s production was also unprecedented at the time.

For more information about “The Hobbit” films, please visit www.TheHobbitBlog.com.

About New Line Cinema Corporation:

Celebrating its 40th anniversary year, New Line Cinema is the most successful independent film company in the world. Its mission is to produce innovative, popular and profitable entertainment in the best creative environment. In addition to the production, marketing and distribution of theatrical motion pictures, the fully-integrated studio has divisions devoted to home entertainment, television, music, theater, merchandising and an international unit. In 2005, New Line partnered with HBO to form Picturehouse, a new theatrical distribution company to release independent films. A pioneer in franchise filmmaking, New Line’s Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most successful film franchises in history. New Line is a division of Time Warner, Inc. (TWX).

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., through its operating subsidiaries, is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world’s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., Ventanazul, MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Domestic Networks LLC, MGM Distribution Co, MGM International Television Distribution In, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Worldwide Digital Media, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching nearly 120 countries. MGM ownership is as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), TPG (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

About Peter Jackson/Wingnut Films:

Peter Jackson is one of the world’s most successful filmmakers. His monumental achievement co-writing, co-producing and directing The Lord of the Rings trilogy (with fellow Academy Award winners and frequent collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens) earned a total of 30 Academy Award nominations and 17 Academy Awards. Jackson and Walsh received their first Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for their acclaimed film Heavenly Creatures. Jackson, through his New Zealand-based Wingnut Films banner, also was responsible for the globally successful 2005 remake of King Kong which earned over $500 million worldwide and 3 Academy Awards. Currently, Jackson is directing an adaptation of The Lovely Bones, from the acclaimed best-selling novel by Alice Sebold. He is also developing a trilogy of films with Steven Spielberg based on Tintin, the world renowned comic book series by Herge.

New Line Lawsuit Summary