Ransom (from mentalfloss.com) writes: It looks like New Zealand is my (somewhat unintentional) theme for the week, which inevitably leads me ’round to my favorite thing about New Zealand — director Peter Jackson. Most folks know the affable, formerly rotund Jackson for his monumental Lord of the Rings trilogy — the amazing locations of which have driven New Zealand tourism of late as much as anything — and for his recent, remarkable King Kong remake. But I discovered Jackson’s work back in early high school, wandering through a local video store with a friend. He picked up what looked like an average low-brow horror flick called Dead-Alive, and showed me the box. It stood out for one reason only: on the back, a critic credited it as being “perhaps the bloodiest movie in cinematic history.” Needless to say, watched it post-haste. Peter Jackson Retrospective
London’s Daily Mail reported that the lucky lad is 17-year-old British actor Thomas Sangster, who has appeared in Love, Actually and Nanny McPhee and has a role in Jane Campion’s Bright Star, which is about to begin filming. A spokesman for Spielberg’s DreamWorks studio declined comment. While specifics about the project have been kept under wraps, Andy Serkis, who is set to play Tintin’s globe-trotting buddy, Captain Haddock, recently told the IndieLondon website that he is about to begin work on the back-to-back features, with Spielberg handling the first film and Jackson taking the directorial reigns for the second.
British writer and comedian Stephen Fry is back at work on a third draft of his screenplay for Peter Jackson’s remake of The Dambusters after being delayed by the United States writers’ strike. Fry also had interviewed squadron members of the famous raid and production staff had visited locations in Britain and Germany where the World War 2 events took place. Jackson is producing the remake of the classic war movie, to be directed by special effects expert Christian Rivers, and has commissioned Fry to write the script. Fry revealed details of his scriptwriting on his internet blog and podcast. He said he spent time last year “zooming around England meeting old survivors of the original raid and people connected with survivors” as research for a second draft of the script. Fry resumes work on Dambusters screenplay
Scenes shot in Wairarapa will feature in the upcoming Peter Jackson film, The Lovely Bones, with the possibility of other Jackson projects yet to come for the region. Jackson said yesterday no further shooting for the film is planned for Wairarapa “at this time” although some “visual effects elements” may be shot in the region in the near future. “I’m grateful for the local support we received and I’m thrilled with the experience. I ‘m shooting at the moment but I’m hoping to use the Wairarapa for future projects,” Jackson said. “It all depends on the locations needed, which is very much a function of the story being told. Hollywood comes to Wairarapa with Lovely Bone
Filming has begun on the dual features adapting Herge’s beloved comic strip ‘Tintin’. Empire caught up with Andy Serkis who talked a bit about the filming, which is taking place in New Zealand. “It was on the Avatar’ stage,” Serkis told Empire, referring to James Cameron’s long-anticipated all-CGI epic. “We had this incredible week. Cameron was there, Peter Jackson was there (who’s directing one of the three Tintin films), and Steven Spielberg was there (who’s directing another). All in the same room!” Andy Serkis says ‘Tintin’ work has begun
After 43 days of hour-long commutes and filming in freezing conditions in the United States, film-maker Peter Jackson is home to film his version of heaven for The Lovely Bones. Completing the movie in Wellington during an uncharacteristically dry summer felt almost like making two separate movies, Jackson told The Dominion Post yesterday. He was giving an exclusive interview during a photo call with his main stars Mark Wahlberg, 13-year-old Irish actress Saoirse Ronan and 18-year-old Kiwi Rose McIver. “It has got a strange feeling about it. I had psychologically got used to the idea that we were done with the movie when we’d shot our chunk in Pennsylvania. But what we are doing here is very different.”
On the Media has a segment today on Tintin, offering a great primer on Georges Remi and his work with Tintin. The joint venture of between Spielburg and Jackson to make a series of movies about the comic.
Andy Serkis is reteaming with director Peter Jackson in DreamWorks’ “Tintin,” the movie trilogy collaboration from Jackson and Steven Spielberg.
Although DreamWorks would not confirm, it is believed Serkis will play the role of Capt. Haddock, a temperamental sea captain, in British scribe Steven Moffat’s adaptation of the European comic strip created by Herge. (HR 10/2) [Read More]
ROYERSFORD, Pa. (AP) - Shooting is under way in Montgomery County for a Hollywood movie. A stretch of Main Street in the tiny community of Royersford has been made over for “The Lovely Bones,” directed by Peter Jackson. Publicist Claire Raskind says the production needed a certain authenticity, and many of the buildings in Royersford still resemble those of the 1970s. The ones that don’t, Raskind says, have been painted so they do look like those of the era. Furniture store operator Roger Lebow says the movie crews have added a Chinese restaurant and have turned a former gas station into a bus depot. The movie has been in production in the Philadelphia suburbs for about a month, but shooting in Royersford began Wednesday. “The Lovely Bones” is due out in early 2009.
From nzherald.co.nz: Scots actor James McAvoy is in talks to star in the new US$100 million ($131 million) Dam Busters film, it was reported today. The Scottish actor, who is tipped for an Oscar for his role as Robbie Turner in Atonement, has met director Christian Rivers and producers David Frost and Peter Jackson, the Daily Mail newspaper reports. ..The film, which may also star Ian McKellen as scientist Barnes Wallis, will be shot in Wellington, using replica Lancaster bombers built in China.
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Ransom (from mentalfloss.com) writes: It looks like New Zealand is my (somewhat unintentional) theme for the week, which inevitably leads me ’round to my favorite thing about New Zealand — director Peter Jackson. Most folks know the affable, formerly rotund Jackson for his monumental Lord of the Rings trilogy — the amazing locations of which have driven New Zealand tourism of late as much as anything — and for his recent, remarkable King Kong remake. But I discovered Jackson’s work back in early high school, wandering through a local video store with a friend. He picked up what looked like an average low-brow horror flick called Dead-Alive, and showed me the box. It stood out for one reason only: on the back, a critic credited it as being “perhaps the bloodiest movie in cinematic history.” Needless to say, watched it post-haste. Peter Jackson Retrospective
London’s Daily Mail reported that the lucky lad is 17-year-old British actor Thomas Sangster, who has appeared in Love, Actually and Nanny McPhee and has a role in Jane Campion’s Bright Star, which is about to begin filming. A spokesman for Spielberg’s DreamWorks studio declined comment. While specifics about the project have been kept under wraps, Andy Serkis, who is set to play Tintin’s globe-trotting buddy, Captain Haddock, recently told the IndieLondon website that he is about to begin work on the back-to-back features, with Spielberg handling the first film and Jackson taking the directorial reigns for the second.
Filming has begun on the dual features adapting Herge’s beloved comic strip ‘Tintin’. Empire caught up with Andy Serkis who talked a bit about the filming, which is taking place in New Zealand. “It was on the Avatar’ stage,” Serkis told Empire, referring to James Cameron’s long-anticipated all-CGI epic. “We had this incredible week. Cameron was there, Peter Jackson was there (who’s directing one of the three Tintin films), and Steven Spielberg was there (who’s directing another). All in the same room!” 
After 43 days of hour-long commutes and filming in freezing conditions in the United States, film-maker Peter Jackson is home to film his version of heaven for The Lovely Bones. Completing the movie in Wellington during an uncharacteristically dry summer felt almost like making two separate movies, Jackson told The Dominion Post yesterday. He was giving an exclusive interview during a photo call with his main stars Mark Wahlberg, 13-year-old Irish actress Saoirse Ronan and 18-year-old Kiwi Rose McIver. “It has got a strange feeling about it. I had psychologically got used to the idea that we were done with the movie when we’d shot our chunk in Pennsylvania. But what we are doing here is very different.”
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