Today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released the second of four new videos discussing the cultural phenomenon of The Lord of the Rings, as well as how The Lord of the Rings: War in the North fits within this world. In anticipation of the November 1st release of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, this video explores the worldwide fascination with the mystical world of Middle-earth.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set to premiere in Wellington in late November 2012, director Sir Peter Jackson and Prime Minister John Key announced today at the Hobbiton set in Waikato. Wellington previously hosted the world premiere of the final Lord of the Rings movie, Return of the King, in December 2003. Over 100,000 people packed into the city’s CBD to watch the preceding parade. “I think Warner Bros in particular were blown away by the Return of the King premiere – no one in the international industry could quite believe how the country got behind that,” Sir Peter said today.
See the full 11 minute press conference here. More..
Nuradar writes: I just got an e-mail from the HarperCollins newsletter, called The Savvy Reader, about an upcoming live chat with Gillermo Del Toro taking place this Saturday at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. More..
Quint from Aint it Cool News has been embedded with the film crew and will be posting photos and stories every few weeks from New Zealand. Be sure to check out the ‘Behind the Scenes’ or BTS posts on the website. More..
It’s official! Peter Jackson made the announcement today from the Hobbiton set: Wellington will host the world premiere of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” in late November 2012. If you’re lucky enough to have your own dragon hoard, it’s time to start booking that dream vacation! [Video: PJ and NZ Prime Minister John Key]
More good news: It was also announced that Hobbiton, on the outskirts of Matamata, will remain as a permanent visitor attraction after filming is completed.
Three News NZ also has a comprehensive write-up of the press conference by Daniel Rutledge for those who prefer to read these things. [News Story: Hobbit to premiere in New Zealand]
Moahunter, our New Zealand message board member, has informed us that Sylvester McCoy was interviewed on TVNZ this morning and, among other things, was asked about his role as Radagast the Brown in The Hobbit.
Concerning his schedule, McCoy states he was down in Wellington, New Zealand earlier this year for about 8 weeks, shooting in the studio, and now he’s back there again for a couple of weeks for location shooting. In addition, he’ll be returning again in February 2012 for a couple of days.
The man couldn’t say much about his role though (apparently he’s been programmed by Weta to gag himself the moment his mouth utters the word “Hobbit”), though he could reveal that the main character he’s interacting with is Ian McKellen’s Gandalf the Grey.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set to premiere in Wellington in late November 2012, director Sir Peter Jackson and Prime Minister John Key announced today at the Hobbiton set in Waikato. Wellington previously hosted the world premiere of the final Lord of the Rings movie, Return of the King, in December 2003. Over 100,000 people packed into the city’s CBD to watch the preceding parade. “I think Warner Bros in particular were blown away by the Return of the King premiere – no one in the international industry could quite believe how the country got behind that,” Sir Peter said today.
Nuradar writes: I just got an e-mail from the HarperCollins newsletter, called The Savvy Reader, about an upcoming live chat with Gillermo Del Toro taking place this Saturday at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. 
