THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEYA difficult time on the set of Bag End – or rather a duplicate green screen version – left Sir Ian McKellen to consider that perhaps he would rather not continue on with the shooting of The Hobbit Trilogy. However, what soon followed reacquainted him with the joy he had come to experience during his previous journey to Middle-earth. It was a reaffirmation that even with the massive scale of the production, and all the complicated technology used to craft these cinematic stories – at the end of the day, there was a family dynamic at work on this journey, as there so often has been on Peter Jackson’s many films.

For those who have not yet heard this tale on the Extended Edition release of An Unexpected Journey, it goes a bit like this (bring the kleenex). Director Peter Jackson and his crew had developed a new technique on this trilogy for showing the actors in different sizes. While the proportions for actor Martin Freeman and the dwarf actors worked well enough for them to act in the same room, Sir Ian was required to be in a completely different area for his part of the scenes. Continue reading “Hobbit Family Bands Together to Help McKellen Through Greenscreen Difficulties”

IMG_6615We’ve received many enquiries from readers wondering why the number of figures for Wave 2 of The Hobbit Trilogy line from The Bridge Direct is smaller than Wave 1.

Tonight, via their Facebook page, our friends at The Bridge Direct answered this very question. While Wave 2 is going to be a small wave, it does sound like we could see a larger Wave 3 if all goes well. Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – The Bridge Direct Wave 2 Update”

Penkridge Tolkien - Oct 2013 032_smallerFor a time in 1918, a cottage at Gypsy Green on the Teddesley Park Estate was home to J.R.R. Tolkien and his family, when the young officer was posted in Staffordshire. Now, nearly 100 years later, a local library is celebrating the area’s ties to the renowned author.

Hobbit Festival Family Fun Day will be held this Saturday, November 16, 2013 in Penkridge, Staffordshire, UK from 10 A.M. until 4 P.M at Penkridge Library. Admission for the event is free, along with many fun activities. Only face painting will cost a small charge. Continue reading “Celebrate ‘Hobbit Festival Family Fun Day’ in the (Stafford) Shire!”

The Hobbit_ The Desolation of Smaug Exclusive Opening Date and Smaug Adult Black T-Shirt | HobbitShop.com -- The Official Online Store of The Hobbit Films and The Lord of the Rings Film TrilogyLooking for some threads to wear on opening day? Check out The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Limited Edition Opening Day Shirts at HobbitShop.com!  Available ONLY at HobbitShop.com and its sister site WBShop.com, these shirts come in two designs and have the opening date on the film printed below the artwork.  They’re available now through Thanksgiving day, November 28th, when they’ll be retired forever.  Buy them now and wear them on opening weekend! [HobbitShop.com]

Ian McKellen homeless 2 sm Back in 2010, a photo of Ian McKellen in his Waiting for Godot get-up and apparently being mistaken for a homeless person as he sat on a bench outside a Melbourne theatre raised some eyebrows in the press.

McKellen was apparently sitting in his tramp costume taking a break when a passer-by gave him an Australian dollar.

Now, as he prepares to reprise Samuel Beckett’s famous absurdist play on Broadway, the same photo is causing a stir all over again on several news sites — with some seemingly unaware that the events in the photo occurred three years ago. Continue reading “Sir Ian McKellen “homeless” photo causes a stir all over again”