While our intrepid reporter MrCere is currently in New Zealand — back in the States a very big surprise was revealed to audiences at the Butt-Numb-A-Thon geek film festival (held in Texas by AICN founder Harry Knowles).  That’s right, THE HOBBIT teaser trailer was unspooled less than 24 hours ago and quickly the Twitterverse began sparkling with reactions.   Comments included such tweets as:

  • “Is it a spoiler to tweet that Gandalf magically sent @EricVespe to us with THE HOBBIT trailer and @woodelijah was the trailer bearer? :)”

Ringer fans were waiting (im)patiently for the footage to arrive in U.S. theaters this Christmas, but lo and behold!  Elijah Wood was there to help present as Mr. Vespe (“Quint”) brought the most anticipated footage in all geekdom back to Austin.  Mr. Wood himself tweeted today:

  • “Didn’t that trailer kill? So excited to see it…”

More than the opening few minutes of DARK KNIGHT RISES, and much more than any AVENGERS tidbit, this teaser trailer is pretty much the Holy Grail for HOBBIT fans who have waited a decade to see a first glimpse of Peter Jackson’s return to Middle-earth.  We will post more info and share reactions as they come in.  But the wait is finally over (for those who were there)!

 

UPDATE: Nordling, AICN staff, writes:

Yes, we saw THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY trailer thanks to Gandalf The Grey magically transporting Quint from the beautiful landscapes of Middle-Earth to the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas. No, I can’t talk about any specifics except to say that something I always treasured from the original book is in the trailer in a big way and I was very happy to hear it. The trailer will play in front of THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN and it’s simply sublime. It’s more character-based than epic, but it’s like slipping into a warm embrace from a very old friend that you haven’t seen in many years. Truly wonderful.

 Update #2: Tolkienbritta

While writing, TolkienBritta quotes Jordan Hoffman of IFC News by stating: “Hoffman also added that, “Hearing the music and seeing The Shire I was surprised at the flood of emotions that hit me. It was like seeing old friends. (And something to look out for: a band of Dwarves sing. It’s a thing of beauty.)””
FOTR premiere pic from Sydney

The Los Angeles staff of TheOneRing.net are throwing a party and we want you all to come. Really, we do, so we’ve set up a way for you to buy your tickets in advance for a discount. Just fill out our convenient little Ticket Form   and then show up at the party with a smile on your face. The advance discounted price is just $22 per person for a meal, 1 non-alcoholic beverage and tax. The price will be $25 per person at the door, if there is still availability, which is why advance purchase is your friend. If you have any questions, please contact me at Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net.

 

When: December 17 from 1pm-5pm

Where:  Ye Olde King’s Head in Santa Monica

116 Santa Monica Blvd.,

Santa Monica, CA 90401

310-451-1402

What: Not a FOTR viewing party, and sadly no Golfimbul, but there will be some fun and games, such as Trivia, and maybe a little reading of “Is this a Kissing Book”.

Beware, thar be Spoilers ahead, read at your own Peril!

Welcome back to Middle Earth! One more report from Denize Bluffs (aka Mangaotaki Rocks) before we move on to the next (and pretty awesome, I might add) location.

This day was fairly unique as far as location shooting goes. Typically you go out in the wild to get big establishing shots, which is why a whole lot of the footage I’ve seen so far involves running. With the quickly changing light, fast moving clouds, uncooperative weather getting anything but quick bits is often difficult and will make even the most adventurous director long for the controlled confines of a studio.

More. . . Continue reading “AICN Hobbit set report #5”

Today is an exciting day for fans of The Hobbit worldwide as Harper Voyager Books releases ‘The Hobbit‘ as downloadable Enhanced Ebook! As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve themed the site to celebrate! Exclusive to this Enhanced version of the eBook are new high-resolution colour images of all of Tolkien’s illustrations for the book, many of which are also included in their earlier black-and-white versions, which can be revealed by a simple swipe of the screen. A Foreword by Christopher Tolkien examines the writing of the book, complete with illustrations including manuscript pages and unused drawings. Finally, the Enhanced eBook includes some recently discovered audio recordings of J.R.R. Tolkien reading excerpts from The Hobbit, including the dwarves’ party song, the account of their capture by the three trolls, and Bilbo Baggins’s terrifying encounter with the hideous Gollum. You can download it now from a multitude of locations, all summarized neatly on the official Facebook page. [Facebook Tolkien Ebook Store] [iBookstore (iPad/iPhone)] [Kindle]

IGN caught up with Andy Serkis and, among other things, asked him when fans can expect the first trailer for The Hobbit. Here’s what Andy had to say:

“There will be a trailer fairly soon, actually. Around Christmas time, I believe.”

Besides reprising his role as Gollum, Serkis has also taken up duties as Second Unit Director on the films, concerning which he says:

“It’s quite fascinating, I’m having a ball. It’s a huge operation, really. We’re on the road at the moment, at various different locations on South Island in New Zealand. There are some truly remarkable landscapes that we’re filming in. It’s just stunning.”

Andy also spoke a bit about shooting in 5K at 48 fps. To read the entire interview, head over to IGN.

So which December film will have The Hobbit trailer playing in front of it? Join the speculation on our boards.