The stark cone of Mt Ngauruhoe played a leading role in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, featuring as a smouldering Mt Doom.
Now, only five weeks out from the scheduled start of filming for The Hobbit prequel, local Maori are set to put their foot down and refuse permission for the Oscar-winning director to use the central North Island mountains again. The iwi considered them sacred.
In The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins and his entourage journey through the Misty Mountains on their way to confront the dragon Smaug at the Lonely Mountain.
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9 February, 2011, Wellington – Sir Peter Jackson’s Wingnut Films Productions Limited and Rings Scenic Tours Limited are pleased to announce that they have entered into a joint venture arrangement to allow movie fans to visit the newly reconstructed film set which is located near Matamata. The new venture will be known as Shire Tours. The companies have been working towards this agreement for some time, and the joint venture came into effect on January 24th, 2011.
The set, originally designed by the Art Department of THE LORD OF THE RINGS films, has recently been rebuilt at the original location on the Alexander Farm on Buckland Road, Matamata. It will be used again for the filming of the two films based on THE HOBBIT late in 2011, during which time the location will be closed to the public. Continue reading “HOBBITON MOVIE LOCATION TO BECOME JOINT VENTURE WITH SHIRE TOURS”
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From: nzherald.co.nz: Hobbiton, near Matamata, has announced it will be closed for five weeks from February 14 – almost certainly meaning filming of The Hobbit is about to start. No one is confirming a start date, but Matamata-Piako Mayor Hugh Vercoe said he understood production was due to begin shortly and it would be a closed set.
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Geordie the billy goat who has spent to the last 20 years grazing on the side of a New Plymouth street is to star in The Hobbit.
The goat who was in the news after he was spray-painted twice by vandals last year landed the role after a Facebook page established for him was spotted by a scout for the movie to be directed by Sir Peter Jackson, The Taranaki Daily News reported.
“A scout rang and asked if we would allow Geordie to be in the movie”, said owner Julie Field.
“We said ‘yes’ and the scout went back to the producer, who saw photos of Geordie and wanted him”. [Read More]
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The bickering is over, the director is on the mend, and The Hobbit is about to start shooting. Hobbiton, near Matamata, has announced it will be closed for five weeks from February 14. While Matamata locals were tight-lipped about any goings-on, Matamata-Piako Mayor Hugh Vercoe confirmed filming was due to start and that the Hobbiton site – used for Shire scenes in The Lord of the Rings and now rebuilt for The Hobbit – would be a closed set.
“I’m just aware that filming is about to start,” Mr Vercoe said.
Production company Three Foot 7 Ltd has had resource consent to film on the site since December 2009. Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Tours refused to comment. Hobbit publicist Melissa Booth denied the film had a start date. More..
Take a look at our collection of Hobbiton pics, dating back to 2000! Hobbiton in Pictures
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Fiordland residents have spotted director Peter Jackson, along with five helicopters, as he hunts for filming spots for The Hobbit movies. Yesterday, Jackson’s spokesman, Matt Dravitzki, confirmed Jackson was location scouting in the Queenstown area before filming starts next month. He would be there for a “few days” and crews were also looking for sites in the North Island. Dravitzki said he was unprepared to offer further details until filming started. Jackson is adapting JRR Tolkien’s prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy into two movies. His private jet, a Gulfstream, was seen at Queenstown Airport on Monday. More..
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