Yes. Weta Digital will be the primary special effects firm doing effects for the movies, and Weta Workshop will once again be designing the armour and weapons.
Category: Hobbit Movie FAQ
Yes! PJ and Howard Shore himself have all confirmed that he will return to do the Score for The Hobbit and the second film. According to Shore he has been working on ideas since filming of The Two Towers. Per Del Toro: “Shore is the VOICE of these films and will absolutely be invited back. Peter and Fran have talked to him a couple of times already and I’ve exchanged emails about the subject. He will return.”
Useful Links:
Howard Shore Confirms his involvement in The Hobbit
Howard Shore going There… Back Again
Peter Jackson has indicated as many cast members from the LOTR movies as the story and the actors’ schedules allow will be included. For a complete listing of cast members, please visit our Hobbit Movie Cast page [Cast Page] Many core actors are returning including, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Andy Serkis as Gollum, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, Christopher Lee as Saruman, and Orlando Bloom as Legolas. Per PJ: “You can read “The Hobbit” and pretty much see which characters play a part. The unknown factor is Film Two, which we are still developing. If we wished to write one of the LOTR characters into the narrative of Film Two, we would only do that with that actors blessing, and willingess to take part. Otherwise we’d take the writing in another direction.”
The films will be made in New Zealand, the same as the Lord of the Rings movies. Some of the same locations will be used, including Hobbiton, which is already being planted with flowers and shrubs to make it look similar to The Shire in the Lord of the Rings movies. Scouting for other locations has begun, although specifics have yet to be announced, undoubtedly pending the green light.
Yes, both movies The Hobbit will be filmed at the same time. This will help maintain continuity for both films and ensure the actors are available for the entire filming process.
The release dates were originally publicized to be December 2011 and 2012 with filming set to start around March of 2010. However, delays due to finalizing the script, MGM’s financial woes, finding a new director after Guillermo Del Toro stepped down, and an actor’s union boycott, have pushed the release dates to 2012 and 2013. The films were officially ‘greenlit’ (given the go-ahead to start spending money on things like sets, locations and actors) on October 15, 2010 with filming set to begin in February, 2011.
Useful Links:
Hobbit ‘greenlight’ announcement