Royd Tolkien in Return of the King J.R.R. Tolkien’s great-grandson Royd Tolkien has developed a long-standing relationship with the team behind Middle Earth’s big-screen adaptations, and even appeared as a Gondorian ranger in the third film The Return of the King.
Digital Spy sat down with Royd to get the Tolkien family perspective on Jackson’s adaptations, and discuss the time he spent in New Zealand bonding with the Lord of the Rings cast and crew.
When did you first get wind of Lord of the Rings being adapted as a live-action film? It was a very long development process…
“It was years before they filmed. I’d known Peter Jackson because I’d been a fan of his from Bad Taste and Braindead, from when I was younger. But I really had no involvement in the films at that stage – my first connection with them was at the first premiere in London, for The Fellowship [of the Ring]. That’s where I met Peter and other people from New Line.”
A decade ago, Matamata was a sleepy country town in the middle of the North Island, well-placed for travellers in need of a comfort stop and a takeaway snack. Today, it is better known as Hobbiton and is one of the country’s star tourist destinations, attracting 1.9 million visitors over the last 10 years. It is poised for a fresh invasion starting this Christmas which seems certain to top that number over the next decade.
It all began in 1998 when movie director Peter Jackson took to the sky in a small plane in search sites to film his planned trilogy of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
His target was a piece of countryside untouched by concrete buildings, power poles and roads that he could transform into Hobbiton, the primitive village home of Tolkien’s small, hairy, Hobbit people.
A family farm outside Matamata, set about halfway between the provincial capital, Hamilton, and the tourist city of Rotorua, and complete with Tolkien’s so-called “party tree” and a lake, proved perfect. Continue reading “How a sleepy country town became Hobbiton”
Microsoft is set to step up its Windows Phone marketing campaign, building on its existing marketing featuring Gwen Stefani, Jay-Z and Jessica Alba, and tapping into The Hobbit franchise following a deal with Warner Bros.
Marketing reports that Microsoft has partnered with Wunderman to create new digital, press and outdoor materials, featuring Bilbo Baggins (played by Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) and other characters from first film of trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson. Continue reading “Microsoft taps Hobbit characters for marketing”
Just the other day we were lucky enough to get the first teaser image from artist Jerry Vanderstelt’s upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Fine Art Prints. The first teaser image had a a couple of wizards with Gandalf the Grey and Radagast the Brown. Tonight, we see three more familiar faces: Saruman, Elrond, and a fantastic shot of Galadriel. As always you can stay up to date by following updates from Jerry right her on TORn or his official Vanderstelt Studio Facebook page. Click the image for a larger version. Enjoy!
Be sure to check out our *LIVE* webcast happening in about 1/2 an hour! Every week Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway hosts TORn TUESDAY, bringing very cool live chat technology right to your computer; allowing Ringer fans from across the world to interact and join hobbit actors, authors, artists, and more for a lively virtual moot and discussion! We have extra special guest Erica Challis today, one of the original founding members of TheOneRing.net community, coming to us via Skype from Wellington, New Zealand — where she and RED CARPET TOURS are preparing a fantastic HOBBIT Pre-Premiere Party! Learn how you can attend! Join our Live Event page here and be part of the show — it all begins 5:00pm Pacific Time (Tuesday) and 2:00pm New Zealand time (Wednesday)!
An article this morning on Stuff.co.nz ostensibly about some some custom jewellry that will grace the red carpet next week at the Hobbit Premiere has also dropped a bombshell confirmation about something we’ve wondered about since Peter Jackson’s sixth Vlog. If you don’t want the spoiler, don’t head below the cut! Continue reading “Stuff.co.nz confirms a very SPOILER dwarf!”
An article this morning on