LEGO fans rejoice! LEGO has secured the rights to develop build-and-play construction sets based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit! Check out the release below. They’ve even set up an official site for the line at  TheLordoftheRings.LEGO.com(Thanks to Ringer Dayhiker for the heads up!) 

BURBANK, Calif., Dec. 16, 2011 — Warner Bros. Consumer Products and The LEGO Group announced today a partnership that awards the world’s leading construction toy brand exclusive rights to develop build-and-play construction sets based on THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ trilogy and the two films based on THE HOBBIT™.  The multi-year licensing agreement grants access to the library of characters, settings, and stories for THE LORD OF THE RINGS property, as well as films The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again.  LEGO® THE LORD OF THE RINGS construction sets are slated for a rolling global launch beginning in June 2012 in the United States, with LEGO THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY scheduled for later in the year.

Continue reading “LEGO Lands ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’”

MovieWeb has had a chance to discuss ‘The Hobbit‘ with senior effects supervisor Joe Letteri. In the article, Mr. Letteri talks about working with Andy Serkis on ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ and how technology has advanced since we last saw Gollum on the big screen. Specifically, he discusses how the film-makers can now capture Andy’s performance on set or on location, without a follow-up motion capture stage performance. Check out the full article at MovieWeb.com. [Read on]

Digitalspy.co.uk has just this morning put up a video interview with Stephen Fry discussing his role as the Master of Laketown in The Hobbit.

Besides descriptions of the look of the Master, there’s also mention of Bard the Bowman being a horserider, and hints to the design of Laketown itself, a “smelly city that’s on stilts in the lake below the mountain where Smaug the Dragon lives”.

We wonder if the geography has been changed for dramatic effect. What do you make of that!?

Watch the video HERE.

By the way, our message board members are discussing this video even as you watch it. Feel free to join in!

Thanks to Ringer Duff Man for sending in this exclusive summary of what we can expect to see in the upcoming ‘Hobbit’ trailer. Read on for his report. Warning: Spoilers lie ahead.

UpdateAt the request of the Peter Jackson and the production, we’ve been asked to remove the trailer description. Look for the trailer in theaters and online soon!

An official WB press release came out today that includes some Plot detail. One new Cast member is in the list, a John Bell, who appears to be about 10 years old or so. No official listing on IMDB yet for this casting, so no idea if he is Bain or Estel, or some other youngster. I’m including a link to an interview with the young actor under the press release.

Continue reading “New WB press release and a mystery bit of casting”