TheGreyPilgrim writes: The Venture II, aka Manuia, left the Evans Bay wharf near PJ’s Wellington Studio yesterday and was scuttled in Cook Strait. A sad day for the old vessel which has been slowly dismantled for scrap over the last few weeks. The wharf now looks a tad bare with the Manuia gone – no more happy reminder of King Kong as I drive home each day! More..
Category: LotR Movies
Niels writes: I was at the Poolburn Reservoir in the south-island this morning enjoying the scenery where the burning Rohirrim village was shot.
On our way over there through the Ida Valley I already spotted a helicopter, since we’ve seen loads of them on our trip so far I didn’t think anything of it then. But when we were at the Poolburn Reservoir I climbed up on one of the rocks to get a better view of the reservoir below, and the helicopter returned and made a very low pass alongside the reservoir. Continue reading “Poolburn Reservoir Prepping for The Hobbit?”
Over the weekend the MTV Movies Blog caught up with Hugo Weaving who discussed how he might fit in the upcoming Hobbit films.
“Elrond is in ‘The Hobbit,’ in the book,” explained Weaving, who portrayed the Lord of Rivendell and ancient, wise elf in Jackson’s three “LOTR” films. “And yeah, I would love to work on that, with Guillermo del Toro directing.”
Weaving, a huge Tolkien fan, was eager to talk about the key plot developments that will involve his character. Continue reading “How Elrond Fits In The Hobbit”
The director used the Venture II in his 2005 remake and later sold it to a property development firm in Wellington, which kept it moored at a wharf in the city. Ownership of the vessel has now passed to Wellington Regional Council after the company went bust, and local authorities plan to scuttle the ship in the Cook Strait on Tuesday (09Feb10), reports Radio New Zealand.
The plans have proved unpopular with residents after it was revealed the sinking will cost tax payers $23,800 (£14,875), but council officials insist the ship is becoming a safety hazard and can no longer be moored at the wharf. More..
Take a look at our Scrapbook collection of ‘Venture II’ here and here
Earl on our message boards has a great find this morning as Hugo Weaving talked with Drew McWeeny about “The Hobbit” while on press duties for “The Wolfman.” His character Elrond seems a lock to be in the film and the actor is open to it as well, although he hasn’t been contacted from the film which has yet to receive the official green light.
Weaving said, “I’d be interested in doing it. I would love to work with Guillermo Del Toro very much. I think he’s a fantastic talent, a great director.” Read the rest of the story here and discuss it on our message boards.
Austin writes: Swarthmore College will host two Tolkien talks, both open to the public.
Both talks take place on Feb. 16th. The first talk occurs at 04:15 PM, entitled Tolkien Book to Jackson Script: the Medium and the Message. More..
The second happens at 08:00 PM, entitled: Rediscovering Middle Earth, the Roots of Tolkien’s Myths. More..