Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel.
(Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel.)

Desolation of Smaug poster artworkWELLINGTON, New Zealand — Those outside of the movie making business often don’t understand what The Producer does on a film. The quickest answer is: They get the movie made. They get things done.

In the case of Zane Weiner on “The Hobbit,” it meant getting in touch with someone nobody was meant to get in touch with.

Evangeline Lilly.

Living in Hawaii, she was a month removed from the birth of her child, email turned off, not taking calls about work and still confined to bed rest.

“So I was still in bed with the baby,” she told TheOneRing.net in full Tauriel outfit and gear during a lunch break on a full day of filming on “The Hobbit.”

This lunch tent, while perhaps not glamorous, is an essential part of Stone Street Studios and making Peter Jackson movies, designed to feed and shelter quite an enormous crowd. Breakfast was served there for anybody wanting to start the day off right. Coffee and tea were available on any sound stage but also in the tent — a first stop for many on a shoot. Continue reading “Evangeline Lilly gets personal with TORn about Tauriel and ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’”

If you’re keen to attend one of the LIVE FAN EVENTS being held next week on November 4 in various (or November 5 in Sydney and Wellington), then best hurry as many of the competitions to win tickets close today.

Below are links to all the contests we know about right now (and if you know of one that’s not listed, please e-mail us at spymaster@theonering.net). Note: tickets to these events cannot be purchased.

hobbitcontests Continue reading “Today is your last chance to enter many Desolation of Smaug LIVE event contests!”

Thorin_Oakenshield Fairfax entertainment reporter Giles Hardie visited the set of The Hobbit on the same two-day press junket that Dark Horizons, IGN and other media outlets went on.

His article is a bit of a fluff piece, and probably doesn’t divulge much that’s new to regular TORn readers, but the bit about McKellen preferring to not reprise his roles is certainly interesting.


Benedict Cumberbatch has had a bad week as The Fifth Estate bombed at the US and UK box offices, but his next film is as close to a guaranteed box office winner as they come. In fact, it might be said he will set the box office ablaze, as Cumberbatch voices the dragon Smaug in the forthcoming second Hobbit movie. Continue reading “Five Hobbit films that did not get made”

300512id1_TheHobbit_TDOS_INTL_Tapestry_Keyart_7inH_x_38inW.indd You’ve undoubtedly heard that that Peter Jackson will be hosting a simultaneous world-wide LIVE Fan Event in a eleven different cities to celebrate the forthcoming release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Everyone around the world will be able to watch the LIVE stream of the Q&A on the web at The Hobbit on Youtube. So don’t panic!

However, if you live close enough, you may be able to attend an event at your local theater!

That’s because four cities — New York, Los Angeles, London and Wellington — will feature guests from The Hobbit’s cast and crew LIVE and in-person taking questions! Continue reading “Here’s how to grab your tickets for The Desolation of Smaug LIVE Fan Event happening on November 4!”

Fictional FrontiersLong-time friend of TheOneRing.net, Sohaib Awan, has kicked off a new Fictional Frontiers podcast and invited our own MrCere to talk all things Hobbit. Long a radio program, Fictional Frontiers, with Shotglass Digital, is reaching a new audience with a new format that allows for a longer, more in-depth discussion. Awan has championed “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” and loves both the realms of Tolkien and the work of Peter Jackson. He has used MrCere (Larry D. Curtis) as a frequent guest and in this episode they discuss both the upcoming second installment of the film and the success of the first and Curtis talks big picture about his time in New Zealand. The podcast can be found right here! Awan says MrCere will return in future episodes to talk more Hobbit.

NZ Post DOS

Continuing with their tradition of releasing commemorative stamps and coins for each of Peter Jackson’s films set in New Zealand, the home of cinematic Middle-earth, the New Zealand Post today announced the release of a new set of stamps and coins featuring key characters and scenes from The Desolation Of Smaug.

The 6 stamps feature Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin, Legolas, Tauriel, and Bard, and are presented in a variety of packaging options.

The silver and gold coins feature Bilbo, Legolas, Bard, Azog, Thranduil, the 13 Dwarves, and a stunning image of  Tolkien’s own art depicting Smaug flying around the Lonely Mountain.