Guardian columnist James Russell writes in a sure-to-be-controversial piece that he doesn’t think the move to make the Hobbit into a trilogy is all about money. Rather, he wonders, is Peter Jackson “pushing his new Tolkien project to ridiculous extremes because he has nothing else to offer?”
He writes: “I think something much more dispiriting has motivated the decision: creative stagnation.”
“Who knows, the movie(s) might be good, and I might have to eat my words. While it may be maddening for those who see cold, hard profit as the prime motivation behind The Hobbit, it looks sad rather than venal to me. Jackson used to be a genuinely capable and interesting figure, with a particular talent for pioneering technical accomplishments (his decision to film in 48fps is the most compelling thing about The Hobbit). It sounds crazy to say, in light of the visionary epic fantasies he has created, but surely he could choose more creatively ambitious projects than this.”
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From stuff.co.nz: New Zealand’s film and TV industry has risen to become one of the country’s most lucrative – reeling in more than $3.23 billion last year. The sector’s contribution to gross domestic product was $2.78 billion, representing 1.4 per cent of New Zealand’s total GDP, a PricewaterhouseCoopers report found. The sector also supported 21,315 fulltime-equivalent jobs. Film Auckland chairman Pete Rive welcomed the study as an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the local screen community. He hailed Spartacus, Mr Pip, Emperor (starring Matthew Fox), and The Hobbit as examples of recent successes. Read More…
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Warner Bros is sponsoring a new contest that gives artists the chance to re-imagine the world of The Hobbit. They call it the Treasures of Middle-earth Design Contest.
Enter your own original fan artwork for a chance to win some great Middle-earth prizes. Or if you’re not artistically inclined (I know I don’t have an artistic bone in my body!), you can rate your favorite fan-created imagery inspired by Bilbo Baggins’ adventure.
The four grand-prize entries will be chosen by John Howe, Alan Lee, and Richard Taylor. Entries close October 15, 2012.
NB: Entry is open only to legal residents of the USA and Canada (excluding Quebec). You can read all the T&Cs, including those pertaining to the assignment of intellectual property, here.
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You’ve probably already seen the that fabulous picture of Thorin holding Thrain’s key — the one that they need to get into Erebor.
Now Herr-der-Ringe has a spy image of the artwork.
The keys is exactly the same, but the runes on them seem to be slightly different? Was the artwork an earlier iteration that was subsequently simplified? Maybe it’s the equivalent of text greeking? Any runes experts out there able to help? Potential spoiler warning
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Now that we have three films to think about, one of the questions a lot of people are wondering is: “How will this affect the screenplay for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey?”. Just where will the first film end? In this Greenbooks guest post, Thomas Monteath outlines his thoughts on just how the first Hobbit film could work. These views are his own, and do not necessarily represent those of TheOneRing.net or its staff.
WARNING: Spoilers and speculation! Continue reading “Greenbooks guest post: unexpected journey; predictable break”
If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.
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Hollywood Reporter and various other outlets are reporting that July 18, 2014 will be the release date for the third Hobbit film.
In addition, they report that Warner Bros has announced that the third film will be renamed The Hobbit: There And Back Again.
The second film, to be released on December 13, 2013 will be called The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of International Distribution said in the press release: “The Hobbit: There and Back Again will be an action spectacle and an emotional conclusion for this already much-anticipated trilogy. Opening in the summer will maximize playability for what promises to be an event film for fans the world over.”
EDIT: I think that the second title Desolation of Smaug means that it will conclude with the demise of Smaug at the hands of Bard the Bowman. Highlight to see spoilery speculation.
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