Spoiler NationEW.com has posted an article addressing the prevalence of spoilers on the internet, and Guillermo del Toro chimes with a comment about the upcoming ‘Hobbit:’

“Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro plans on being pretty transparent as he embarks on The Hobbit. “It’s easier to protect the 20 percent of a project that’s really sensitive if you’re open about the other 80 percent,” he says. “I think that’s the way to go, especially with a project like The Hobbit, which is a holy book for so many people. People should know the path you’re walking.””

A quick note about TheOneRing.net and spoilers – we do post them but give you ample warning to choose not to read them. Please read the full article at EW.com. Thanks to Silverlode for the heads up on this story. [Read More]

WETA Cave Logo On Friday 6 June 2008 at 11am, Weta flings open the doors to the hotly anticipated Weta Cave in Miramar, Wellington. For the very first time, an area of WellingtonR17;s visual effects facility will be opened up to fans and visitors.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to do this”, says Weta creative director and co-owner Richard Taylor. “Tania and I have had this dream for years and we are incredibly pleased that we’ve managed to realize it.” Continue reading “The Weta Cave Opens to Fans and Visitors”

Guillermo Del Toro 2Director Guillermo del Toro recently posted a ‘heads up’ to Tolkien fans in TheOneRing.net’s forum. In the post, Del Toro outlines why his upcoming film ‘Hellboy II’ and last year’s ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ should not necessarily serve as examples of the tone and theme of the upcoming ‘Hobbit’ films.

It is my dearest hope that this message will prevent speculation of what in “Pan’s Labyrinth” or “Hellboy II” will indicate what the HOBBIT will be. In time there will be definite aesthetic choices that will guide the film towards a yuxtaposition of PJ’s and my visual proclivities but I think it will only be visible in retrospect and it would be almost impossible -and rather perverse- to try and divine it at this stage.

The post is a lot more extensive than that simple quote, so jump on over to our forum to read the complete entry! And isn’t it great to have Guillermo participating so early in our community? [Forum]

Richard TaylorThe four Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, reappear on the big screen this month in the second installment of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series. New Zealand director Andrew Adamson was responsible for bringing to the silver screen the first two chronicles, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. For each movie an entire world had to be created with a history, landscape, creatures big and small, weapons and clothing. And who could be called on to undertake such a mammoth task other than the staff at special effects company Weta Workshop? Read more at the NZ Herald [NZ Herald]

Jack BlackThe names of Jack Black, James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe were making the rounds in the media this week, as rumors about who will be cast as Bilbo in the upcoming movie of “The Hobbit” begin to fly. According to Black, however, there’s no truth to that rumor. Black: “No, no. There’s no talk of it,” the comic proclaimed, denying the article’s validity. Of course, we could have told everyone that, as GDT posted the same thing on our message boards the day the original story came out:

“We will not choose casting until after we finish the scripts. Period. So, no- No talks are bound to take place with any actor to play Bilbo in the near future. Pages come first.” And, in another comment: “When its a fact- You’ll hear it from me first- and, very likely, right here.”

Read and participate in the discussion in this thread on our boards, or in Barliman’s chatroom. Thanks to message board member Elven for cluing us in to Black’s recent comments which can be found on MTV Movies Blog along with a video of the interview.

Guillermo del ToroSeveral of you alerted us to this story from Empire online: As part of an exclusive chat with Del Toro for the next issue of Empire, on sale Friday, we spoke to him further about many details, including the casting of Bilbo.

“I can tell you that it’s down to a few names that we all agree upon. And that our first choice…completely, magically, we said the same name. All of us!”

Be sure to check the news stands for more this Friday. Read More