While our intrepid reporter MrCere is currently in New Zealand — back in the States a very big surprise was revealed to audiences at the Butt-Numb-A-Thon geek film festival (held in Texas by AICN founder Harry Knowles). That’s right, THE HOBBIT teaser trailer was unspooled less than 24 hours ago and quickly the Twitterverse began sparkling with reactions. Comments included such tweets as:
- “Is it a spoiler to tweet that Gandalf magically sent @EricVespe to us with THE HOBBIT trailer and @woodelijah was the trailer bearer? :)”
Ringer fans were waiting (im)patiently for the footage to arrive in U.S. theaters this Christmas, but lo and behold! Elijah Wood was there to help present as Mr. Vespe (“Quint”) brought the most anticipated footage in all geekdom back to Austin. Mr. Wood himself tweeted today:
- “Didn’t that trailer kill? So excited to see it…”
More than the opening few minutes of DARK KNIGHT RISES, and much more than any AVENGERS tidbit, this teaser trailer is pretty much the Holy Grail for HOBBIT fans who have waited a decade to see a first glimpse of Peter Jackson’s return to Middle-earth. We will post more info and share reactions as they come in. But the wait is finally over (for those who were there)!
UPDATE: Nordling, AICN staff, writes:
Yes, we saw THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY trailer thanks to Gandalf The Grey magically transporting Quint from the beautiful landscapes of Middle-Earth to the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas. No, I can’t talk about any specifics except to say that something I always treasured from the original book is in the trailer in a big way and I was very happy to hear it. The trailer will play in front of THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN and it’s simply sublime. It’s more character-based than epic, but it’s like slipping into a warm embrace from a very old friend that you haven’t seen in many years. Truly wonderful.
Update #2: Tolkienbritta
While writing, TolkienBritta quotes Jordan Hoffman of IFC News by stating: “Hoffman also added that, “Hearing the music and seeing The Shire I was surprised at the flood of emotions that hit me. It was like seeing old friends. (And something to look out for: a band of Dwarves sing. It’s a thing of beauty.)””
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When it comes to literature, can there be too much of a good thing? Hollywood film studios are putting the old adage to the test. An increasing number of book-to-film adaptations are being broken into multiple parts, a recent trend in blockbuster filmmaking.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was one novel, but it was released as two separate films, the second half of which was released on Blu-ray and DVD in November. Following the trend, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” hit the big screen on Nov. 18 and the second half is slated for a November 2012 release. More..
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Netflix and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) this morning announced a multi-year licensing agreement that will make Netflix the exclusive subscription streaming service in the UK and Ireland for most first-run feature films from the movie studio.
Starting in early 2012, when Netflix is set to make its debut in the UK and Ireland, registered members will be able to watch available content instantly on their television sets, tablets, game consoles, computers and mobile phones. Pricing for the service in these regions has yet to be announced.
Appearing exclusively on Netflix within one year of their theatrical release will be such MGM films as “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” the prequels to the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “Zookeeper”, and “21 Jump Street”.
A selection of MGM catalogue titles will also be available on Netflix in the UK and Ireland, including “Fargo,” “The Usual Suspects,” “West Side Story” and “The Amityville Horror”.
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Thanks to The Hobbit, New Zealand’s government is now offering additional incentives to attract other big-budget productions. According to Variety,
The changes to the Kiwi incentives have opened up the country’s Large Budget Screen Production Grant (LBSPG) to allow for an additional grant for very large productions ($200 million-plus) as a direct result of the tussle over the “The Hobbit” films last year, when Warner Bros. sought financial incentives to make the big-budget production more attractive.
Now, an additional $NZ9.75 million ($7.75 million) is available to these big productions, and this new grant covers expenditure that may be excluded under the current LBSPG rules.
This move merely formalizes the negotiations thrashed out by the government last year, when it fought to keep the Hobbit pics in N.Z., and is the same deal that Warner Bros. negotiated at the time.
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Warner’s has announced numerous new video games they’ve got planned for the end of this year and well into next year. Their Interactive Entertainment unit is one of the few tied to a Film Studio that has proven profitable in recent years, and this new lineup promises to be equally successful. On the horizon are two games based on Tolkien’s work, you can read the rest of the article here:
LA Times – Warner Interactive
The key quote for Tolkien fans is:
Warner will launch a new Lord of the Rings game in November and a Hobbit title in 2012 before Peter Jackson‘s movie “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” comes out that December. The game is one of the studio’s top releases for next year, along with a Lego Batman sequel and a game featuring a superhero from Warner’s DC Comics unit that Tremblay wouldn’t name.
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*Programming Change to 5:30pm PDT* Welcome Ringer fans! For today’s installment of TORn TUESDAYS (our weekly streaming video call-in show) we are thrilled to bring you an exclusive LIVE interview with legendary fantasy author Peter S. Beagle — co-scripter of the Ralph Bakshi 1978 LORD OF THE RINGS animated epic and author of THE LAST UNICORN — ahead of his appearance alongside TheOneRing.net at New York Comic-Con! We will converse on many Hobbity things, but expect a *huge announcement* or two for LAST UNICORN fans especially. You can interact live and pose your questions to Mr. Beagle in our Barliman’s chatroom, built-in to our LIVE event section at 5:30PM Pacific Daylight Time! [LIVE Event Area] (TORn Tuesday will take place from approx 5:30-7pm PT – See All Times)
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