Unions Now Threatening THE HOBBIT

[AndyDursin]

You just wonder how many more hits Jackson can take.

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-t ... obbit.html

[Eric W.]

Where's they shoot the Trilogy again?

[AndyDursin]

New Zealand.

I guess they are thinking of moving it to Eastern Europe if this doesn't get straightened out.

[Eric W.]

I honestly don't care if this ever gets made.

There. I said it.

[Paul MacLean]

Jackson has threatened to move the filming to Eastern Europe, which would seem to lack the breathtaking vistas that made the "Lord of the Rings" films look like they really did take place in a fantasy world.

I guess the person who wrote this article never studied geography, as Eastern Europe has more than it's share of mountains, forests, lakes, waterfalls and other scenic vistas (which have been put to good use in movies like Dragonheart, Cold Mountain, Prince Caspian, etc.). In fact Eastern Europe is much more along the lines of what Tolkien was describing (Middle Earth essentially being ancient Britain and Europe) than New Zealand, as this shot of Slovakia will attest...




Besides, a lot of the landscapes in LOTR were doctored and embellished with CGI anyway.


It's also worth noting that the weakest scenes in the "Lord of the Rings" movies take place in the shire where the hobbits live; basing two whole movies on just hobbit-land would seem far from the financial slam-dunk that the previous three movies were.

Except that very little of The Hobbit takes place in the Shire. 90% of the book of it concerns Bilbo's adventure, far from the Shire.

Oh well, for fans who were eagerly awaiting this Hobbit film, there's this at least...

[Eric W.]

Besides, a lot of the landscapes in LOTR were doctored and embellished with CGI anyway.

I know, right? What's the problem here, really, at that rate?

[John Johnson]

Catchy music.

[John Johnson]

Last week we learned that THE HOBBIT had finally gotten the green light and yes, Peter Jackson would be directing. Unfortunately, the matter of a labor dispute is still holding up the start of filming. Now, declaring that "the damage inflicted on our film industry [is] long since done," Jackson has decided the production has to move.
Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh were quoted in The Press as saying:
"Next week Warners are coming down to New Zealand to make arrangements to move the production offshore. It appears we cannot make films in our own country even when substantial financing is available."
The Press speculated that THE HOBBIT might instead film in "Britain or Australia, which offers a 15 per cent 'location offset' to entice foreign films."

http://www.isnnews.net/

[AndyDursin]

Here's a more detailed scoop from Deadline (which seems to be where all of this news breaks, have to hand it to Nikki there) --

http://www.deadline.com/2010/10/acting- ... he-hobbit/

[John Johnson]

According to Deadline, the following roles have officially been filled:
Martin Freeman is set to play Bilbo Baggins, the adventurous Hobbit whose adventures and discovery of the One Ring leads the story up to The Lord of the Rings.
Richard Armitage (MI-5 and Captain America: The First Avenger) will play Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the Company of Dwarves which sets off to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from a thieving dragon.
Aidan Turner (Being Human) and Rob Kazinsky (EastEnders) will play Kili and Fili, members of the Company of Dwarves.
Graham McTavish (Secretariat) will play Dwalin, John Callen (Power Rangers Jungle Fury) will play Oin; Stephen Hunter (All Saints) will play Bombur, and Mark Hadlow (King Kong) plays Dori, while Peter Hambleton (The Strip) will play Gloin.
James Nesbitt, David Tennant, Stephen Fry, Saoirse Ronan and Bill Nighy may also be cast, though nothing is definite as yet.
Of Freeman as Bilbo, Jackson said that, "Despite the various rumors and speculation surrounding this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us ... There are a few times in your career when you come across an actor who you know was born to play a role, but that was the case as soon as I met Martin. He is intelligent, funny, surprising and brave?exactly like Bilbo and I feel incredibly proud to be able to announce that he is our Hobbit."

http://www.isnnews.net/