USA Today has just revealed a new promotional still from The Hobbit, in which we see Bilbo Baggins in a forest:

As Peter Jackson promised before, this Production Video is On Location. We can watch the logistics of location shooting, and we can also watch the comparison between Hobbiton 11 years ago and now from Elijah Wood’s perspective. Next Production Video will be released early Next Year. Enjoy!

Thanks The Hobbit!

As we have told you before, Peter Jackson had been uploading videos from the production of The Hobbit on his Facebook Page, this is the number 4 and focuses mainly on 3D filming. Next Production Video will be from a location in New Zealand. Enjoy!

Thanks The Hobbit!

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever … Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths ofguile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
Writers: Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Evangeline Lily, Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and The LEGO Group announced today a partnership that awards the world’s leading construction toy brand exclusive rights to develop build-and-play construction sets based on THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ trilogy and the two films based on THE HOBBIT™. The multi-year licensing agreement grants access to the library of characters, settings, and stories for THE LORD OF THE RINGS property, as well as films The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. LEGO® THE LORD OF THE RINGS construction sets are slated for a rolling global launch beginning in June 2012 in the United States, with LEGO THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY scheduled for later in the year.

“Only LEGO, with their expertise in the construction category, is capable of doing justice to the incredibly imaginative environments depicted in the world of THE LORD OF THE RINGS and the two films based on THE HOBBIT,” said Karen McTier, executive vice president, domestic licensing and worldwide marketing, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “These films give life to amazing worlds and characters and we are thrilled to bring fans these products that deliver an imaginative play experience befitting of these beloved properties.”

The LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS collection will translate into LEGO form the epic locations, scenes and characters of Middle-earth as depicted in all three films, including The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

In late 2012, LEGO THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY will give fans of all ages a chance to build and play out the fantastical story and new characters of the legendary Middle-earth adventures depicted in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson, slated to premiere December 14, 2012.

“Our collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products has delivered numerous worldwide successes in the construction toy aisle with lines like LEGO HARRY POTTER and LEGO BATMAN, introducing us to loyal audiences who love great stories, strong characters and the toys that they inspire,” said Jill Wilfert, vice president, licensing and entertainment for The LEGO Group. “It’s particularly exciting to now be able to create sets based on the fantasy worlds and characters from THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and the two films based on THE HOBBIT, not only because we know they will foster collectability and creative play, but also because these are two properties that our fans have been asking us to create for years.”

Information about the sets and collectible minifigures from both collections will be unveiled at a later date at http://thelordoftherings.lego.com/

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set to hit theaters December 14th, 2012.

Peter Jackson had been uploading videos from the production of The Hobbit on his Facebook Page, there are 3 so far where we can watch the start of the production itsel, Andy Serkis in his suit as Gollum, glimpses of Bilbo, Elrond, and much more. Enjoy!

Production Video #1 - Start of Production
PJ’s Perdonal Note:

As promised, my first video from the set of THE HOBBIT.  Enjoy!

Production Video #2

Production Video #3
PJ’s Personal Note:

Good news and bad news today. Bad news is that we won’t be doing any Hobbit presentation at Comic Con in San Diego this year. New Line and Warner Bros were very happy to support a presentation, but I declined, simply because I felt it was too early. There’s so much more of the films still to shoot. I just wanted to get that out there, because I’ve seen various references to the possibility of something Hobbity at Comic Con. Hate to disappoint anyone. But something tells me we will be there in force next year.

Now for the good news… We’ve just finished a new video blog, covering a little more of the first block of shooting. So please enjoy this—at least you don’t have to travel to San Diego to see it!

Thanks The Hobbit!

Finally we can see an image of Balin and Dwalin in The Hobbit

“Dwarf Lords in their own right, Balin and Dwalin are close relatives of Thorin. Beyond this, these brothers are two of his most loyal and trusted friends. An old warrior, Balin has lived through hard times and fought many battles, yet he harbors doubts about the wisdom of the Quest to retake the Lonely Mountain. Dwalin has no such forebodings – his belief in Thorin’s leadership is unshakeable. A powerful and bruising fighter, with a natural tendency to distrust anyone who is not a Dwarf, particularly anyone who might be an Elf, Dwalin is not someone to cross lightly.”

Update: We can also see the rest of the Dwarves. How do you feel about them? Were they what you expected?

Thanks, Time!

Thanks, OneRing!

Thanks to TOR, we now have new pictures of The Hobbit sets being built in Miramar, New Zeland. The architecture resembles the Moria sets, but it’s still unsure about the specific use they will have in the production phase:

We, Lord of the Rings fans, were understandably excited when New Line announced the release of the epic fantasy trilogy on Blu-ray last year. We were less thrilled (though not terribly surprised) when it turned out the initial release would just be the theatrical cuts of the films, rather than the extended editions that incorporated all manner of interesting footage back into the films.

Now, however, we may finally get the Lord of the Rings Blu-rays we wanted all along! The Digital Bits reports from their sources that the LOTR extended editions are coming sometime this year. It makes sense, given that The Hobbit films are finally ramping up toward production and are sure to usher in a new pandemic of Tolkien fever

Thanks CB!