John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January the 3rd, 1892, so we are celebrating his birthday today!

Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford from 1925 to 1945, and Merton Professor of English Language and Literature from 1945 to 1959. He was a close friend of C. S. Lewis and they were both members of the informal literary discussion group known as the Inklings. Tolkien was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 March 1972.

After his death, Tolkien’s son, Christopher, published a series of works based on his father’s extensive notes and unpublished manuscripts, including The Silmarillion. These, together with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, form a connected body of tales, poems, fictional histories, invented languages, and literary essays about an imagined world called Arda, and Middle-earth within it. Between 1951 and 1955 Tolkien applied the word legendarium to the larger part of these writings.

Tolkien is  identified as the “father” of modern fantasy literature. Tolkien’s writings have inspired many other works of fantasy and have had a lasting effect on the entire field. In 2008, The Times ranked him sixth on a list of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945″.

Thanks for your legacy Mr. Tolkien!

Enjoy 2010! Hopefully, a lot of news about The Hobbit will be published!

From Aintitcool:

This is a news item I’d love to proclaim with all-out certainty, but my tried and trusted source(s) aren’t sure if this is a total lock, or whether it’s just someone they’re seriously interested in. Either way, producers of THE HOBBIT have begun looking at casting for the dwarves (dwarfs?), and one name has emerged as a major contender: Brian Cox. He’s a brilliant choice for the role: physically, he fits with the depiction of the the race in LOTR (well, Gimli), and he’s a born Scotsman. Also, he could yell at Galadriel for adding narration. So there you go. If this comes to fruition, you heard it here first!

I think that he can be a good Thorin Oakenshield. What do you think?

Del Toro confirmed, in an interview with BBC Radio 5, that Hugo Weaving will reprise the role of Elrond in the upcoming Hobbit films. Also he confirms that Andy Serkis will reprise Gollum and Ian McKellen will reprise Gandalf.

Thanks EW!

Finally, speculations and debate about what would be the plot for the second Hobbit movie can stop, Petter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro talked to Empire magazine and revealed all.

“We’ve decided to have The Hobbit span the two movies, including the White Council and the comings and goings of Gandalf to Dol Guldur,” says Del Toro.

“We decided it would be a mistake to try to cram everything into one movie,” adds Jackson. “The essential brief was to do The Hobbit, and it allows us to make The Hobbit in a little more style, if you like, of the [LOTR] trilogy.”

Now we can begin to speculate where the cut is going to be =)

Thanks EM!

Source: Nzherald

Never mind the global recession – filmmaker Peter Jackson is believed to be taking to the skies with a new, $106 million jet.

Aircraft industry insiders are abuzz with speculation about the Oscar winner’s upgrade to a Gulfstream G550 jet, one of two exclusive private jets sold to New Zealanders in the past 18 months.

Jackson, whose net wealth is estimated at $450 million on the NBR Rich List, already owns a G-IV jet, but those in the know say he’s decided to upgrade.

“Everyone in the industry is talking about it,” said a source. “He’s got a G-IV at the moment so he probably wants an upgrade and it’s a pretty good plane to upgrade to.”

Another source said there was a wait time of 12 months for the jet, so Jackson most likely would have got in early. “I’ve heard about it from a number of people and I’m not surprised he’s bought one. They are great planes.”

The jet is decked out with four living areas, an office, satellite communications and can seat up to 18 passengers. It has Rolls Royce turbofan engines, allowing for longer-haul flights to be completed easier.

Lord Of The Rings star Christopher Lee (Saruman)  has spoken to IGN about The Hobbit.

IGN: Will you be reprising your role as Saruman in The Hobbit or the follow-up film that links it to Lord of the Rings?

Lee: I’ve heard Ian McKellen has agreed to play Gandalf again in The Hobbit. But my character doesn’t appear [in the book] at all. But then again you never know. They might suddenly put in the council of the wizards. I have no idea. Nobody has approached me and as for this mysterious other film, is it supposed to take place before The Hobbit, after The Hobbit, before Lord of the Rings?

IGN: It’s supposed to link the events of The Hobbit with those of Lord of the Rings. As a Tolkien expert you might be a good person to have on set…

Lee: Well, yes, because you have to remember that they’re thousands of years old these wizards. It might be the time when Saruman the White was the head of the council and was a decent, noble, marvellous person. They might show him in that light because it was never explained why he suddenly turns.

IGN: Would you be willing to reprise the role?

Lee: In the spirit very much so. But I’ve reached an age now [86] where going to New Zealand again would be a very considerable effort. It would not be easy because it’s an exhausting journey. Even with a break I’m not sure I could do it.

IGN: If they could film your part in London, would you be interested?

Lee: Oh yes, of course. I’d be delighted.

Lord Of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen has spoken to totalfilm.com about The Hobbit, addressing speculation as to whether he’ll reprise his role as Aragorn.

“I’d rather finish the job myself than have another actor do it,” says Mortensen. “I’m interested in principle, but I’d want to see it done in the right spirit of Tolkien.”

Viggo gave a nod of approval to new director Guillermo del Toro, saying, “He’s strongminded, intelligent and probably just as stubborn [as Jackson].

“I don’t know if it’ll be as big a circus [as the Trilogy] in terms of several people writing changes at the last minute.

“Maybe it’ll be more streamlined and efficient, but to some degree it’ll probably be as bewildering a set-up as the other three.”

Mortensen also claims the original trilogy became more led by effects as the series progressed.

“The Fellowship Of The Ring for me was the one most faithful to Tolkien. The one that had the most to do with any kind of subtlety in terms of performance and storytelling.

“Starting with the second one it became more of a blockbuster special effects thing. That’s not to say as that type of movie they weren’t the best.

“You can’t argue with the films’ success, but had it been me, I would have focused less on the effects and more on the characterisations.

“I’d have allowed the secondary characters to speak more and not be so focused on the heroes. There was more balance in the way that all the races of Middle-earth were presented in the first one. It was more about the relationships… That’s just my personal taste.”

Thanks totalfilm for the info!

The recognized magazine Empire (famous for its exclusive information) has just revealed the cover of its new issue, in which we can see a full-sized Gollum and the advance of the main article: The Hobbit, Gollum, Bilbo, del Toro, and Jackson. Your journey back to Middle-Earth starts here! Apparently we’ll get a glimpse of new information regarding The Hobbit movie, so keep up with BilboHobbit. We’ll have the scans as soon as possible for you!

According to the Empire’s online description:

January is, statistically speaking, the most miserable of months. It’s cold, it’s dark, and Moira Stuart is forever banging on about paying your tax bill by the 31st, or Mr. Taxman will be round to cut off a pound, or three, of flesh. So here at Empire, we feel it’s our duty to cheer you up – and what better way than by presenting to you our brand new issue, which should be hitting newsagent and supermarket shelves near you any… second… now. Inside, you’ll find all kinds of cheery tonics, such as our horror overload, featuring Bruce Campbell, Freddy and Jason, the Wolfman’s Emily Blunt, and the Lesbian Vampire Killers, and our lovely look at the individuals who make up the Watchmen. But pride of place – on our cover and in our hearts – is our big special on The Hobbit. What’s that, you say? It’s not even out for two years? Well, yes, but inside our special feature, you’ll find a one-stop shop of information on the films that may be the most anticipated of the next few years.

Thanks TOR!

Actor Dominic Monaghan, who played Meriadoc Brandybuck in the The Lord of the Rings films, spoke with MTV about the upcoming two Hobbit films while doing publicity for his new movie I Sell the Dead, which premiered today at the Sundance Film Festival. Interestingly, he talked about some possible cast returns to his hobbit role, since the creative team behind The Hobbit (mostly the same from The Lord of the Rings trilogy), would be interested in bringing back the four actors Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee), and Billy Boyd (Peregrin Tuc) to their roles. According to Dominic, he’s eager to come back.

What’s this all about? Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin are nowhere in The Hobbit book. In fact, they’re not even born during Bilbo Baggins’ adventures with the dragons. Could it be one of the first clues about the plot of the second Hobbit film? Let’s recall that it’s generally considered the bridge between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, which may include some of the original cast such as Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and Andy Serkis (Gollum). However, director Guillermo del Toro has been absolutely silent about the concrete details of the second film.

We’ll bring you the updates to this information as soon as possible. In the meantime, what do you think about a possible return of the 4 beloved hobbits?

Thanks FS!