The fourth Peter Jackson video blog from the set of The Hobbit focuses on the 3D, specifically the way they use the RED cameras, shooting in 5k, how much of a difference the 48 frames per second will make for the viewers and probably for the first time in the making of a movie, 3D artwork. So grab your red-cyan glasses and watch this awesome video blog right after the break.

This 10 minutes and 46 second video blog goes very in depth on the 3D and shows probably the most we’ve seen from The Hobbit yet. Peter Jackson talks about the original Lord of the Rings and how he would have filmed it in 3D if he had the possibility back then. Instead he made a lot of 3D pictures on the set of the trilogy so look forward to those in some fancy The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey 3D Blu-ray.

Because they use such big lens, getting the right separation with the RED cameras was definitely a challenge and we see how they solved that with special rigs that can actually adjust the convergence point of the 3D on the fly. We also see how challenging working in 3D is for the makeup and wardrobe team and how the sets had to be painted in very bright colors so that it looks right when shown in the darkening 3D.

48 RED cameras and 17 3D rigs are used to shoot The Hobbit and instead of giving the cameras numbers, they named them after family members or friends. At the end of the video they show how they made 3D artwork by having two artists, one working in red, the other in blue, side by side. To really appreciate their work you need a pair of red-cyan glasses.

The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey is directed by Peter Jackson and stars Martin Freeman, Luke Evans, Hugo Weaving, Evangeline Lily, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Stephen Fry and Ian Holm among others. The film follows the story of Bilbo Baggins and his journey to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by 13 dwarfs, to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug. It is set to open December 14th 2012 and will be followed a year later by The Hobbit: There and Back Again on December 13th 2013.

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There have been many film adaptations of Alexandre Dumas’ classic 1844 novel, but this steampunk-inspired version of The Three Musketeers from the director of Mortal Kombat and Alien vs. Predator looked so purposefully terrible that I just had to see it. Much to my surprise, it turns out that the first half of the movie is totally competent (and even fun!), and it’s not until the latter half when things go off the rails and drag this film down into the realm of the mediocre.

I won’t try to convince you that this is a great movie. But it is a lot better than it has any right to be, and that’s mostly due to the fact that this story, at its heart, is so much fun. There’s heroism, deception, loyalty, betrayal, romance, swordplay – so many classic elements that it’d be hard to completely destroy the inherent awesomeness of this adventure. The screenplay is laced with humor, and for the most part, the actors make it work. (There’s an additional character tossed in for “comedic relief” that was totally unnecessary, but that’s to be expected from almost any studio film like this.)

Another reason this movie is better than it should be is some fantastic casting. Say what you will about the rest of this movie, but the casting director knocked this one out of the park. Logan Lerman is excellent as the cocksure D’Artagnan, turning out my favorite performance of his career. Matthew Macfayden plays the jilted Athos with style, leading the group with a straight face through the film’s wildly anachronistic twists and turns. Up-and-comer Luke Evans (who should be a household name in a few years with upcoming roles in big time projects like The Hobbit) brings just the right level of gravitas to the role of Aramis, something that Charlie Sheen failed to do in my definitive film version of this classic tale, the 1993 Disney film of the same name. Ray Stevenson is the best fit of everyone in the cast for his character, the surly and comedic Porthos. He’s brash, charming, and easily the most entertaining of the heroes.

Perhaps the biggest casting coup was snagging such big names for the villainous roles. Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz doesn’t quite match Tim Curry’s over-the-top sliminess from the ’93 version, but brings his own level of quiet menace to the role of Cardinal Richelieu. Orlando Bloom’s ridiculous haircut makes more of an impression than the actor himself in this movie, but he’s still fun to watch as the dapper and deceptive Duke of Buckingham. Mads Mikkelsen is perfect as the evil Captain Rochefort, and even Milla Jovovich (wife of this film’s director) is sufficiently seductive and well-equipped to handle the action elements of her role as Milady de Winter, the double-crossing assassin and Athos’s former love interest.

I was actually shocked at how much I liked the first half of this movie. The sword fight sequences are spectacularly choreographed, and at no point does it ever feel like a bunch of loosely trained actors swinging fake swords around. Paul W.S. Anderson’s direction is surprisingly confident and precise, and the editing is simple and effective. The geography of the action is well established at all times, and avoids the shaky cam trend of the past decade. Even the sets are beautiful, and Sony should take a good look at these for its upcoming film adaptation of the Assassin’s Creed video game. It’s only when the movie starts really concentrating on the steampunk elements, introducing giant airships based on stolen designs from Leonardo da Vinci – ahem, Hudson Hawk - that it starts to lose its luster. Because of how solid the first half of the movie was, this part of the film feels like studio intervention (“give us something that looks COOL!”). If they had avoided the ridiculous aspects altogether, this could have been a truly great interpretation of this story.

Despite the dreary second half, I actually liked this movie overall. It’s far better than the “so bad, it’s good” I’d initially hoped for, and if you can sit back and have fun with the spectacle of it, you’re sure to be entertained. I saw it in 3D, which provided some highlights during map transitions between countries and during the Pirates of the Caribbean-inspired airship battles, but ultimately 3D isn’t a necessity for The Three Musketeers. If nothing else, this movie has stopped my knee-jerk reaction to immediately write off Paul W.S. Anderson movies as unwatchable. This is perfect lazy afternoon home video entertainment. Until next time…

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Summit Entertainment has released the second official trailer for The Three Musketeers. The movie stars Matthew Macfadyen (Frost/Nixon) as Athos, Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson) as D’Artagnan, Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone) as Porthos, and Luke Evans (Tamara Drewe) as Aramis. Christoph Waltz, Milla Jovovich, Mads Mikkelsen, and Orlando Bloom also appear as villains.

Watch below:

I’m not expecting much, but it looks like it might be fun (if you ignore the inevitably bad dialogue). It has a Pirates of the Caribbean-type vibe to it, which Summit may have been aiming for. Swashbuckling sells

Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil: Afterlife) is directing in 3D, and the movie follows the hot-headed young D’Artagnan (Lerman) who joins forces with three rogue Musketeers (MacFadyen, Evans and Stevenson). They must stop the evil Richlieu (Waltz) and face off with Buckingham (Bloom) and the treacherous M’lady De Winter (Jovovich).

The Three Musketeers will be released October 14.

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Orlando Bloom’s involvement in The Hobbit has been speculated for a few months now, with the actor saying he was “really excited” about the prospect. Well today Peter Jackson confirmed on his Facebook Page that Bloom will be donning the elf ears once again.

Here’s what Jackson had to say:

Ten years ago, Orlando Bloom created an iconic character with his portrayal of Legolas. I’m excited to announce today that we’ll be revisiting Middle Earth with him once more. I’m thrilled to be working with Orlando again. Funny thing is, I look older—and he doesn’t! I guess that’s why he makes such a wonderful elf.

Though his father and his kingdom appear in The Hobbit book, Legolas does not appear himself. He was likely alive though as elves can live into their thousands. No word yet on where the character will feature in the story, but he’ll probably get a few lines and hopefully a bit of action.

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We heard last year that Orlando Bloom was in talks to reprise his role of Legolas in The Hobbit, but unlike other returning cast members such as Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett and Andy Serkis, we have yet to receive official confirmation.

We are still waiting for that press release from Warner Bros., but Bloom himself recently said he is likely to return to Middle Earth in the near future, and has been sent the script.

From Collider:

Collider: Are you going to appear in The Hobbit?

Bloom: Yeah, it’s looking like that. I’m really excited about going to see Pete [Jackson] again. It’s still a little up in the air, but the idea of working with Pete is fantastic. I can’t actually really talk too much about it, at this point. I just was given the script to piece through, so it’s quite exciting.

Collider: The whole script?

Bloom: Yeah!

Collider: Will you have to do anything to physically prepare for that role again?

Bloom: Are you telling me that I’ve put on weight, in the last 10 years? I just have to grow my hair really long and blonde again.

Collider: Isn’t he a younger version?

Bloom: Yeah.

Though his father and his kingdom appear in The Hobbit book, Legolas does not appear himself. He was likely alive though as elves can live into their thousands. No word yet on where the character will feature in the story, but his role is thought to be more than a cameo so he may have a few lines and hopefully a bit of action.

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Summit Entertainment has released the first trailer for The Three Musketeers. The movie stars Matthew Macfadyen (Frost/Nixon) as Athos, Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson) as D’Artagnan, Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone) as Porthos, and Luke Evans (Tamara Drewe) as Aramis. Christoph Waltz, Milla Jovovich, Mads Mikkelsen, and Orlando Bloom also appear as villains.

Watch below:

It has a Pirates of the Caribbean-type vibe to it, which Summit may have been aiming for. I’m sure they’d happily launch a new franchise to keep them in business post-Twilight.

Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil: Afterlife) is directing in 3D, and the movie follows the hot-headed young D’Artagnan (Lerman) who joins forces with three rogue Musketeers (MacFadyen, Evans and Stevenson). They must stop the evil Richlieu (Waltz) and face off with Buckingham (Bloom) and the treacherous M’lady De Winter (Jovovich).

The Three Musketeers will be released October 14.

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Summit Entertainment has released the first official image from The Three Musketeers.

In the image we see (from left to right) Matthew Macfadyen (Frost/Nixon) as Athos, Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson) as D’Artagnan, Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone) as Porthos, and Luke Evans (Tamara Drewe) as Aramis. The movie also stars Christoph Waltz, Milla Jovovich, Mads Mikkelsen, and Orlando Bloom.

Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil: Afterlife) is directing in 3D, and the movie follows the hot-headed young D’Artagnan (Lerman) who joins forces with three rogue Musketeers (MacFadyen, Evans and Stevenson). They must stop the evil Richlieu (Waltz) and face off with Buckingham (Bloom) and the treacherous M’lady De Winter (Jovovich).

The Three Musketeers was recently pushed back to October 14, 2011 but Summit will probably be releasing the first trailer soon.

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Following news yesterday that Cate Blanchett will be returning to Middle Earth, Deadline reports that Orlando Bloom is “near a deal to return as Elven archer Legolas.” Though his father and his kingdom appear in The Hobbit, Legolas does not appear himself. He was likely alive though as elves can live into their thousands.

No word on where the character will feature in the story, but Deadline says his role is “more than a cameo” so he may have a few lines and hopefully a bit of action.

While this will be good news for fans of the trilogy, Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Andy Serkis (Gollum) and Hugo Weaving (Elrond) have yet to officially sign on. No details on why, but money is usually a factor in these things. The Lord of the Rings made billions, and The Hobbit movies will likely be equally successful. The actors may want there share.

Hopefully everyone signs on before February, as that is when filming will begin in New Zealand under the direction of Peter Jackson.

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Orlando Bloom has joined the cast of Paul W.S. Anderson’s The Three Musketeers according to Variety. Bloom will play the Duke of Buckingham who is the arch-nemesis to the Musketeers, and British comedian James Corden will portray a servant named Planchet.

The previously announced cast for Musketeers includes Christoph Waltz as Cardinal Richelieu; Logan Lerman as D’Artagnan; Matthew MacFadyen, Ray Stevenson and Luke Evans as Athos, Porthos and Aramis, respectively; Milla Jovovich as M’lady De Winter; and Mads Mikkelsen as Rochefort.

Summit Entertainment has set a release date for summer 2011, and filming will begin later this summer after director Paul W.S. Anderson has finished work on Resident Evil: Afterlife.

Warner Bros. also has a Three Musketeers movie in the works, with Bourne Identity director Doug Liman set to direct his take later this year. I’d say Summit’s has the edge at the moment.

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Over the years we’ve heard from nearly every Lord of the Rings cast member about whether they would be interesting in returning to Middle Earth for The Hobbit. The response from just about everyone (except Ian McKellen) is that they’d love too, however they don’t think their characters are required. The same thing was echoed again recently when MTV spoke to Orlando Bloom about possibly returning to play Legolas.

“I shot an e-mail to Pete and I said, ‘You know, if you want me to don the blonde wig and pointy ears again, I’d be honored to do it,’” Bloom revealed. “He said, ‘Well, we’ll see.’ They’re very, very hush-hush.”

It’s not particularly likely that Bloom’s services would be required for “The Hobbit” as Legolas has no role in the original story, though it’s always possible that the actor could play Thranduil, Legolas’ father who appears as the Elvenking in the story. But even if Bloom doesn’t return to Middle-Earth, he’s more than happy to see what Jackson and Del Toro have in store.

“It’s Guillermo’s movie and I’m a huge fan of that man,” said the actor. “He’s obviously going to take his own idea of it, but I’m excited for that movie. I think it’s going to be great.”

Legolas isn’t in The Hobbit so it is unlikely he will appear, however Tolkien fansite TheOneRing.net has posted a lengthy argument as to why Legolas could appear. To cut to the point: While Legolas wasn’t mentioned in The Hobbit book, he apparently mentioned in the films that he is 2,931 years old, and therefore would be around during the events of The Hobbit. This could give del Toro and Peter Jackson an excuse to bring Bloom back if they wanted.

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