Last year Ian McKellen said that he expected to be heading to New Zealand to start filming The Hobbit in March, however since then auditions have been taking place and Peter Jackson said in December that the aim now is to start filming in June. McKellen, who will once again be playing Gandalf the Grey, updated his website recently confirming the June start.

THE HOBBIT’s, two films, start shooting in New Zealand in June. Filming will take over a year. Casting in Los Angeles, New York City and London has started. The script too proceeds. The first draft is crammed with old and new friends, again on a quest in Middle Earth.

The director Guillermo del Toro is now living in Wellington, close to the Jacksons’ and the studio in Miramar.

I guess this means we will finally be getting some casting news over the upcoming months, with the actor chosen to play Bilbo Baggins being the most important. Along with McKellen Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving may be returning to play Galadriel and Elrond, and there will also be a number of Dwarves that need to be cast.

In other Hobbit news TheOneRing.net posted a story saying “an industry insider was adamant The Hobbit would be filmed in 3D and Weta Digital – which won an Oscar for its work on Avatar – would be working on the project.” We’ve had 3D talk regarding The Hobbit for a while, and director Guillermo del Toro recently mentioned that he and the studio were having discussions about it.

Would you want to see a three dimensional Middle Earth? Or would you prefer it to be in 2D like The Lord of the Rings trilogy?

According to Box Office Mojo the official release date for Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn in North America is December 23rd 2011, which also happens to be my birthday. Tintin will be released in countries such as Sweden, Netherlands and Germany in October 2011 as Tintin is rather popular in that part of the world. To date the graphic novel series has sold over 200 million copies worldwide and most of those sales were in Europe, so the studios (Sony/Paramount) have the right strategy even if the US has to wait an extra 2 months for it.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn stars Daniel Craig, Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and will be using the same performance-capture technology James Cameron used for Avatar, so expect a visual treat.

Buried in an interview by The Telegraph with Watchmen actor Matthew Goode is the following nugget of information:

Now he’s a father, Goode doesn’t even like travelling that much. But just before we met, he’d auditioned for the role of Bilbo Baggins in Guillermo del Toro’s two-part film of The Hobbit. As he is the first to admit, he’s not an obvious choice – ‘Look at the size of me for Christ’s sake!’ If he got the part, he would, he says, find it almost impossible to refuse – despite the fact that it would involve him spending several months in New Zealand.

Goode stands at 6ft 2 inches, so he’s not exactly the ideal size for a Hobbit. The four actors who played Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings were no taller than 5′ 7, and Peter Jackson had to use children and other small people (along with clever camera angles) to represent their size during scenes with the other actors. I think Matthew Goode would be an ideal candidate to play an Elf.

Assuming the interview was recent, this means del Toro and Jackson are still looking for their Bilbo. In August last year Ian McKellen said he knew who would be playing Bilbo, which means that they could have cast someone and it hadn’t worked out or McKellen had got a bit ahead of himself. Either way we should be hearing who will be donning the Hobbit feet in the upcoming months, as filming is expected to begin in summer.

While James Cameron was busy filming Avatar in New Zealand he invited a number of filmmakers to take a look at his new performance-capture technology, two of which were directors Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg who, after playing around with the cameras on the Avatar set, decided to make Tintin.

Spielberg completed filming on Tintin a year ago after a mere 32 days of shooting and Peter Jackson has since been working with WETA on the special effects. They won’t be creating 10 foot tall Na’vi, but they will be creating something equally amazing.

Spielberg recently spoke to the Los Angeles Times about making Tintin, which he says he “just adored”.

“I just adored it,“ he says. “It made me more like a painter than ever before. I got a chance to do so many jobs that I don’t often do as a director. You get to paint with this device that puts you into a virtual world, and allows you to make your shots and block all the actors with a small hand-held device only three times as large as an Xbox game controller.”

With that small monitor, Spielberg could look down and watch what the actors were doing — in real time — on a screen that showed them in the film universe. Working on the motion-capture stage — which is called the volume — Spielberg was routinely dazzled by the liberating artistic value of the new science.

“When Captain Haddock runs across the volume, the cameras capture all the information of his physical and emotional moves,” the director said. “So as Andy Serkis runs across the stage, there’s Captain Haddock on the monitor, in full anime, running along the streets of Belgium. Not only are the actors represented in real time, they enter into a three-dimensional world.”

So though Jamie Bell will be digitally made to look exactly like Hergé’s classic renderings of Tintin, “it will be Jamie Bell’s complete physical and emotional performance,” Spielberg said. He added: “If Tintin makes you feel something, it’s Jamie Bell’s soul you’re sensing.”

Tintin isn’t that well known in the United States, however the graphic novel series has sold over 200 million copies worldwide so I’m sure there will be a few people looking forward to this as much as I am.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn will be released on December 23rd 2011 in the US, and October/November in Europe (where it’s key audience will be). Peter Jackson is expected to begin work on the sequel sometimes over the next year or so, with the script and animatics already complete.

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.

Well this is no fun. The first of the two Hobbit films may not hit theaters until late in 2012, according to Alan Horn, president and chief operating officer of Warner Bros. This puts the release a full year behind what Jackson and others have openly said: late 2011.

In an interview with Variety, Horn and Toby Emmerich, president of New Line, discussed candidly the importance of The Hobbit and the restructuring they’ve had to do at New Line Cinema.

Horn won’t predict when the first of the two “Hobbit” films will be out, but says the most probable scenario would be a release in the fourth quarter of 2012.

“It’s a big bet for us. But it’s one we think will pay off given the success of ‘Lord of the Rings,’” says Emmerich. “This is one of the few movies it feels like people are waiting for.”

Hopefully this delay is not due to MGM/UA’s troubles. MGM, bought the rights to The Hobbit back in 1969 and shares the financing rights with New Line. Unfortunately, MGM is auctioning off almost all of its financial assets. The rights to The Hobbit could potentially be sold and who knows what that would do to production.

New Line hasn’t had it much better. After a series of box office failures since the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy–including Domino, Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny, and The Last Mimzy–Time-Warner had to step in and reshuffle management and priorities at the struggling studio. New Line no longer operates independently and publishes only six or so films a year, about half of its previous slate. Emmerich discusses the importance of The Hobbit to New Line.

“It’s similar, though this is more expensive and much more of a known entity,” says Emmerich of the “LOTR” ramp-up vs. the advance work being done on “The Hobbit.”
…
“It’s a big bet for us. But it’s one we think will pay off given the success of ‘Lord of the Rings,’” says Emmerich. “This is one of the few movies it feels like people are waiting for.”

As of late, the only other news we’ve heard is that Guillermo del Toro, director, and company have begun casting several major roles in the film. Peter Jackson also told the Hollywood Reporter that the films were still on schedule to start filming in mid 2010. Could this be a slip of the tongue or has The Hobbit really been pushed back?  I suppose a delay might mean a better film, but who wants to wait.

Variety has posted an interesting article looking at the marketing and release of Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones. The film was pushed back to December from it’s original release date in March 2009, which was supposed to give Peter Jackson time to finish and improve the visual effects. It would also mean the film would be released in time for the awards season we are currently in now.

Paramount thought the film would appeal to adults, and could potentially be Oscar bait. After all, the film tells the story of a raped and murdered 14-year-old girl who watches over her family as they mourn and try to find her killer.

However, after test screenings Paramount found that adults weren’t responding to the film, then when The Lovely Bones was given a limited release in December it performed poorly. This caused Paramount to re-think how they marketed the film.

In early November, Jackson called Paramount vice chair Rob Moore to say he’d seen 20th Century Fox’s “Avatar,” and that “Avatar” was going to suck up all the oxygen at the box office once it opened Dec. 18. Jackson suggested that they not open the film nationwide on Dec. 11, but just go out in a few theaters.

How wrong they were. Instead, it was younger women and teenagers–the “Twilight” crowd–who were the most enthusiastic. Moore arranged for a test screening with this audience in Kansas City on Nov. 19. Ken Kamins, Jackson’s longtime manager and exec producer of “Lovely Bones,” was at the screening. “The results were tremendous. That night was when the campaign began to change,” he said.

If that’s when the change began, the film’s disappointing opening on Dec. 11 made it abundantly clear adults were no longer the target demo. Yet it was the film’s spiritual themes, and the father-daughter relationship, that younger females responded in particular to, Moore said. Paramount cut ads playing these up, and began airing spots on female-skewing channels, including Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network (LMN). Studio also quickly attached a trailer of “Lovely Bones” to “New Moon.”

Paramount was able to do an about-face and completely revamp the marketing campaign and go after young femmes. The studio abandoned plans for an awards campaign, and decided to wait until after Christmas to begin advertising in earnest.

It worked. “Lovely Bones” stunned box office observers in coming in No. 3 for the four-day weekend, grossing an estimated $20.5 million from 2,563 theaters for a total cume of $21 million. Of the audience, a full 72% were female, while 40% were under the age of 20.

I haven’t seen The Lovely Bones and it’s not really on my ‘to see’ list, but I think it’s great how Paramount completely changed their marketing campaign and produced results. I doubt Peter Jackson, who’s films such as Lord of the Rings and King Kong mainly appeal to male fanboys, thought he would be making a film aimed at the Twilight crowd.

Peter Jackson said a few weeks ago that the only character definitely returning for The Hobbit films would be Gandalf, with the possibility of Elrond (Hugo Weaving) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) if the script requires it. This means that Guillermo del Toro and the team are basically looking to cast every character from the book, and now SpoilerTV have got their hands on a pretty extensive casting call for the films that was presumably sent out to casting agencies.

Here’s what they are looking for in Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and Smaug the dragon:

[BILBO] A well-to-do, respectable Hobbit…. Although he doesn’t realize it himself, BILBO has a good deal of courage; he can be practical and resilient. He has a good sense of humour, and is able to appreciate the ridiculous. He is very quick on the uptake and is well read having been encouraged to read widely by his mother. The most distinguishing characteristic about BILBO is his humanity; he is empathetic with a big heart and generous spirit. LEAD. AGE: 25-35. ACCENT – STANDARD R.P.

[THORIN OAKENSHEILD] Heir to the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, Thorin Oakensheild was forced to lead his people far away from their homelands into exile in the Blue Mountains. Powerfully built and a legendary fighter, Thorin has led a tough and dangerous life and it shows on his face. He is sharp eyed and sharp tongued, proud in his bearing and un-trusting of those he does not know. But Thorin is also capable of intense loyalty, immense courage and surprising gentleness and humour. Thorin will be required to wear a wig and beard and some minor prosthetics make-up, like a nose or forehead, is possible. LEAD. AGE: EARLY 40’S to MID 50’S. ACCENT – STANDARD R.P. OR SLIGHTLY ACCENTED REGIONAL ENGLISH ACCENT.

[SMAUG] VOICEOVER ONLY. Two hundred years earlier, the Dragon SMAUG came down from the barren northern reaches and laid waste to the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. Sitting upon his pile of gold, he has grown to a truly immense size. Old and yet not old, his voice still carries the sense of a sharp and lethal mind. He is the most deadly creature in all Middle-earth – and he knows it. Sly, quick and ferociously intelligent SMAUG is a dangerous opponent and not one to under-estimate. If he has weakness it is his unbridled greed and his arrogance. His voice is part of what gives him is power – his ability to seduce, persuade and flatter, even to display a degree of charm. But any sense of civility or consideration for others is utterly false. He is merciless and without empathy for any other living creature. He is a killer sptv050769. AGE: 40-70. ACCENT – STANDARD R.P ACCENT

You can read the full casting call with descriptions of 11 other characters by clicking here!

I love it when The Hollywood Reporter make these roundtable videos. Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Jason Reitman, Lee Daniels and Kathryn Bigelow (Cameron’s ex-wife) all sat together and had a discussion about movies and the movie business. Watch below:

Are you an insider or an outsider?

What’s the toughest scene to film?

What would you do instead of directing?

Just yesterday we heard that casting was under-way for The Hobbit films in London and Los Angeles, and now Peter Jackson has revealed a bit more information on which characters from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy will be returning. When he was asked this question in the past he wasn’t sure as the script wasn’t completed, however now the script for the first film is done so they have a better idea of which characters will be needed.

From MTV:

“Gandalf, being a 2,000-year-old wizard, is still around and plays a major role in ‘The Hobbit,’ and we’re having Ian McKellen reprise,” explained the filmmaker, who is executive-producing the flick and writing the screenplay. “There’s a couple of other characters: Elrond, who was played by Hugo Weaving [in the original films], and there’s a possibility of Galadriel, who was played by Cate Blanchett.”

“They are elves, so once again, in the realm of Middle-earth, they’re immortal, they don’t age,” he said of Galadriel and Elrond, the only returning “LOTR” main roles besides Gandalf in his script. “We have a process that would start with showing them the script. We’re not [beginning] any official process until we have the ‘official’ script that they can read.”

“In some respects, it’s a prequel,” Jackson said of the flick, which he plans to begin filming in mid-2010. “In book terms, the world of ‘The Hobbit’ takes place 60 years before ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ as it was written by Tolkien. So, not a lot of the characters actually feature, because they weren’t around yet.”

In past interviews Blanchett said that while she didn’t have a large role in the films she did enjoy the role and would return if asked. If thinks work out we could very well see Galadriel back on the big screen.