Saying that the production of The Lord of the Rings prequel movies; The Hobbit; has been plagued, would be putting it fairly mildly, as ever since MGM Studios went up for sale, and put the whole future of the film’s (not to mention other franchises; such as James Bond, and the previously planned Robocop remake) in jeopardy, and led to delays, more delays, a release date being given but not confirmed, a director leaving, rumours of new directors, and unions threatening legal action, it looked as if the movies may have never got made, so it came as a huge relief to many fans when it was recently confirmed that they were back on track, and had been given the official greenlight.
It’s actually been a hugely positive month for Hobbit news (unlike the news that’s been continually breaking over the past 12 months or so); as the month began with Peter Jackson (the director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy) finally giving in to fans wishes, and agreeing to direct the prequel films (as he was planning to only have a producing role), before news broke about a week ago that the go-ahead had been given, and that filming is set to begin in February next year, and it continues to get better; as the union issues threatening the film were settled only a matter of days ago, and we now have some officially confirmed casting announcements.
The main casting announcement is that Martin Freeman (the star of The Office, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, who was the subject of many on-again-off-again rumours concerning the film) has finally been locked in to play the role of leading character Bilbo Baggins (previously portrayed by Alien’s Ian Holm); a role that Peter Jackson says he was “born to play.”
Richard Armtage (Spooks; which is known as MI-5 in the U.S.) has also been cast; and will be appearing as Thorin Oakenshield (the leader of the Dwarf company that Bilbo travels with); alongside a Power Ranger, an Eastender, and a King Kong star, as well as Peter Hambleton (The Last Tattoo); who will be playing the father of John Rhys-Davies’ Gimli (the ginger dwarf who played a prominent role in the Rings trilogy).
And while the above have all been confirmed by studio presidents, executives, and people in the know (making them about as reliable as these announcements can be), there are still rumours of Michael Fassbender (Centurion), David Tennant (Doctor Who), and James Nesbitt (Cold Feet), being in with a chance of nabbing a role, as well as Stephen Fry (the comedian who’s due to star in Sherlock Holmes 2), and Bill Nighy (Love Actually), being considered for the voice of Smaug; the film’s angry dragon.
Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis are also expected to reprise their roles as Gandalf (the wizard) and Gollum (the hobbit like creature that loses the One Ring to Bilbo) respectively, but haven’t had any deals confirmed as yet, and may not be returning to the New Zealand locations they are used to; as the union issues faced by the film have led to Peter Jackson seriously considering moving the production elsewhere (with Eastern Europe being the most likely contender, but other countries with similar landscapes; such as Ireland and Canada; bound to become possibilities).
But regardless of where the production eventually lands (odds are it will be New Zealand), it’s scheduled to begin filming in a matter of months, and has a planned release date for the first film in this two-part epic (that will be appearing entirely in 3D), set for December 2012, with the final chapter being released the year after; in December 2013.
