Tag Archives: Peter Jackson

Trailer round-up: ‘The Hobbit’, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Prometheus’

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After four extensive behind-the-scenes looks at Peter Jackson’s upcoming sequel two-fer The Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings mastermind has finally released a full-length trailer. Return to The Shire in this beautifully edited clip embedded above. Part 1, An Unexpected Journey, hits theatres next December the 14th.

Jump after the break and you’ll find the explosive second trailer for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises and sneak peek at Ridley Scott’s sci-fi thriller Prometheus. Update: The full-length Prometheus teaser awaits. Continue reading Trailer round-up: ‘The Hobbit’, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Prometheus’ →

‘The Hobbit’ production vlog #4

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Peter Jackson is at the very top of my list of people who are awesome. The behind the scenes video diaries he’s been churning out from the set of the upcoming two-part prequel The Hobbit are simply fascinating. The theme of the fourth vlog is 3D filmmaking. Jackson and his crew are shooting The Hobbit in 3D using RED EPIC cameras and 3ality lenses. The camera department is home to a grand total of 48 RED EPIC cameras on 17 3D rigs. Interestingly, all of the different camera rigs are named after Jackon’s family members and inspirations. All of the scenes from the film are being shot at 48 frames per second at 5K resolution for a more realistic and immersive picture. The diary explains how everything from the set design to makeup is affected by the way in which the high-res 3D camera rigs pick up colors and tones. Oh and get this–even the concept art is drawn in 3D with red and blue colored pencils! Go behind the scenes with Jackson in the video above. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey releases December 14, and part two subtitled There and Back Again comes out one year later.

‘The Hobbit’ production vlog #2

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Here’s another fascinating look behind the scenes of Peter Jackson’s upcoming prequel The Hobbit. In it the famed director talks to the actors and production crew behind the making of the expansive project, and you get a feel for just how far they’ve come since they broke ground in the first production video. Things seem to be going splendidly in New Zealand. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey releases December 14, 2012; part two–There and Back Again–follows exactly one year later.

First look: Martin Freeman is Bilbo Baggins in ‘The Hobbit’

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Look it! It’s Bilbo Baggins in the flesh! Actor Martin Freeman has donned the elfish ears, shaggy hair and clothes to fully transform into The Hobbit’s protagonist. Says director Peter Jackson of his Bilbo: “He fits the ears, and he’s got some very nice feet. I think he’s got the biggest hobbit feet we’ve had so far. They’re a little bit hard to walk in, but he’s managed to figure out the perfect hobbit gait.”

EW also managed to scoop up two additional images that I’ve pasted after the break. The second is of veteran actor Ian McKellan as Gandolf the Grey. Jackson again: “He’s in fantastic form. ‘In a way, his role in The Hobbit has more technical difficulties than Lord of the Rings did, because he has scenes with 14 smaller characters — obviously the dwarves and the hobbit are shorter… I remember saying to him [laughs], ”Look, this isn’t Waiting for Godot or King Lear. This is The Hobbit. This is the real thing.”

The third and final image is a rather candid photo of Jackson directing Freeman inside the hobbit’s small hut. Jackson once more: “There’s no way you can pace yourself for shoots like these. When we were going through the schedule for The Hobbit, I felt a terrible drop in my stomach when I saw that we’d be shooting for 254 days. We’re only 12 days short of The Lord of the Rings even though we’re only doing two movies. When I saw that, I had to sort of pick myself up off the floor and carry on.”

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey releases December 14, 2012 and this will be followed by part two subtitled There and Back Again exactly one year later. The Hobbit follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.

[Via EW] Continue reading First look: Martin Freeman is Bilbo Baggins in ‘The Hobbit’ →

‘The Hobbit’ receives titles, release dates

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Peter Jackson returns to Middle-earth in his two part prequel The Hobbit. This week New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures, and MGM announced the titles and release dates for the films. Part one is The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and will be released on December 14, 2012; part two is The Hobbit: There and Back Again, and will be released the following year on December 13, 2013. Here’s our first official synopsis:

Both films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”  The adventure of “The Hobbit” follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.

Click after the break to find the press release which includes a list of the actors on board for the project of epic proportions.

[Via Facebook] Continue reading ‘The Hobbit’ receives titles, release dates →

Trailer: The Adventures of Tintin

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Director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson present The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn in eye-popping 3D and on the edge of uncanny valley. The duo is taking advantage of Jackson’s Weta Digital company for the Polar Express-esque visual effects. Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) is a credited writer, and the cast of voices include Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost. The trailer is certainly adventurous but until I see the animated characters speak it’s hard to grade the level of pure realism instilled here. The Secret of the Unicorn, the first of three proposed movies to make a Tintin franchise, hits theatres December 23, 2011.

‘The Hobbit’ begins production, here’s a look behind the scenes

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Director Peter Jackson returns us to Middle-earth in this rather candid vlog that was released onto the web just earlier today. Though we aren’t privy to specific plot elements, this behind the scenes production video from The Hobbit gives us a glimpse into the weapons and costume work, stunt preparation, and it shows off a number of set designs, many of which are carbon copies from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We even get to see the cast and crew kick off day one of production in New Zealand. Stars Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen, and Martin Freeman pop up here and there to provide some insight into what goes on during blocking and rehearsing. Let’s hope that ten-minute vlog sessions like this one become a recurring thing for fans hotly anticipating the Lord of the Rings prequel movies. Part 1 of The Hobbit is due out next year.

Peter Jackson will shoot ‘The Hobbit’ using 30 RED EPIC cameras

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Now that Peter Jackson is the official helmer of The Hobbit, production is ready to begin.  Jackson and the creative team have decided to opt for the RED EPIC digital camera to shoot the Lord of the Rings prequel in 3D.  The EPIC is the successor to the RED ONE camera, and it boasts 5K resolution, the highest dynamic range of any digital cinema camera ever made, and can shoot up to 120 frames per second.  According to RED founder Jim Jannard, Jackson will have “at least” 30 EPIC cameras on hand during production.  Jannard says, “The EPIC’s small size and relatively low weight makes it perfect for 3-D – where two cameras have to be mounted on each 3D rig.”  Jackson happens to be a big fan of RED cameras, and you can bet he’s stoked to have 30 EPICs when production on The Hobbit starts in New Zealand early next year.

Have an itch to shoot your own footage using the EPIC?  A whopping $58,000 will get you an EPIC rig consisting of an EPIC-M body, titanium PL mount, Bomb EVF and 5-inch touchscreen LCD, a REDmote, a four-pack of batteries, a charger, and a solid state storage module with a four-pack of 128GB SSDs.  A limited run of EPICs will be made available in December or January for the early adopter filmmakers.  Everyone else who’s interested (and miraculously not affected by the economy) will have to wait until at least April to nab a rig.

[Via Engadget]

It’s (finally) official: Peter Jackson will direct ‘The Hobbit’ [Update: Martin Freeman cast as Bilbo]

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Peter Jackson, the man who helmed the Lord of the Rings trilogy movie adaptations will be back to direct the two-part prequel series The Hobbit.  Originally Jackson was going to serve as executive producer with Guillermo del Toro as director.  But when MGM’s financial woes forced production delays del Toro decided to back out of the project leaving the director spot open for some time.  Since the beginning of last summer it had been rumored that Jackson would take control of the reigns again, and today Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, and MGM finally confirmed it.  In a statement Jackson said, “Exploring Tolkien’s Middle-earth goes way beyond a normal film-making experience.  It’s an all-immersive journey into a very special place of imagination, beauty and drama.  We’re looking forward to re-entering this wondrous world with Gandalf and Bilbo – and our friends at New Line Cinema, Warner Brothers and MGM”.

The Hobbit will be cut up into two parts (as originally planned by del Toro) and will be shot in 3D.  Principal photography begins in February 2011.  Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, and Hugo Weaving are locked in to reprise their roles as Gandalf, Gollum and Elrond, respectively.  It has not been confirmed whether or not Ian Holm will return to star as Bilbo Baggins.

Update (10/21): Casting news!  Martin Freeman (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Hot Fuzz) is Bilbo Baggins.  The following actors comprise Bilbo’s Company of Dwarves who set forth to reclaim a treasure from a dangerous dragon: Richard Armitage (MI-5, Captain America: The First Avenger) is Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the Company of Dwarves; Aidan Turner (Being Human) and Rob Kazinsky (EastEnders) will play Kili and Fili; Graham McTavish (Secretariat) is Dwalin, John Callen (Power Rangers Jungle Fury) is Oin; Stephen Hunter (All Saints) is Bombur, Mark Hadlow (King Kong) is Dori, and Peter Hambleton (The Strip) is Gloin.

Peter Jackson on Freeman as Baggins: “Despite the various rumors and speculation surround this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us.  There are a few times in your career when you come across an actor who you know was born to play a role, but that was the case as soon as I met Martin.  He is intelligent, funny, surprising and brave — exactly like Bilbo and I feel incredibly proud to be able to announce that he is our Hobbit.”

[Via EW; Wiki; Deadline]

This short film is what District 9 is based on…WATCH IT.

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If you have seen the trailer (or the movie itself) for District 9, you will notice it says “Presentend by Peter Jackson, Directed by Neill Blomkamp.”  This short film “Alive in Joberg” is what Peter Jackson stumbled upon and got him interested in picking up the concept for D9 and putting Blomkamp at the helm.  This six and a half minute short shows off Blomkamp’s raw talent of mixing CGI with live action.  With what was surely a low budget and a light crew, Blomkamp took a great idea and displayed his talents in just the right way that led him to making a higher budget masterpiece that is District 9.  (Fun fact: D9 star Sharlto Copely appears in and a producer of this short.)