'The Hobbit' director Peter Jackson and screenwriter Philippa Boyens discuss the magic behind the trilogy as they prepare to release the final instalment, 'The Battle of the Five Armies'.
Continue reading: Peter Jackson And Philippa Boyens - The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies Video Interview
Starry line-ups hit the red carpet to premiere Exodus and The Hobbit 3, London is transformed into Vienna for M:I 5, fanboys go into meltdown about James Bond and Star Wars, and new trailers land for Unfinished Business and Big Eyes...
Ridley Scott was on hand for the premiere of his new biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings in London this week. Also on the red carpet were cast members Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, Maria Valverde and Golshifteh Farahani, plus other guests like Salma Hayek and Andy Serkis. The film opens next week in America and on Boxing Day in Britain.
Photos - Exodus: Gods and Kings 3D UK film premiere London
Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Exodus And The Third Hobbit Premiere In London, As M:I 5 Films Across Town, Spectre Is Announced And Star Wars Teases The Internet
Peter Jackson says, for legal reasons, no more Middle Earth movies will be made.
Peter Jackson has quashed rumors of further Middle Earth movies, despite Galdalf himself Sir Ian McKellen suggesting the New Zealand director wasn't done with Tolkien's universe just yet.
Smaug is on the war path in The Hobbit: Battle of the FIve Armies
Speaking at a press conference earlier this week ahead of the release of Battle of the Five Armies, Jackson explained that he would not be adapting any further Tolkien movies - for legal reasons.
Continue reading: Peter Jackson Quashes Rumors Of More Middle Earth Movies
The director feels the author’s estate is unlikely to allow any further films.
He’s the man who brought the Lord of the Rings trilogy to the big screen and he’s just released the final instalment of The Hobbit, but Peter Jackson could be finally finished with adapting the work of J.R.R. Tolkien.
The Hobbit Battle of the Five Armies could be our last visit to Middle-earth
Speaking at a press conference in London after the world premiere of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, the New Zealand born director said that the film was most probably his last adaptation of Tolkien’s work.
Continue reading: Is 'The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies' Peter Jackson's Last Dance With JRR Tolkien?
The Lonely Mountain has been reclaimed from the dragon Smaug. The dwarves of Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) have won; although they soon discover that the price of their victory was steep. Smaug has laid waste to Lake Town, leaving the residents homeless after Thorin promised them riches. The elves of Mirkwood seek the dwarves that escaped their dungeons, while an army of orcs seek to end the line of Durin. And behind the scenes, a dark lord of shadow, long since defeated, is preparing to make a return to Middle Earth - the secret to his power lies in a small, golden ring. A ring that has chosen a new owner; The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman).
'The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies' serves as the final chapter in Academy Award winning director Peter Jackson's Middle Earth saga. The film serves as the sixth film by Jackson to be based on the works of writer J. R. R. Tolkien, and the final part of 'The Hobbit' trilogy. When Tolkien released 'The Hobbit' in 1937, it was a single book. Jackson released the final part of his adaptation of 'Lord of the Rings' in 2003, and stated that he would not work on a 'Hobbit' movie. However, he eventually signed on to direct a two part adaptation of 'The Hobbit', which later turned into a trilogy in 2012.
The film is due to be released on 12th December, 2014 in the UK, with a US release date of 17th December.
Scroll down for a look at the sombre trailer, further for some great pictures from the upcoming movie and further still for the brand new poster!
As promised by the release of Smaug from Eribor, war has descended upon Middle Earth and threatens to strip landscape of peace, serenity and beauty. The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies finally has its first full trailer.
Martin Freeman looks on with dispair in The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies
In this trailer, a despondent Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) speaks solemnly of what he’ll remember of his incredible journey to Eribor and the consequences of his actions. "One day I'll remember. Remember everything that happened here - the good, the bad, those who survived and those that did not.”
Continue reading: Middle Earth Is Ravaged By War In 'The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies' [Trailer + Pictures]
Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and the mini-army of dwarves led by Thorin are facing an evermore deadly path in their pursuit of the Lonely Mountain and its mound of treasure which was stolen from the dwarves some time ago by the fiercesome dragon Smaug. Their attempt to slay him has failed, instead unleashing further horrors upon themselves. Angering the dragon has only made things worse with him now determined to murder every creature that lies in its path, demolishing a neighbouring village with little more than a breath. Gandalf remains captured and tensions are ever rising between not only friends, but elves, dwarves, orcs and goblins and it's clear that the deadliest, brutalist war for thousands of years is well on its way.
Continue: The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies - Teaser Trailer
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies seems a much more fitting title for Peter Jackson's grand finale, but what does it give away and what else can we expect?
We’ve got to admit The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies certainly sounds a lot more climactic than The Hobbit: There and Back Again. The producers seem to agree as well, considering they have officially changed the name of the movie. It’s even been changed on IMDb so you know that they mean business. It's pretty apt to change the movie’s title to include a reference to the titular action of the final installment. There and Back Again just seemed like too safe a title to bring to an end Peter Jackson’s 13 year bid to recreate the world of J.R.R. Tolkein.
Martin Freeman will reprise his role as Bilbo Baggins
Unlike it’s previous title, The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, gives a lot more away about what could potentially happen in the final film. For those who haven’t read the books it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that there will be a battle. Between five armies. Not a major spoiler, but certainly a lot more telling than There and Back Again.
Continue reading: 'The Hobbit: Battle Of The Five Armies': What We Know, So Far
Filmmakers vie for box office records, but how many would be proud of being downloaded for free? One of 'The Hobbit' films took home the award last year.
The Hobbit scored a big victory in the early days of 2014, by being named the most-pirated film of 2013. According to Entertainment Weekly, The Hobbit: An unexpected Journey was downloaded more than 8.4 million times last year.
Filmmaker Peter Jackson at the opening of 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'
The film didn't win the title easily though. Django Unchained was close on its heels with just over 8.1 million. The numbers may have been more troubling for Django, since it brought in around $425 million at the worldwide box office — far behind The Hobbit's $1.017 billion. Which means a much higher percentage illegally downloaded the Quentin Tarantino film.
Continue reading: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Becomes Most-Pirated Film Of 2013
The comedian shoehorned his way into Peter Jackson's latest 'Hobbit' movie.
Stephen Colbert's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug cameo has finally surfaced and has been shared online. Though many may have forgotten the Comedy Central star's Late Show with David Letterman admission in October that he'd scored a minor role in the movie, eagled-eyed fans of The Hobbit have finally spotted Colbert.
Stephen Colbert Made His Own Small Mark On The New 'Hobbit' Movie.
Though the 49 year-old political satirist's part is pretty underwhelming - he appears briefly as a hooded figure in a Laketown scene - Colbert can be forever proud that he was part of a franchise so huge and influential as Peter Jackson's. Stills from the scene show Stephen wearing a dark hooded outfit whilst grimacing, his face covered in grime; a far cry from the sharp suits and spectacles he usually dons.
Continue reading: Stephen Colbert's 'Hobbit 2' Cameo Finally Revealed [Video]
Is there anyone left who hasn't seen 'The Desolation of Smaug'?
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has maintained its number one position in the box office charts for a third week. Peter Jackson's sequel has fought of competition from Disney animation Frozen, comedy Anchorman: The Legend Continues and crime drama American Hustle to claim 2013's final weekend triumph.
'The Hobbit 2' Maintains Its Box Office Stronghold.
So far The Hobbit has collected $190 million at the worldwide box office but the total is still behind the original instalment which had already picked up $230 million by the third weekend. In its sixth week of release, Disney's Frozen gave a still impressive performance, taking $28.8 million behind The Hobbit's $29.9 million weekend total.
Continue reading: 'The Hobbit 2' Still Dominates Box Office Despite 'Frozen' Festive Surge [Trailer]
As always, there are far too many sequels, spin-offs, remakes and reboots clogging the cinemas, but some of them might actually be good. Of course, release dates are subject to change...
10. The Expendables 3 (Aug) - Hopefully this meathead action romp will be the guilty pleasure of the year. Other muscle-bound, brainless thrills may come from Pompeii (Feb), Tarzan (May) and Hercules (Aug).
Read more about 'The Expendables 3' here
Continue reading: The 10 Most Anticipated Films Of 2014
Considering the first film's controversy's, something had to give
As you’ll know, if The Hobbit trilogy means anything to you, an Unexpected Journey caused controversy with its high framerate, unsettling viewers and, in come cases, making them feel physically sick. And while a tangible reaction is something all auteurs strive for, Peter Jackson will have been looking for goose bumps rather than sick-bags.
Martin Freeman in The Desolation of Smaug
An Unexpected Journey was one of the first major cinema releases to be screened at 48 frames per second, which caused many to complain about the super high frame rate. Usually, on a smaller screen, people strive for 60 frames per second – videogamers especially – but on the large cinema screens, it didn’t sit pretty.
Continue reading: Inside The Tech Of The Hobbit: Frame Rates And 'Softening' Desolation
With wittier action and a few more sharply defined characters, this second episode in Peter Jackson's trilogy is more engaging than the somewhat over-packed An Unexpected Journey. Once again, the key to enjoying the film is to distance it from the beloved novel: this is a big adventure movie as opposed to Tolkien's light-hearted romp. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.
There isn't much actual plot, as we are between the set-up and conclusion, so the film consists of a series of set-pieces as Bilbo (Freeman) and his band of dwarves continue their journey to reclaim the dwarf throne in the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf (McKellen) heads off to confront the shifty, shadowy Necromancer (Cumberbatch), while Bilbo and crew head into the creepy Mirkwood, where they confront gigantic spiders before being captured by wood-elves. This is where they meet Legolas (Bloom), whose feisty sidekick Tauriel (Lilly) falls for sexy dwarf Kili (Turner) as they continue their journey to Lake-town. There they get help from Bard (Evans) as they launch their final assault on the mountain, where the dragon Smaug (also Cumberbatch) is napping on the dwarves' vast treasure.
Jackson directs with a spark of energy and humour that holds our attention even when things begin to look a little too digitally animated (basic laws of physics apparently don't apply in Middle Earth). And each sequence also provides some depth of character, especially in the overall journey of Bilbo, nicely played by Freeman as a guy who is only just discovering his own ingenuity and bravery. By contrast, McKellen's plot is much darker as he faces off against unnerving evil. As in the first film, the other strong character is Thorin (Armitage), the heir to the dwarf throne grappling with the idea of a return to power.
Continue reading: The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug Review
Fancy buying Erebor? Got $6 billion?
Erebor, The Lonely Mountain where Smaug the Dragon lives in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, would cost around $6 billion to buy, if it was real, according to a new housing report. US real estate experts Movoto have put together some details of the "multilevel property" to coincide with the release of The Desolation of Smaug - based on JRR Tolkien's Hobbit book. The company has previously estimated the price of Hogwarts, Wayne Manor and Barbie's dream house in Malibu.
Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'
On the basis that Erebor includes an entire underground city and working on the assumption that Middle Earth mirrors Europe, Movoto has valued Smaug's luxury property at $6 billion. It estimates that the Lonely Mountain is slightly north of Kirov in Russia and is probably around 44 square miles.
Continue reading: The Hobbit: Smaug's Home Erebor Would Cost $6 Billion To Buy
The film's premiere saw the cast reunite once again, after wrapping the third and final movie.
Last night (December 3) saw the premiere for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug at Los Angeles’ Chinese Theater. While the final Hobbit film wrapped filming back in summer, the production team and cast, including Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Orlando Bloom, director Peter Jackson and many others, will still have plenty of chances to catch up at premieres and promotional events leading up to the film’s release. They clearly enjoyed doing so last night, if photos from the premiere are any indication.
Jackson attends the premiere with his daughter, actress Katie Jackson.
Continue reading: 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug' Premiere Brings Together All-Star Cast [Pictures]
Bilbo Baggins has narrowly escaped several deadly confrontations with the likes of trolls, stone giants and countless orcs alongside his faithful wizard partner Gandalf and the hardy Dwarves of Erebor as they passed through the treacherous Misty Mountains. Their quest to retrieve the dwarves' vast pile of treasure and the land that they once called their home is at a peak as they reach the Lonely Mountain. Guarded by a colossal dragon named Smaug, the Lonely Mountain proves to be even more perilous than where they had just been and armed only with elven swords and Bilbo's Ring, they must make the ultimate defeat while fighting giant spiders and more goblins along the way. More threats face them in the form of untrustworthy elves with intelligence that far surpasses any of the travellers' put together, and their chances of survival are becoming very slim indeed.
'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' is the second instalment of 'The Hobbit' movie trilogy directed by Peter Jackson ('King Kong', 'The Lovely Bones', 'The Lord of the Rings') and based on the novel by JRR Tolkien. Screenwriters Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro make their return as do much of the previous cast alongside some new faces. It is due to be released in the UK on December 13th 2013.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Movie Review - Click Here To Read
The 'Lord of the Rings' director and serious "whovian" wants to try his hand at directing an episode of Timelord antics.
Director Peter Jackson expressed an interest in directing an episode of the BBC's long-running time travel drama, Doctor Who, to Entertainment Weekly. The Hobbit director said he'd direct an entire episode with just a golden dalek for pay even though he's known to already have two daleks. The Kiwi filmmaker said "They don't even have to pay me, but I have got my eye on one of those nice new gold-coloured Daleks. They must have a spare one."
Peter Jackson Directing A DW Episode: Is It Too Much To Hope For?
However, there has now been a development to Jackson's aspirations: it seems that DW writer Steven Moffat has given a one-off episode the nod. During a recent Q & A event in Edinburgh, the showrunner addressed Jackson's request. "He's serious about it. We talked at The Hobbit premiere - he just wants a Dalek. So we'll give him a Dalek and he'll direct an episode. I think he'd like to us to go to New Zealand. I think it's entirely possible," he said via Blogtor Who.
Continue reading: Peter Jackson May Direct 'Doctor Who' Episode, For A Golden Dalek
The Hobbit saga is coming to an end - for the actors, at least.
Orlando Bloom said goodbye to Legolas recently and now, it’s time for Martin Freeman to take off the Bilbo Baggins coat. The actor wrapped his scenes for The Hobbit trilogy today and naturally, filmmaker Peter Jackson had to share the bittersweet moment with LoTR/Hobbit fans on his Facebook page.
It's a bittersweet goodbye as Martin Freeman completes his unexpected journey.
Tonight Martin Freeman finished his last shot as Bilbo Baggins. The end of an incredible two and a half years. I cannot imagine anyone else in this role - a character that Martin has nurtured and crafted with love and great skill.”
Continue reading: Peter Jackson Salutes Martin Freeman In Honor Of The Actor Wrapping His Scenes For The Hobbit Trilogy
Time to say goodbye for these fantasy stalwarts
As filming for The Hobbit trilogy comes to an end, the franchise says goodbye to some of its most loved characters. The time has come for Legolas and Gandalf to put down their bow and staff respectively, as the actors that portray them leave behind a loved series.
Here's McKellen enjoying a smoke and some lines
Expected to feature heavily, as he did in The Lord Of The Rings, Orlando Bloom’s Legolas will enjoy his last outings in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which is expected to hit cinemas this December, and the last film The Hobbit: There and Back Again.
Continue reading: Orlando Bloom And Sir Ian McKellen Are Legolas And Gandalf For The Last Time
Peter Jackson's expanded take on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit comes to a conclusion in a...
The Lonely Mountain has been reclaimed from the dragon Smaug. The dwarves of Thorin Oakenshield...
Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and the mini-army of dwarves led by Thorin are facing an evermore...
With wittier action and a few more sharply defined characters, this second episode in Peter...
Bilbo Baggins has narrowly escaped several deadly confrontations with the likes of trolls, stone giants...
Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and their company thirteen dwarves have managed to leave the Misty Mountains...
Corruption, self-interest and rampant bigotry are so clearly portrayed in this riveting documentary that if...
This first chapter of Peter Jackson's new Tolkien trilogy takes us back to the familiar...
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit, who lives a quiet life in The Shire. His peace...
This film is packed with involving performances, even though Jackson takes a bloated approach to...
With a relentless pace and seamless effects, this offbeat alien invasion thriller combines non-stop action...
Need I provide a pithy introduction to The Two Towers, the second installment in The...
You think Harry Potter had expectations? It's a beloved book, sure, but it was...
