The Hobbit Comic Con Panel

While at the District 9 panel at Comic Con 2009, Peter Jackson took time to talk about The Hobbit and the process of the film, how they are not green lit from Warner Bros., and how they are making it into 2 films.

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The Hobbit - Who will be Bilbo? Dr Who, Harry Potter or Mr Tumnus?

Rumour has it that the name of the lead star in Guillermo del Toro's The Hobbit will be announced next week at Comic-Con International.

Names recently mentioned in the running are David Tennant (Dr Who), Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and James McAvoy (Wanted, The Last King of Scotland). Sadly Ian Holm who played Bilbo in The Lord of The Rings is not in the running.

I don't really see any of the trio being Bilbo, they're all a little skinny and heading down the Elijah Wood as Frodo look.

However, if I had to pick I would like to see Tennant. To go from the Doctor to The Hobbit would be amazing.

This also seems like it could be the most likely if you look at what is happening at this years Comic Con.

David Tennant is making his very first trip to the San Diego expo to promote Doctor Who, a television series that he will soon be leaving behind. Peter Jackson, the producer of the two-film "Hobbit" series due out in 2011 is also meant to be appearing at the Comic Con. Coincedence?


Source: L.A. Times

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Hobbit, Hellboy 3 and Frankenstein news from the mouth of Guillermo del Toro

Lots and lots of Hobbit goodness and it looks like Ron Perlman won't be Hellboy anymore. BBC radio's Simon Mayo had Guillermo del Toro on the show.

They were chatting about del Toro’s vampire novel The Strain, but they also discussed many of the films he's working on. /Film picked up on this first.

The Hobbit - We know it is going to be split into two films and del Toro mentioned that they will be expanding on some of the things mentioned in passing.

There is a whole other chapter, so to speak, which is the comings and going of Gandalf which are dealt with, people that know the lore know that Gandalf was delayed with a crisis… with a character that is very shady called the Necromancer that proves to be Sauron.

He was then asked if Andy Serkis would be returning which led to some cool news.

Yes [and] Ian McKellen is back, [and] Hugo Weaving in the roles they originated in the trilogy.

That's Gollum, Gandalf and Elrond. No news on who'll be playing Bilbo. He also mentioned that they have got the basics down for Smaug but it will take a good few months before they get it finished. Will Perlman or Doug Jones have a role in the film?

Hellboy 3 - Ron Perlman has said he no longer wants to wear the prosthetics, so Guillermo “guesses” it will never happen. I hope this gets changed though as I would love to see another Hellboy film.

Frankenstein - Doug Jones (Silver Surfer, Abe Sapien) has been cast as the monster. Guillermo will be directing it and they are starting make-up tests very soon. I can't wait to see what the Monster looks like.

The show is on BBC’s iPlayer for the next two days and the interview starts at the 1 hour 47 minute mark.

Discuss in the forum or leave a comment below.

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The Random - Buffy, Last Airbender, District 9, The Hobbit, Saw, 1906, Iron Man 2, Heroes, Piranha 3D

- "I wouldn’t want to see it, no. The Kuzuis didn’t do a great job on the movie the first time around. It was Joss’ script at the age of 19, but they changed a lot of it. They said, ‘Look, we know best and we know how to make this movie,’ and it became quite schlocky and high camp" says Anthony Stewart Head on why he has no interest in the upcoming Buffy film franchise reboot - full details

- The first trailer for M Night Shymalan’s The Last Airbender, which will debut in theaters later his month, is set to hit online on June 24th according to producer Frank Marshall full details

- Peter Jackson will attend this year's San Diego Comic-Con to promote the Neill Blomkamp-directed District 9 - full details

- Dolph Lundgren says the budget for Sylvester Stallone's upcoming action team-up The Expendables is costing $70 million - full details

The DVD/Blu-ray of this weekend's Land of the Lost film will have 35 minutes of deleted scenes according to the director - full details

Tobin Bell says that Saw 8 is being conceived as the final chapter in the "Saw" series, however 'Final is a relative word. Especially in entertainment' - full details

Director Brad Bird ("The Incredibles," "Ratatouille") insists that "Lost," "Up" and "Star Trek" composer Micharl Giacchino score his next film, the live-action feature 1906 set in San Francisco and now in pre-production - full details

Mickey Rourke went to Russia, visit jails and has been training with a Russian language coach three hours a day for his role as Ton Stark's tattooed nemesis Whiplash in Iron Man 2. Rourke also says "I decided to do half my role in Russian - full details

Guillermo del Toro confirms that after a long selection process, the list of four potential contenders to play Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming The Hobbit film adaptation has been narrowed down to one and announcement is coming sometime in the next few weeks - full details

Ray Park ("Star Wars: Episode I," "X-Men") and Deanne Bray (TV's "The L Word") have joined the cast of NBC's Heroes next season. Park and Bray are set to be seen in multiple episodes - full details

STYD have news from the set of Alex Aja's Piranha 3-D that we thought you'd be interested in. According to our tipsters on set, Aja orchestrated a scene involving 500 extras being caught in a piranha feeding frenzy. "It was a bloodbath!" enthused one of their sources

Source: Dark Horizons

Discuss in the forum or leave a comment below.

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The Hobbit - del Toro has news on the two parter

Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson are gearing up to bring The Hobbit and its sequel to theaters and they recently gave a few details on the films. Empire recently spoke with del Toro and Jackson, who revealed that the second film would not bridge the 60-year gap between the films and The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.

"We've decided to have The Hobbit span the two movies, including the White Council and the comings and goings of Gandalf to Dol Guldur," says Del Toro.

"We decided it would be a mistake to try to cram everything into one movie," adds Jackson. "The essential brief was to do The Hobbit, and it allows us to make The Hobbit in a little more style, if you like, of the [LOTR] trilogy."

So no Aragorn then.

Leave a comment on this post below.

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Hellboy 3 and B.P.R.D. news

Guillermo del Toro has been speaking to MTV about Hellboy 3.

“We’re three, four years away from anything happening—so I don’t think anyone is, you know, in a big hurry,”

Del Toro has given his blessing for another director to take the director’s chair for a potential B.P.R.D. spinoff while he is occupied with The Hobbit.

B.P.R.D. follows the rest of the team (Johann, Abe etc) and they are a great read and would make an even better film.

Who could direct a B.P.R.D. spin-off? What characters should be in it?

Discuss in the Forum

Mike Mignola working on the look of del Toro's The Hobbit

Guillermo del Toro had a chat with MTV News this week about how things were going on The Hobbit. He discussed what was happening with the scripting, casting and other pre-production news.

The coolest thing to me was the fact he confirmed that Hellboy creator Mike Mignola was joining him to work on the look of The Hobbit.

“We are sketching and designing with Weta’s John Howe, and [Adam Lee],” del
Toro offered.

“Mike Mignola is coming soon. He’s going to do a stint on the
design team.”

Brilliant news as Mignola's artwork is brilliant and he's worked with del Toro on both Hellboy films and Pan's Labyrinth.

Mignola also did the concept art and design for the Disney film, Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Check out the rest of MTV's interview with del Toro.

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Gollum is a Blockhead?

Cinemablend have a great interview with Andy Serkis (LOTR, King Kong, The Cottage). He chats about his work on The Hobbit and Tintin. However, he then mentions a little bit about what he will be doing next.

“I'm actually doing a film in April about the life of Ian Dury, who's a proto-punk rocker in the 1970s. He's an amazing character, a real poet. He sort of came up out of the British pub rock scene. He sort of pre-empted the Sex Pistols and the whole punk movement. And he was a polio sufferer, so he basically didn't have much use of his left leg or his left arm. The chance of being any kind of rock star is like zero [back then]. He was one of the first disabled punk rockers ever. I'm really looking forward to that."

Interesting stuff and as you can see from the photos (the one of Dury is from Tom Sheehan's gallery) the physical similarity is there.

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The Random - Catch up edition - Astro Boy, Captain Marvel, Piranha 3D, Iron Man 2, The Hobbit, Sex and the City, Galactica, Observe and Report,

John Cleese is developing a stage musical of his classic 80's comedy A Fish Called Wanda with his daughter Camilla. They're hoping to have it finished in the next two to three years and debut it in San Diego with the hope of the production continuing on to Broadway and the West End..." (full details)

Fans spent hundreds and thousands on everything from water bottles to model ships used on the set of Battlestar Galactica at an online auction over the weekend... (full details)

"My idea is to have someone like Britney Spears move to New York as my cousin or niece and Carrie would show her the ropes" says Sarah Jessica Parker of her plans for a 'Sex and the City' sequel... (full details)

Unlike the original, Ian McKellen says that the upcoming AMC mini-series remake of 'The Prisoner' will answer all your burning questions by the time it comes to an end... (full details)

"I would love to. I would be available. I would do anything for Peter and I would do anything for Guillermo. Of course there is the writing challenge" says Dominic Monaghan about starring in The Hobbit... (full details)

UPDATED: "Last I heard, Brett was leaning away from Conan. This can obviously change at any time, since I don’t think anything is official either way. I’m a little constrained from talking about Conan for reasons I hope I never have to write about" says "Conan" screenwriter Dirk Blackman (not producer Avi Lerner as I previously posted)...(full details)

Andy Serkis says that shooting on the first Tintin film directed by Steven Spielberg is scheduled to begin next week... (full details)

The upcoming CG animated Astro Boy film was almost a victim of the recession... (full details)

Access Hollywood have the first post-screening exclusive interview with the last of the 'Final Five' Cylons from Battlestar Galactica who was revealed on Friday night. Don't click unless you're aware of who it turned out to be..." (full details)

Sam Rockwell confirms talk that he's playing the character of Justin Hammer in the upcoming Iron Man sequel... (full details)

Alexandre Aja is adamant he will begin shooting the remake of Joe Dante's Piranha 3D this year after a slight delay from last Fall. He also indicates the fish themselves will look different visually - "Like Gremlins not all of the piranha will be the same"... (full details)

Despite reports of its death, producer Michael Uslan says the Shazam movie is still alive and kicking "I will only say one thing — and all I will do is quote Samuel Clemens to you. This is direct from Captain Marvel himself: 'The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated'"... (full details)

Also, despite reports of its death, producer Lynn Hendee says the Ender's Game movie is still alive and kicking and insists the "project is not dead". She told The LA Times the other week that "[Card] was not interested in a ‘tough-hero action film’ and refuses to condescend to green-screen Hollywood. Card imagines a ‘film where the human relationships are absolutely essential — an honest presentation of the story.’"..." (full details)

Twentieth Century Fox is holding an online casting call to find a bright, precocious and appealing young actor, age 10-13, for the lead role of Greg Heffley in the film version of the New York Times bestseller Diary of a Wimpky Kid. Candidates are invited to visit IAmtheWimpyKid.com to learn more about the project – and to upload their audition videos... (full details)

Sony Pictures has picked up the North American rights to Blood and Bone. The film follows former convict Michael Jai White as man who gets into the world of underground fighting. His one goal is to fulfill the promise of a friend who died... (full details)

Summit Entertainment has picked up rights to Gayle Forman's young adult novel If I Stay. The story follows a young musician and her rocker boyfriend who get caught up in a tragic car wreck..." (full details)

Seth Rogen comedy Observe and Report will have its world premiere at the SXSW festival on March 16th, nearly a full month before its general release on April 10th. Rogen plays an egocentric mall cop who tries to impress a perfume girl (Anna Faris) by catching a mall flasher before the whacked out local police detective (Ray Liotta)...(full details)

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The Hobbit pushed back to 2012

Just saw this on Yahoo news. Anyone have any idea what could have caused the delay? IMDB is saying 2011.

Lord Of The Rings fans will have to wait another four years to get their next big screen fix of the franchise - its prequel The Hobbit has been postponed until 2012.

Earlier this year it was announced Guillermo del Toro would direct the new film, based on JRR Tolkien's novel.

Lord of the Rings Oscar-winner Peter Jackson is producing the project, and he and del Toro will pen the screenplay.

Sir Ian McKellen has already signed on to reprise his role of Gandalf, and Andy Serkis is expected to play Gollum once again.

Shooting was scheduled to start in New Zealand this winter (08/09), but it has now been postponed until 2010 - with the release day pushed back to 2012.

The reason for the delay is unknown.

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Guillermo del Toro talks about The Hobbit, casting and Smaug

One of the busiest men in Hollywood, Guillermo del Toro, is currently writing both Hobbit films. He has given an update on where they are.

He talks about when they will start the casting process, and also what creatures we can expect to see.

Guillermo del Toro is busy writing both Hobbit films. But he has taken time out to give an update on what's going on. First up he has reiterated that no casting will take place until after the script has finished.

Literally, like every week, what you discover writing the two movies, writing the two stories, it changes. So, every week there's a discovery, and anything we say this week would be contradicted next week. Certainly that would be true in casting. Why create hopes or why create expectations if down the line you're going to go, 'You know what? That was not a good idea.'

At least we won't have loads of casting rumours for a while yet. del Toro also told Coming Soon that there are new creatures to be explored in the next two films. And he plans on using techniques used in Hellboy II.

We want to do a muscle-driven, radio-controlled suits for a couple of things. I already started that with Wink in 'Hellboy II.' Wink was pushed as far as we could within the time limits and the budget limits of the movie and we're going to take what we learned and apply it.

For The Hobbit though he is concentrating on Smaug, and sounds excited about what they have planned.

Smaug is the creature in 'The Hobbit.' The way Tolkien wrote it, already, is magnificent. It's already a fantastic character. So, obviously, dragons, you ask every person what their best favorite dragon is, they will give you a different answer. In my mind, what we're going to attempt on the design of this creature and the creation of this creature needs to push the envelope beyond anything you've ever seen on that kind of creature.

There is some stuff that has been done with dragons that I find... there are very few landmarks created for me. One of the best and one of the strongest landmarks that almost nobody can overcome is 'Dragonslayer.' The design of the Vermithrax Pejorative is perhaps one of the most perfect creature designs ever made. So, what you have to be careful is not to try to be distinctive just to be distinctive, but Smaug has certain characteristics that make him unique already. I am bursting at the seams about spilling the beans, but I won't because I would be shot

Source: Filmstalker

Here is the dragon from Dragon Slayer that he mentions. It is an amazing dragon.

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Guillermo del Toro talks about The Hobbit.

Guillermo del Toro spoke to MTV about The Hobbit films and how the story being two films will work.

“The reality is that we stopped talking the first movie and second movie, and we just started taking about the movie - the two episodes, or two parts, as if they were a single piece of narrative,” said del Toro. “We don’t even call it the bridge movie, we just call it ‘The Movie.’ And this is great. When we found what reverberated, and we found it in one of our virtual meetings - we understood. It’s a movie.”

Del Toro says that the second film will lead directly into The Fellowship of the Ring, and admits that even he doesn’t know when the book known as The Hobbit will end and the story bridging to the Lord of the Rings trilogy begins.

“We are finding out,” GDT quipped. “I think Smaug dies in the first movie. So draw your own conclusions.”

That death occurs in chapter 14 of the 19 chapter novel. That gives just 5 chapters for the second film which seems a bit flimsy to me. I still don't really see why it would have to be two films and sounds as if the second one will be a bit vague and pointless. However, del Toro is a man of vision so he may well pull this one out of his monster filled hat.

What do you think of this news?

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The Random

Vanity Fair photo of all the actors in character as Bush's cabinet in Oliver Stone's "W.".

Michael Douglas will star as a former car salesman/sex addict whose life and marriage falls apart in "Solitary Man" from writing team David Levien and Brian Koppelman (Rounders, Ocean’s 13). The duo will also helm the project

Some behind-the-scenes video from the set of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" here

Al Pacino mentioned, on a radio show, an idea floating around that would re-team him and Robert DeNiro for a drag comedy. The legends would pretend to be sisters. DeNiro chimed in with, “That could happen, who knows?”

Photos of Ben Barnes and Colin Firth on the set of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" here.- Brett Ratner talks about his "Superman" project that never eventuated.

Latino Review have slapped an early draft of the "Green Lantern" script with an enthusiastic, spoiler-filled B+. Along with the buzzing script for "Green Arrow" (formerly Supermax), they profess that Warner Bros. will once again be a worthy competitor of Marvel Studios. And the site confidently deadens those David Boreanaz-as-Hal Jordan rumors.

Viggo Mortensen says that he hasn't heard anything about returning to the 'Rings' franchise for the upcoming "The Hobbit", but would he want to return to the Aragorn role? "Obviously. I would rather have the chance to play that role myself since I originated it on film than have someone else do it" More

Bruce Willis will make his debut as a director on "Three Stories About Joan".CHUD says the film “interweaves the three phases of a young womans struggle to retain her faith in a love borne out of need, destroyed by a madness, and restored by a ghost.”

Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley in the "Harry Potter" films) says she's lining up playing the lead role of Gemma Doyle in Icon Productions "A Great and Terrible Beauty". Charles Sturridge will write and direct the adaptation..." More

A first look at Universal Pictures "The Wolfman" will debut at Universal Studios Hollywood's "Halloween Horror Nights" as part of the theme park's unique Terror Tram. "Halloween Horror Nights" begins on Friday, October 3rd and will extend over an expanded 13-night run concluding Saturday, November 1st..." More

David Hasselhoff will star in "Beverly Hills Ninja 2", the sequel to Chris Farley’s 1997 contribution to the fat joke. Apparently the sequel will be a theatrical release from Sony.

Nicole Kidman to star in “Indiana Jones-like Adventure” called "The 8th Wonder"

Check out some action figures for Frank Miller's "The Spirit"

“Airman,” a children’s book by Eoin Colfer (“Artemis Fowl”), will be the next motion-capture movie for “Monster House” masterminds Gil Kenan and Robert Zemeckis. The swashbuckling scientific story centers on Conor Broekhart, a young man born in a hot air balloon to a family close to the king who has a penchant for looking to the skies for inspiration. After his tutor and king are murdered, Broekhart spends two years in prison, escapes and must decide whether to should turn his back on those who abandoned him or fight those who plot to overthrow the government.

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Hellboy 3 news - Ron Perlman talks about it and maybe The Hobbit

Author: Guy Davis - Moviehole

"Hellboy II" shot to the top of the American box office in its opening week and is approaching the $US100 million mark, which gives some indication that a third movie would be welcomed by audiences. We had the chance to ask Ron Perlman what he thinks.

"This ride we're on, opening number one at the box office, that's just icing on what was already the most delicious cake I'd ever bitten into," Perlman tells Moviehole's Guy Davis. "Nothing's been announced but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a third, particularly on the heels of Hellboy II's success. And I know Guillermo has an incredibly well-articulated idea about what the third movie needs to be. It'll answer a lot of questions. It almost needs to happen because with the ideas that he has about closing the trilogy, it would be a shame for it go unfinished."

Even if there's no "Hellboy III" a reunion may still be in the offing. "When I found out he was going to be in New Zealand for four years, I said to him ‘I'm really gonna miss you, pal'," says Perlman. "And he said to me ‘Oh no, you're not!' I don't know what he means by that - he didn't get any more specific - but if he needs me there I'm there. Anytime I can be on a film set or even just sitting around a dinner table from Guillermo Del Toro, I'm there."

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The Hobbit script is being Written

This from theonering.net:

“Ive just got home from an early screening of Hellboy II The Golden Army hosted by PopcornTaxi at the Greater Union Cinema in Sydney, where Guillermo did a telephone Q & A from Berlin after the film…The last question though related to the Hobbit - and Guillermo said that although there was nothing to add at the moment - he can say that scripting has started - and he described the process as something ‘beautiful.‘”

Excellent news. I can't wait to see del Toro's take on Middle Earth, Smaug, Beorn, the spiders and many other great things. Who should play Bilbo? Who should voice Smaug?

Discuss in the forum.

Ian McKellan in The Hobbit

Sir Ian Mckellan was at Wimbledon today and was interviewed by Radio 5 Live. He confirmed he was travelling to New Zealand next year to make the 2 Hobbit movies.

I'm glad there will be some (reverse) continuity between the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies.

The Random

Thanks to SFX Magazine for the following info.

Bioshock - That's right the dystopian vision of the 360 game is currently in development for the big screen. Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) is running the show - he must love the water! Screenplay to be written by John Logan (Sweeney Todd). As long as it is done right the city of Rapture should look amazing. Not sure if it will be following the story of the game or whether it will just be set in the same world. Still should be cool watching the Big Daddy and Splicer fights. I really must finish that game, but it always leaves me feeling nervous!

Highlander - I didn't see this one coming but looks like a remake or reimagining of the Immortal ones is on the cards. The blokes who wrote Iron Man (Art Marcum and Matt Holloway) are working on the screenplay. It's got a budget of $50 Million and rumours of Ewan McGregor or James McAvoy starring in it have begun to creep around the net. They'll have to work on their French accent to blend with their native tongue for it to be like the original! There can be only one.

Flash Gordon - I've not seen any of the recent TV series but I've heard how terribly bad it is. Major suckage apparantly. Still it hasn't stopped Gordon making it to the big screen once more. Breck Eisner (Sahara) is down to direct it.

The Hobbit - Guillermo del Toro is busy on this one (actually two movies). He's said that casting is still a good way away, but rumours abound that James McAvoy (he gets everywhere) will be the titular Bilbo Baggins. However del Toro has said there will be parts for his good buddy Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Cronos) and Ian Holm who played Bilbo in the Lord of the Rings movies. Back to back filming is due to start in 2011.

Spider-Man 4 - Some good news on this one after the disappointment of Spidey 3 (Emo Parker was just rubbish and Venom was wasted). James Vanderbilt (the bloke who did the screenplay for Zodiac) has completed his first draft of the movie. Rumour has it that it sets up a story arc that needs to be told over two films. Tobey Maguire is still down to play Parker, but word is out that Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous) could be steeping into the red and blue tights.

Let me know your thoughts on any of these stories and if you have anything for the next Random email me and I'll whack them on the site. If you can include where you heard about it and a name you'd like to go by that would be splendid.