The Hobbit Dwarf Banner

A new banner for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has been released that features all the main characters from the trilogy, with specific focus on the large cast of dwarves. The image (click it for larger size), is a useful way to get familiar with the names of the characters as it can get confusing. If like the images, WB has created an app to create wallpaper, covers and profile images using the various posters and banners they have released over the last few months. That can be found here.

The Hobbit US Premiere Set for December 6th

If you have at least $500 and know the right people, you could one of the few to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey before anyone else in the United States. The American Film Institute (AFI) and WB are doing the US premiere of the movie on December 6th at 7PM EST at the Ziegfeld Theatre for $500 per ticket. The Hobbit's world premiere is set for November 28th in Wellington, New Zealand with the UK premiere on December 12th.

The Hobbit's Dwarves Poster

Another new poster has been released for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to join the Bilbo poster that was released last week.  This one focuses on the entire troupe of dwarves that are in the film.  Make me wonder if the next poster will focus on The White Council.

Two New Lego Lord of the Rings Posters

Lego has released two new posters for Lego The Lord of the Rings that is coming out on October 30th. One poster depicts the Legoized villains while the other is for heroes.

Billy Connolly Comments on "Unreadable" The Hobbit

Sir Billy Connolly, while at a movie premiere, spoke with Vulture about The Hobbit trilogy. The actor plays Dain Ironfoot who will be a major character in the third film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again as part of the Battle of Five Armies and could appear towards the end of the second film depending on how director Peter Jackson breaks up the story. It is possible he will appear in the first film but just going by the novel, he had no role in the story events until after the confrontation with Smaug the Dragon.  Any case, he spoke with the website about how little he knows about JRR Tolkien's books and how he "always found him unreadable."

"Oh yes!" he confirmed. "I have to go back for that. I haven't done [the battle scenes] yet. I have to get battle-ready! I ride into war on a wild pig!" So, how many times has Connolly read The Hobbit? "I've never read The Hobbit. Never." What about Lord of the Rings? "Never read Lord of the Rings," replied the 69-year-old Scottish actor. "I could never read Tolkien. I always found him unreadable … I didn't read [the books], and I normally don't like people who have! The people who love it, they're kind of scary. They talk all this gobbledygook and they think of it as the Holy Grail."

The Hobbit Getting a Royal Screening

The world premiere for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is still set for November 28th in Wellington, New Zealand but that is no longer the only location that will get an early peak at the film before its official December 14th release date. THR is reporting that the movie will get its London premiere on December 12th at the 65th Royal Film Performance in London where it will be screened by members of the Royal Family (possible the Queen to but that can be hit or miss at best). The screening is for the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund that to assist in the family's of the UK film and TV industry that are having financial problems. Not other details yet, most of the cast main cast including Martin Freeman (Bilbo), Ian McKellan (Gandalf), Andy Serkis (Gollum) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug, Necromancer) are from Great British so suspect many will show up to the event.

Recreating Middle-Earth for Lego Lord of the Rings

For the upcoming release of Lego Lord of the Rings video game, below is a video from the Traveler's Tales team that created the game as they discussed how they recreated Middle-Earth lego style while remaining faithful to the movies. The game will be out on all gaming consoles and PC on October 30th.

Andy Serkis Reads The Hobbit

Below is a video from Fulham Palace Gardens in London where Andy Serkis read passages from The Hobbit in the voice of Gollum to a group of children. He was there as part of the 75th Anniversary of The Hobbit novel. He also told ITN, "Part of the difficulty of doing the Hobbit 12 years later was kind of reclaiming him. I have heard that many impersonations and people ask me to do that many telephone messages for them...so the first days of doing the character again I really had to...it all sounded right it's just really connecting with him again." We will get to here more when the movie is released on December 14th.

The Hobbit Tickets Go on Sale November 7th

The One Ring spotted on a Warner Bros Facebook page a poster that sets the start date for advanced ticket sales for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for Wednesday, November 7th at Noon EST. More of an FYI since that is a while off. Also I would hold off on buying any advance tickets. The reason is the variety of format choices the film will be released in with regular format, 3D, IMAX, and IMAX 3D along with 24FPS and 48 FPS varieties. Depending on your location, you might have 8 different format choices to choose from. For most it will be the typical 3 of regular, 3D, and IMAX 3D at 24fps. Regardless, until those details are worked out, no point in locking yourself in until can make the informed decision. Personally I plan on sticking with good old fashion regular 24fps format simply to keep my experience consistent with The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

First Look at Tauriel

leak of action figures from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey toy line has provided the first look at Tauriel as played by Evangeline Lilly (left). The below image is probably her stunt double I think taken from one of the production videos. The character is Mirkwood Elf that is likely involved in the capture of Bilbo and the dwarves and may play a part in The Battle of Five Armies in the last film. What other part she may play remains unknown as she was created by Peter Jackson and company for the trilogy and not based on a specific The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings character.

New Poster for Hobbit Day

For Hobbit Day today to celebrate the "birthday" of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins (and the 75th Anniversary of The Hobbit), Peter Jackson has posted a new The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey poster featuring Bilbo Baggins.

Lego Hobbiton with Map

In time for the 75th Anniversary of The Hobbit, a new Lego creation from Middle-Earth by Legopard. Click here to view a gallery of images that shows cases the Hobbiton diarama complete with a Lego map of The Shire, Gandalf's arrival (with fireworks), the big tree and Bag End with removable roof to show off the interior. Video slideshow below. (via Brothers Brick)

Four The Hobbit Clips, Trailer Screenshots, and Analysis

Yesterday trailer #2 for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was released. As part of that the official site TheHobbit.com has released four additional clips to "create your own version of the trailer". Fortuntely, if like me, you just want to see them, below is the clips edited together by Bleeding Cool. For me the trailer is actually enough but if interested in trying to gleam every bit of information from them, The One Ring has compiled a huge gallery of screenshots from the trailer that can be found here. In addition the second video below is their 85 minute video analyzing the trailer frame by frame.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trailer 2

The next trailer and poster for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has officially been released. Click here to view trailer #2.

Depending on how count these things this might be trailer three, two, or one. Technically there were two previous trailer before this one with trailer #1 and trailer #1.1. Due to the two trailers only having a few seconds difference and not getting any official announcement or release, I consider this to be trailer #2. Or if you prefer you could call this trailer #1 to reflect the fact this is the first trailer after the film was edited to account for the decision to make The Hobbit a trilogy of films. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will hit theaters worldwide on December 14, 2012.

Hobbit Trailer Hitting Online, TV, Theaters

MGM and WB have issue a press release making it official from studio standpoint (just in case Peter Jackson's video wasn't enough) of tomorrow's release of the debut of the next theatrical trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. According to the official Hobbit twitter account, the trailer will debut at 10AM EST, 2PM GMT on Apple Trailers. Since it is a worldwide debut there will be likely multiple sources to view the trailer. As the press release below indicates, it will not just appear online but air on TV and in theaters also.

Press Release:

Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit Book Review

Thanks to many years of mostly crappy English teachers, one the activities I hated most about taking English classes what the long drawn out process of picking a book apart to finding hidden meanings, themes and author intentions that seem only to exist in the teacher's mind. The discussions by themselves were often enjoyable, it was all that followed that sucked the joy out of reading with the reports that exist to simply regurgitate the teacher's opinion back at them, followed by some project around the book that ends with a test where you write another essay and answer various multiple choice questions to prove you read the book and note the cliff notes. Going through that process year after year is almost the reason I stopped reading for pleasure and likely didn't encourage it in many others.

Thankfully that kind of deep analysis doesn't always have to be a painful process and can actually help you get more from a book then you would expect. Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit by Corey Olsen is an excellent "reader's companion to The Hobbit" for those that love the book and want to try to get everything they can from Tolkien's work as it celebrates its 75th Anniversary. Exploring the Hobbit examines the book as it was first published on September 21, 1937 that tries to avoid taking liberties with author intent to show you every nugget of information from the novel. This book is not designed to try to help you interpret the upcoming Hobbit Trilogy or try to figure out how The Lord of the Rings Appendixes may be incorporated into the movies.

New The Hobbit Pics for Tolkien Week

Tolkien Week has more or less officially kicked off in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of The Hobbit which was published on September 21, 1927. The week ends with Hobbit Day on September 22 to mark the birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo. This Wednesday the next trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will debut so it seems like a good time for new stills from the movie. USA Today has published eight new stills from the movie with comments from trilogy writer Philippa Boyens. All 8 can be viewed here. The one comment that provided new insight into the movie is for Radagast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy), a character that is not in The Hobbit book but appeared in the Lord of the Rings novel.

The wizard Radagast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy) is only mentioned in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbit book once, but Boyens had enough to go on to boost his role in the new movie series, and she feels he’s going to become a well-loved character. “He’s not at all like Gandalf,” Boyens says. “There’s a power and danger and sharpness and wits and cunning even about Gandalf that you sense immediately, whereas Radagast is much quieter and gentler. You could mistakenly think he’s not even a wizard or that he might not have any powers of his own, and then you discover that he does.”

"An Interesting Week" as New Hobbit Trailer Will Debut

Peter Jackson has posted a brief video for "Tolkien Week" informing fans that trailer #3 for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will premiere on Wednesday, September 19th. As previously reported the trailer will be 2 minutes 25 seconds long while also completely wrong on prediction that WB marketing could care less about Tolkien week and wait until the first week of October. Guessing we can thank Peter Jackson for that. The reason this is considered Tolkien week is because The Hobbit was published on 9/21/1937 and the next day, 9/22, is World Hobbit Day for the birthday of Frodo and Bilbo.

The Hobbit Character Gallery

The official Hobbit Blog has posted 15 character gallery from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The pics are from the same photo shoot that was used to introduce the company of dwarves last year. The pics are more or less waist up shots of all 13 dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf that will be the main characters for the entire Hobbit trilogy. The pic to the left is a character grid that The One Ring tweeted. The individual pics can be found here.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trailer Rating, Time

The Alberta Film Ratings has some info on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey trailer #3. Its running time will be 2:25 minutes with a PG rating. Not exactly mind blowing but the main point is a new trailer is coming. The One Ring thinks the trailer will come out with the Friday September 21st movies since that day is the 75th anniversary of the publishing of The Hobbit (9/21/1937) and the next day is World Hobbit Day. While Peter Jackson might know things like that, I doubt Warner Bros. marketing team does and they usually decide these things. Of the upcoming slate of movies, I believe the October 5th weekend is the more likely target for the new trailer with the release of Taken 2 and Frankenweenie. We will find out soon one way or the other.

Blanchett on Returning to Play Galadriel

In an interview with Spanish website Milenio (translation) commented on returning to play Galadriel in The Hobbit trilogy. Translation from The One Ring.

Milenio: It’s been 12 years since you played Galadriel. How did it feel going back to that character and that universe?
Cate Blanchett: I’m more mature as an actress; that’s what made me want to play her again. Peter called me and thought I might not accept the role. I told him “Are you kidding me? Of course I will!”

Galadriel is a special character to me, mythic and fascinating. It was as enjoyable to shoot as Lord of the Rings. When I wore the elf ears again, I had this wonderful feeling of dejá vú. I couldn’t stop laughing.

I was very young when I played Galadriel. I hope to have evolved, to be a better actress, person and mother. Professionally I think I’m much more flexible now, and easier to work with. I know Peter thinks so! (laughs) Come Christmas the audience will be able to decide for themselves.

The Hobbit Official App Now Available

If you have an iPhone or iPad you might be interested in the free Hobbit Movies app. No android version (yet I assume). From the description:

Explore Middle-Earth and experience the epic adventure of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” with the official iOS app. Learn about Bilbo Baggins’ quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor and the band of thirteen dwarves that join him and Gandalf the Grey as they embark across the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain through exclusive artwork, interactive character galleries, and production videos presented by director Peter Jackson.

View a selection of animated character portraits, travel through a detailed map of Middle-earth and explore the stunning narrative imagery of “The Scroll” artwork to immerse yourself in the world of Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, deadly Wargs, giant Spiders and a fearsome Dragon.

Hobbit Movies features:
• Interactive Map of Middle-Earth
• 360º views of scenic locations and settings
• “The Scroll”, a narrative art piece
• Animated lenticular character portraits
• Peter Jackson’s Production Journals
• Character image galleries and bios
• Downloads for iPad, iPhone, and Facebook
• Social integration with Facebook and Twitter

Updated The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Scroll, New Stills

Spoiler warning! Warner Bros has released a new updated version of their The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey scroll (below) to reflect the story pacing chances that have been made now that The Hobbit has been expanded to a trilogy. In the previous scroll (second image below) the order of events was Bilbo meets Gollum > everyone treed by goblins and wargs > meet Beorn the Skin-Changer (bear with Gandalf) > attacked by giant spiders in Mirkwood Forest > escape from Mirkwood elves by barrel.

In the new scroll the order of events remain the same but split between the first film and The Desolation of Smaug. In Journey it will be Bilbo meets Gollum > treed by goblins and wargs > escape with help of Eagles. Meeting Beorn may end the film or open Smaug and then things pick up again with Mirkwood events. This amounts to around 30 or so minutes cut from the film. This difference could just mean the film was already too long anyway (basically anything over 2.5 hours) or Jahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifckson added in additional scenes to expand on the story.

Besides the scrolls below, WB also released 14 new stills from the film which you can find here and here.

New Scroll

Original Scroll

The Hobbit: Bilbo and Pig Image Shows Scale

Entertainment Weekly has posted a new image from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as part of its fall movies story. The image probably doesn't seem remarkable at first except look at the scale. It shows Bilbo (Martin Freeman) running past a pig that fits the hobbit race scale. Even something as minor as running in a field of grass required more than a little Hollywood magic to pull off.

The Great Goblin Revealed?

The One Ring has put together what appears to be convincing proof of the designed look (left) for the animitronic and CGI character The Great Goblin from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The info is a combined from a leak card from a French Tolkien site and an action figure leak. The Great Goblin is ruler of the Misty Mountains goblins that Bilbo and the Dwarves meet after being captured and before the fateful meeting between Bilbo and Gollum. As the image shows, the character will be quite unpleasant to look at once post-production does their magic.

The Hobbit Treasures of Middle-Earth Design Contest

For you Tolkien fans with an artist streak, you might be interested in this new contest to promote The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Called Treasures of Middle-Earth Design Contest, it is a chance to submit your artwork that was inspired by The Hobbit story.

The official contest website, TheHobbitDesignContest.com is where you submit your own art. Whether submit art or don't have an artistic touch (like me) you can still rate other people's work and share with friends. The contest and art is divided into four categories - Characters, Creatures, Weapons, and Locations. Long time Lord of the Rings (stuff saw at end of Return of the King) and Hobbit artists John Howe, Alan Lee, and special effects wizard Richard Taylor will help choose a grand prize winner and four runners-up from each category to win collectibles. The prizes are based on the category so character winners get loot from Sideshow Collectibles, Creatures from Weta Workshop, Weapons from United Cutlery, and Locations from Vanderstelt Studio.

Harper Collins Movie Tie-In Books

If there is one thing you can count on with The Hobbit trilogy, it will be a whole lot of new merchandise. Way more then I will probably have time or interest to cover but for now the info is trickling in. Harper Collins has revealed four books they will be releasing on November 6th to tie into The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The books are either kids books or production photobooks that help promote the movie. These are just a few of the books that will hitting shelves soon.

I am currently reading one Houghton Mifflin Harcourt called "Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit" that analyzes the book itself rather then the movie's take on it. Hopefully will have the review before its September 18th release date. My point being is if you want to explore The Hobbit through the novel or the movies, you will have plenty of opportunities. To find out more about the Harper Collins books, click here.