The highly-anticipated return to Middle Earth that is The Hobbit kicks off production this June, as was rumored and is now confirmed, thanks to the website of one Knight of the British Empire, Ian McKellan.  Thanks to the gentle people of ComingSoon for sounding the horns on this.

For those who don’t know, The Hobbit is being split into two films, which will be shot where all the cool kids shoot their films (New Zealand) over the next year or so, with  Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Blade II) sitting in the director’s chair.   The actor’s website had this to say:

THE HOBBIT’s, two films, start shooting in New Zealand in June. Filming will take over a year. Casting in Los Angeles, New York City and London has started. The script too proceeds. The first draft is crammed with old and new friends, again on a quest in Middle Earth.

Who’s joining McKellan for The Hobbit, you ask?

We know that McKellan will reprise his role as Gandalf, possibly joined by (as if you Screen Rant readers need a reminder) Hugo Weaving (Lord Elrond), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) and Andy Serkis (Gollum).

Guillermo del Toro got help penning the script based on the Tolkien novel from the triumvirate of Phillipa Boyens, Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson, who all worked together on The Lovely Bones and King Kong. Jackson, of course, was the architect of the big-screen adaptation of Tolkien’s sequel to The Hobbit, the now epic Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The Hobbit: Part 1 will hit the theaters and rule the world in 2012.  Just when we think it’s time to throw out our huge rubber feet, The Hobbit: Part 2 will descend upon us in December of the same year.

Sources: ComingSoon & Ian McKellan’s Webiste

The auction of MGM has entered its second round of bidding, with approximately half a dozen potential buyers being invited back to the table. This news, courtesy of THR, comes a month after we reported that MGM lenders are growing restless with the pace (and low bid offers) of the auction.

MGM is of course facing new ownership and/or restructuring, due to its massive debts.

Second round bidders include Time Warner, Lionsgate, Liberty Media and Summit Entertainment (to name a few). MGM’s financial consultant, Moelis & Co., is trying to get a quality bid on the table this month, as MGM has a big payment due to lenders on March 31st.

To get that ball rolling, March 19th has been set as the deadline for second round bids. However, as the six potential buyers are performing their due diligence on MGM’s books, some insiders close to the buyers side are reporting that the opportunity is looking less and less attractive.  Second round bids are expected to level out at about $1.5 billion (down from $1.7 billion in the previous round).

Said one insider:

“The deeper you dig, the more bad news you get…The numbers just aren’t getting any better.”

MGM has one of the largest film libraries around – unfortunately many of those titles are now considered “old people movies” and beyond the James Bond franchise and a remaining stake in the upcoming film adaptation of The Hobbit, MGM doesn’t have many strong new properties to offer.

Time Warner would likely benefit the most from the acquisition, as the company already owns a Warner Bros. catalog that includes a lot of  pre-1986 MGM films once acquired by Ted Turner. The other buyers are likely too small (Lionsgate, Summit) or have merger plans that don’t necessarily guarantee MGM success on the financial front.

The studio’s 140+ lenders are now scrambling to secure their positions, should the auction sale prove unsuccessful. Under debt restructuring, MGM equity would be shifted to the lenders.

Where will all this madness leave James Bond and The Hobbit? Hopefully safe under the wings of other studios (WB is already helping out with The Hobbit), but you never know.

We’ll keep you updated.

Source: THR

After previously debunking rumors that The Hobbit is going to be in 3D, director Guillermo del Toro is now telling us that the powers that be have spoken and they want the movie to go the currently in-vogue stereoscopic route.

As per usual – although usually he’s debunking out of control rumors not confirming them – del Toro posted this news on TheOneRing.net. It’s a short (and sweet?) message where he states that talks have taken place about The Hobbit being in 3D. I’ll just let del Toro do the talking – here’s exactly what he posted:

I wouldn’t read much on it just yet, but now, after all this time, after AVATAR doing the Box Office it did, we have had enquires from above about The Hobbit being in 3-D.

No impositions or heavy leaning. Just enquires. Just fulfilling my promise to let you all know if discussions ever started.

Cheers

GDT

Of course del Toro makes a point to say that we shouldn’t read too much into it basically telling us not to go off proclaiming that The Hobbit definitely WILL end up being in 3D. But nonetheless, this confirms that the studio is talking about it and frankly I’m disappointed.

I don’t want to harp on about what I don’t like about 3D movies (one more time: I hate it when it’s used as a superficial gimmick), so I’ll just say I would much rather The Hobbit be in 2D to go hand-in-hand with its counterpart, the Lord of the Rings trilogy. As del Toro says, because Avatar was such a monumental success ($2.4 billion and counting!), talks of The Hobbit being in 3D were pretty much inevitable.

Having said that, if they shoot in 3D  from the start (the ‘proper way’) instead of going the Clash of the Titans route and converting it to 3D in post-production; if they can use the technology to immerse us in the world of The Hobbit then it could work out well. It worked for Avatar (at least most folks think so) and planet Pandora, so why not Middle Earth?

Could The Hobbit in 3D replicate Avatar's success?

But I guess those are just words of a 3D skeptic trying to look at the bright side of life . What do YOU think: Do you like the idea of The Hobbit being in 3D? Or should they keep it in 2D like the LOTR trilogy? Let us know in the comments below.

Screen Rant will keep you posted as to whether these 3D Hobbit talks actually amount to anything or not. Remember: a 3D Hobbit is not yet set in stone.

The possibility of delays aside, The Hobbit Part 1 is set to hit theaters in December, 2011, with Part 2 following a year later in December, 2012.

Source: TheOneRing.net

Remember Matthew Goode, the guy a lot of you Screen Rant readers thought was ill-suited to role of Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias in Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Watchmen last year? Well how would you feel if I told you that Goode is being considered for another role held sacred by fanboys everywhere?

According to an extensive interview that the actor did with the Telegraph, he recently auditioned for the lead role of Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit.

Now, before you start typing in your angry comments (”NO! NO! NO!”), take a minute to read the context of this news.

Here’s a snippet of the article posted by the Telegraph:

Now he’s a father, Goode doesn’t even like traveling that much. But just before we met, he’d auditioned for the role of Bilbo Baggins in Guillermo del Toro’s two-part film of The Hobbit. As he is the first to admit, he’s not an obvious choice – ‘Look at the size of me for Christ’s sake!’ If he got the part, he would, he says, find it almost impossible to refuse – despite the fact that it would involve him spending several months in New Zealand…Goode might be Hobbiting about in New Zealand wearing pointy ears and prosthetic feet.

As our good friends over at IESB point out, whenever an actor stars talking so cavalierly about a role they were up for, it’s usually a pretty good indication that they’ve already been knocked out of the casting pool. To state it another way: if Goode was indeed being seriously considered for the role of Bilbo, then he’d probably be keeping his mouth shut while sending gift baskets to both Jackson and del Toro every single day.

Goode in Watchmen

I, for one, am hoping that Goode is indeed out of the casting pool. He falls into that weird category of actors who I don’t dislike, but still wish had been replaced every time I see him onscreen. That was certainly my feeling while watching Watchmen (see what I did there?) and also while watching The Lookout, in which Goode’s inhaler-puffing villain was more strangely effeminate than menacing. There are more engaging actors out there, for sure.

Personally, I’ll be glad when all this Hobbit casting business is done and Tobey Maguire is confirmed for the role – these constant rumors and trivial happenings are getting rather tedious.

Stay tuned, as I’m sure casting confirmations will be coming soon.

Depending on possible delays, The Hobbit pt. 1 is slated to hit theaters in late 2011, with pt. 2 scheduled for 2012.

Source Telegraph via IESB

THR is reporting that MGM is still in a financial quagmire. We’ve been reporting on the studio’s financial troubles for awhile now and last we heard, they were officially looking for buyers to come in an act as “strategic partners,” essentially allowing MGM to continue operating (albeit under new management).

The properties counted among the studio’s assets that we cared about here at Screen Rant were The James Bond franchise and Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of The Hobbit. Last we heard, the former was “safe” and as far as the latter, Warner Bros. had stepped in to help shoulder the cost of production to make sure the film got started on time (and no doubt to snag a little of that Hobbit money).

However, reports are that the first rounds of buyer bids didn’t go so well. As in: nobody wants to fork up the reported $2.2. billion MGM would need to put a serious dent in the $3.7 billion clams they owe to their lenders.

Moelis and Co., the consultant company helping MGM steer through these troubled waters, invited only half of the initial round of potential buyers back for the second round of bidding. Potential buyers include Time Warner and Lionsgate (the latter is also currently making a grab for the Terminator franchise). This shrinking pool of buyers (and no doubt the underwhelming bids being made) are reportedly beginning to make MGM’s lenders very unsettled. “I don’t think there is a clear consensus on what the lenders will accept,” said a source close to the lenders’ camp.

If the bidding doesn’t go well, MGM will have to opt for debt restructuring, or the current lenders (there are more than 140) would become the new owners of the studio, with the current owners being squeezed out of their stakes in the company.

Some analysts are predicting MGM could ultimately sell for around $1.7 billion.

What do we need to know, as lovers of James Bond and The Hobbit?  Only that we need to be rooting for whatever option keeps those two franchises running smooth. Although, I feel like with The Hobbit Warner Bros. (and/or whatever studio interested) will be there in a second with a nice big check and a smile if the production were to go off-track. Of course, the promise of controlling stake in the franchise would come with that kind gesture, no doubt. That Hobbit money is just too good to pass up.

We’ll keep you updated as more news of MGM’s struggle comes to light.

Source: THR

Tomorrow marks the release of Universal’s remake of The Wolfman (see our review), starring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving. The latter is, of course, a fan-favorite actor known for his roles as Agent Smith in The Matrix (I still quote “Mr. Anderson” on a regular basis), V in V For Vendetta and Lord Elrond in Lord of the Rings.

Of course, if you know anything about the Lord of the Rings/Tolkien universe then you’ll be aware that Lord Elrond doesn’t just appear in “the trilogy” but also in The Hobbit, which is the book that precedes the events of LOTR. It’s bee a big point of discussion that producer Peter Jackson and director Guillermo del Toro will be including Weaving’s character, Elrond, in the upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit.

Weaving spoke recently to Steve “Frosty” Weintraub over at Collider, where he talked about various things including The Hobbit, of which he knows less than you might think he would. After talking about The Wolfman and his distinctive and iconic voice, Weaving talks a little about the adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s pre-LOTR tale. Apparently he’s not read a thing from it… Take a look at the video interview below (The Hobbit stuff starts at the 4:35 mark):

Awhile back, Weaving – along with Andy Serkis as Gollum/Smeagol and Ian McKellen as Gandalf – was reportedly confirmed to reprise his role. But since then, del Toro and Jackson have said no one but McKellen is definitely returning and instead they are making sure to do a proper casting call for all roles. However, for the sake of continuity and the fact that the actors who played those roles are still around and working, I don’t see why you would want to recast.

I have no doubt Weaving will be back as Lord Elrond and him not having read a script is probably just due to the fact they’ve not been given out readily to anyone involved (the script for part one has been handed in and Ok’d; the script for the second part is still being written). I Weaving’s sentiments that I look forward to getting back to the world of LOTR but at the same time seeing it from the simpler, perhaps more childlike view of The Hobbit.

Are you hoping Hugo Weaving comes back as Lord Elrond in The Hobbit? What are you looking forward to most about the adaptation: getting back to the world? Seeing Bilbo in his younger, adventuring age? Seeing some of the characters again? Or all of the above?

Part I of The Hobbit is set to hit theaters in December, 2011 (although we heard word it may not come out until 2012), with Part 2 set for a year later in December, 2012. Shooting is supposed to start shooting in June this year in New Zealand.

Source: Collider

Maybe it’s the economic climate, or maybe it’s because there’s just more creative divergence in Hollywood between the studio chiefs and filmmakers, but it looks like even sure things like franchise pictures are no longer a certainty. With Spider-Man getting the reboot treatment and Paul Greengrass ditching the Bourne series (along with star Matt Damon) the ever-reliable Hollywood mantra of  “making a sequel” seems to be waning. Now it looks like Guillermo Del Toro’s two-part adaptation of The Hobbit is set to be delayed until the “fourth quarter of 2012.”

Toby Emmerich, the head of New Line Cinema, one of the studios behind The Hobbit (along with MGM) and Warner Bro big cheese Alan Horn spoke about the company and where the Lord of the Rings prequels sit on its corporate structure.

With regards to the pre-production of The Hobbit, Emmerich said:

“It’s similar [to The Lord of The Rings], though this is more expensive and much more of a known entity. It’s a big bet for us. But it’s one we think will pay off given the success of Lord of the Rings. This is one of the few movies it feels like people are waiting for.”

New Line Cinema was once an independent branch of Time-Warner, but when the studio had a string of major duds following the Peter Jackson helmed Oscar-winning franchise, it was folded into Warner Bros as a production shingle making around six films a year. Now, after a series of hit films New Line appears to be getting back up on its feet.

Warner Bros head Alan Horn seems happy with the new, New Line. Horn said:

“We are feeling pretty good about our relationship with these guys. The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding tastes pretty good. They have their own sensibilities, and it gives us a diversified slate. This is very much a collaborative partnership so that if Toby wants to do a film it’s a long way down the road toward getting a greenlight.”

Horn however, indicated to Variety that the first Hobbit film would probably open in the fourth quarter of 2012 – about 11 years after The Fellowship of the Ring. Now, while it doesn’t indicate that the film is in trouble, it may mean that the film is being slowed down due to partner MGM’s sale – much like the next James Bond film.

It was believed that the film would open in 2011 – a decade after Frodo and friends went on their fellowship, and it’s believed that the film would be shooting in the coming months.

It could be that Horn meant that the second Hobbit film would open in 2012 and Variety misconstrued his words, or it could be that Del Toro needs more post production time on the film. At this point, it’s uncertain.

However, the question that has to be asked is: Will mainstream audiences still be interested in JRR Tolkien’s world a decade after it first hit the screens?

Source: Variety

Now that Spider-Man 4 has come to an end and the rumors have finally seized for that franchise… oh wait, they’re rebooting the rumor mill too. Well, at least now that Tobey Maguire is done with Sony Pictures’ franchise so he won’t be bothered with rumors about who the villain will be and whether or not it will be delayed. Also wrong; He’s swirling in rumors for the lead role as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit (again).

Let’s take this story back to the beginning to find out what’s going on here. A month ago, pre-Spider-Man 4 (confirmed) fail, our trusted friends at Latino Review uncovered that Tobey Maguire was having/had meeting(s) with the producers of The Hobbit. Again, these were just meetings but they were able to confirm that Spider-Man 4 & 5 were not filming back-to-back – which we knew already with James Vanderbilt working on interconnected reboot scripts for Spider-Man 5 & 6. Anyway, there would therefore be an opening in Maguire’s schedule in the summer after filming Spidey’s fourth adventure with Sam Raimi.

This was quickly followed up with denial from Tobey who claimed he had never met with them or talked about the project. At this point, we sadly cannot believe what’s being said by him because of the nature of the business. Since then, we’ve seen an end to Maguire’s web-slinging days so he’s really got time for some Middle-earth adventuring now.

Fast forward to today and John Campea of AMC Entertainment tweeted that his inside source revealed that Maguire is a lock for the role, thus confirming what Latino Review’s El Mayimbe broke before the holidays. Both of these dudes don’t mess around.

“I have been personally told by a source very close to Guillermo del Toro that it’s true… Tobey Maguire IS The Hobbit.”

Hmmm…

Wait wait, we’re not done! Later today, AICN and Lord of the Rings fan site TheOneRing.net both came out firing back against this rumor.

TheOneRing.net received the following short and to-the-point message from Guillermo del Toro:

Not true.

G

Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News fame, who also knows Peter and Guillermo personally, sent them both an e-mail on this and got the following responses:

No truth at all, although we’re all big fans of Toby. We are currently auditioning for Bilbo, and a month or two away from any announcements.

Cheers

Peter J

And from Guillermo again;

Its not true, gordito-

G

This is an instant replay from what we saw with Spider-Man 4 – except with different players – and we all know how that ended. This rumor didn’t come out of anywhere and folks connected broke the initial reports. There’s no doubt there’s been inside talk and meetings for Tobey putting on some hairy feet; the question is whether or not that led anywhere and where they are at in the casting process now. Things haven’t gone smoothly for the project because MGM’s financial woes, so technically, the project is not greenlit and casting comes after their scripts and budgets are accepted/confirmed. That being said, in this case, The Hobbit will happen no matter what.

Expect some more confirmations (and denials) on this soon.

The lesson here, re-iterated yet again, is that everyone hides the truth because it’s a business. For more on that aspect of the industry, public relations and the beginnings of the Tobey-Hobbit connection, check out this great piece by Drew McWeeny at his site, HitFix.

If Tobey is in talks for the title role in Peter Jackson’s and Guillermo del Toro’s two-part adaptation of The Hobbit, perhaps nothing can be said until it is finalized. Or, perhaps he’s just one of several candidates auditioning. Hell, he might not be involved at all if they find someone else or if production doesn’t come together as planned.

Let’s just wait till we hear more because no matter what anyone says and who their “sources” may be, there will always be those arguing against until it’s official (case-in-point: what was formally known as Spider-M4N).

Sources: Latino Review, IESB, AICN, El Mayimbe, John Campea, TheOneRing.net

Steve ‘Frosty’ Weintraub over at Collider managed to get a chance to sit down and interview James McAvoy while the actor was doing his rounds promoting The Last Station, which is due out this Friday. Inevitably things got around to his upcoming roles, including the much-rumored notion that he’ll be playing Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, as well as the rumor that he’ll be portray James Bond creator, Ian Fleming, in a biopic.

Well, it’s no surprise that McAvoy has outright debunked The Hobbit rumors, as he has done so already in the past. With the help of Weintraub, McAvoy labeled it “B.S.” I think that rumor was just a case of wishful thinking on the part of fans (myself included) eager for Bilbo to be brought to life by an actor suited to the role. As always, that’s not to say we won’t see McAvoy end up playing Bilbo (casting for The Hobbit has already begun, and Bilbo is bound to be cast pretty soon) but at this point the role is not in his (talented) hands.

What’s a bit more surprising, however, is that McAvoy has also debunked the Ian Fleming rumors. This wasn’t just Bond fan speculation about who they’d like to play the character’s creator – Pajiba had a source at The Hollywood Cog that said the major parties involved in the $40 million project were eyeing McAvoy for the lead role. However, according to McAvoy he read the script a long time ago but never spoke to the producers and the rumor he’s attached to it are simply untrue (thanks Pajiba and Hollywood Cog ).

.

If, for whatever reason, you need the debunks from the horse’s mouth, here’s the relevant part of Collider’s video interview with McAvoy:

Ian Fleming is an interesting subject for a biopic and I thought McAvoy was a great choice to play him. Oh well, at least we can catch McAvoy in the aforementioned historical drama, The Last Station; the comedy/drama, I’m With Cancer; the Abraham Lincoln assassination film, The Conspirator; and of course there’s always Wanted 2.

Are you disappointed McAvoy won’t be playing both Bilbo Baggins and Ian Fleming? Who would you like to see play each part instead?

Source: Collider

We recently reported that – despite rumors stating otherwise – The Hobbit is still on track for its December 2011 and December 2012 release dates.

Of course, it didn’t take a HUGE leap of logic to figure out that if The Hobbit was indeed going to be in theaters come December 2011, it would need to get underway REAL soon, as the principal shoot alone was going to take around 14 months. 

Well, now we have word that The Hobbit is indeed slated to start shooting this June in New Zealand – of course there is still that pesky financial crisis over at MGM to clean up first…

Word of The Hobbit’s production start date was uttered by Production Weekly, with the good folks over at Coming Soon spreading the word to us. Again, there is still the question of MGM straightening out their current financial troubles, but since we know that New Line/Warner Bros. is helping to carry some of the financial burden until MGM gets back on its feet (or sells the property entirely), maybe that June start date isn’t impossible?

One thing that is for sure: there’s going to be nothing to shoot if they don’t get a cast together! We know that Ian McKellen will return as Gandalf – although apparently he’s the only actor from Lord of the Rings confirmed to be returning. Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett and Andy “Gollum” Serkis – whose characters all appear in The Hobbit storyline – are apparently not locked in for the next film(s).

“I am ready – now where is this Hobbit?!”

If this June start date is going to truly happen, we’ll need to start hearing some casting news ASAP – most notably, the name of the actor who will play the titular character, Bilbo Baggins.

Stay tuned for more news on The Hobbit cast, as it’s sure to come fast and furious at us.

Sources: Production Weekly via Coming Soon

Earlier this month we posted about the fact that the casting for the upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit was starting. Producer Peter Jackson said they were casting the net wide to find actors and actresses for the various different roles, including the key one of the titular hobbit, Bilbo Baggins.

Contrary to previous reports of Hugo Weaving and Andy Serkis being confirmed to return as Lord Elrond and Smeagol/Gollum respectively, apparently they aren’t offering ANY of the roles to anyone automatically until they’ve done a full casting search. The exception to that is Ian McKellen as Gandalf, who has officially been confirmed as coming back.

There’s still no word on casting beyond McKellen, but I imagine with the production start date of mid-2010 that’ll change quite quickly. And to move things along, it appears that casting for The Hobbit is turning to YOU, the average fan. Coming from TheOneRing.net and The Noldor Blog, applications are now being accepted to be an extra and there’s even an address given if you’re interested.

But before you break out your hobbit, dwarf or elf costume and starting firing out an application of your own, there are a few rules:

• The first and probably the most important is you need to be able to work in New Zealand, meaning you need to have an NZ tax number. Now you can either be a registered citizen of the country, or have a temporary visa to work there which lasts through the entire shoot of The Hobbit. Also, NZ law states that local actors from within the country must be hired before oversees people are brought in unless the latter can perform some sort of task locals can’t (i.e. principal actors etc). Basically that means you’ve got a much better shot if you’re reading this as a citizen of New Zealand.
• Only physical mail is accepted, i.e. no fax or e-mail.
• You have to provide a full headshot as well as a full body shot, both with you facing forward (an obvious one, no?).
• You must include your return address with your application so that if they choose you they can send a followup application asking for more specifics e.g. height, weight, clothes size etc.
• Lastly, they do NOT want to hear which roles you think you would be best for or which one you’d like to play (e.g. an elf, dwarf, hobbit). If you follow the previous steps, they will have your photo and bodyshot and THEY will decide which extra role they want you for .

Sound good? Are you interested? Can you handle all that’s listed above? If the answer’s “yes” then here’s the postal address you need (remember, you need to send physical mail!) to apply for The Hobbit:

Hobbit Extras Application
3 Foot 7 Limited
PO Box 15104
Miramar
Wellington 6243

After that, all you can do is wait. Don’t be offended if you never hear back from them, it’s probably down to a) you’re too ugly or b) you’re not ugly enough… Depending on what role you have in mind you can lump yourself into one of those two camps .

Will you be applying to be an extra in The Hobbit? If so, just for discussion’s sake, which role would you hope to get?

As stated, shooting on The Hobbit is set to start sometime in mid-2010. Part 1 is set to be released in theaters in December 2011, with Part 2 following a year later in December 2012.

Sources: TheNoldorBlog and TheOneRing.net

Update: Now we’re hearing Maguire IS NOT in talks for The Hobbit. See post for details

Our friends over at Latino Review have broken an exclusive saying that they have it from reliable sources that Spider-Man himself, Tobey Maguire, is in talks to star as Bilbo Baggins in Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson’s upcoming adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

Latino Review isn’t one to simply toss out some random rumor, either; those guys do their journalistic homework.  In this case, they’ve linked together a nice string of circumstances and events, which all point to Maguire being on the short list of Hobbit candidates (see what I did there? ).

Alright, here’s the situation as presented by Latino Review. I’m going to take the extra-simplifying step of laying it out in bullet points for you:

• Latino Review got a tip last month while Maguire was in NYC promoting his new film, Brothers, that the star had answered “Guillermo del Toro” when asked which director he’d like to work with next. Maguire added, “We may have something here in the near future.”
• Casting for The Hobbit is currently underway.
• LR then checked with some of their well-placed sources, and yes, talks with CAA (who represents Maguire) and The Hobbit producers are indeed taking place!
• THESE ARE JUST MEETINGS. No offer or contract has been put on the table; it’s just to feel out the logistics of the situation.
• Big point of evidence: According to Latino Review, Spider-Man 4 & 5 are NOT shooting back-to-back as once rumored.
• Maguire would allegedly be free after shooting Spider-Man 4 to do The Hobbit.

Latino Review has more details, but for the full skinny on if and how Tobey Maguire would play Bilbo Baggins, you’ll have to go HERE.

I know that having Maguire onboard would be a major lock for the studio(s) involved with The Hobbit (Warner Bros. is currently co-financing the film to support the financially crippled MGM). A big star would guarantee an audience – but how will said audience feel about seeing Spider-Man play a hobbit? If this was happening years apart from another Spider-Man installment, that’d be one thing… However, as it stands, we’re talking some serious back-to-back Tobey exposure here…

“Can’t get enough of me, can you?”

Then again, that sort of thing didn’t hurt Robert Downey Jr. when he showed up in Iron Man and Tropic Thunder in the same summer; it’s probably not going to hurt RDJ in the near future when he shows up (not six months apart) in both Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man 2.

Sam Worthington was in both Terminator Salvation and Avatar (ok, so he was blue in one of those…); Ryan Reynolds has to balance out both Deadpool and The Green Lantern…

…You see where this is headed.

UPDATE: THR has swooped in to mangle the report by Latino Review stating that Maguire is in talks for the The Hobbit. THR obtained this quote from Maguire himself :

“I have not met with del Toro. We don’t have any near future plans…I don’t know if something got misconstrued or miscommunicated but the source was not accurate at all…I love Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson, and I certainly wouldn’t take myself out of the conversation … if I was part of it. But I haven’t read a script or talked to anybody about it.”

Guess that sticks a fork in this rumor – or does it? As Drew McWeeny over at Motion Captured points out, stars and publicists lie all the time. So who is right here, Latino Review or THR? Only time will tell…

All I know is that judging from our comment section, a lot of you are now breathing a sigh of relief…

Spider-Man 4 hits theaters on May 5, 2011

The Hobbit: Part I hits theaters in December, 2011.

Source: Latino Review

Update Source: THR

Many fans and moviegoers have been waiting for a reliable source to reveal details about which LOTR characters will be returning for The Hobbit: Part 1.  Peter Jackson finally went on record with MTV (Collider noticed and told us) and gave us what we wanted.

The Academy-Award winning director, who’s executive producing and co-writing the coming Hobbit flick, is very busy these days with producer-related responsibilities for The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn and The Lovely Bones (which he also directed).  For those of you who’ve been in serious hiding, The Hobbit: Part 1 is to be directed by Guillermo Del Toro, who’s probably best known for his direction on the Hellboy movies along with Pan’s Labyrinth.

Check out who Jackson says could return from the Lord of the Rings trilogy below.

“Gandalf, being a 2,000-year-old wizard, is still around and plays a major role in The Hobbit, and we’re having Ian McKellen reprise… There’s a couple of other characters: Elrond, who was played by Hugo Weaving [in the original films], and there’s a possibility of Galadriel, who was played by Cate Blanchett.”

“They are elves, so once again, in the realm of Middle-earth, they’re immortal, they don’t age… We have a process that would start with showing them the script. We’re not [beginning] any official process until we have the ‘official’ script that they can read.”

We already know that the script for The Hobbit: Part 1 has been completed and submitted and the second is on track to be finished at the end of this month or beginning of the new year. We also know, despite some rumors, that the first of the duology is still scheduled to open in theaters at the end of 2011.

I’m curious to see if the new Hobbit flicks are so packed with story, character development, etc. that two films are warranted, or if this trick will end up smelling like someone said, “Hey!  Why make only one movie out of a beloved story that will gross $800MM worldwide when we can make two?”  I guess my final position on that will be in hands of Mr. Del Toro and Mr. Jackson.

Other than the logically appropriate immortals (or whatever Gandalf is) showing up, which character(s) from LOTR would you like to see in The Hobbit: Part 1?

The Hobbit: Part 1 is scheduled for a December, 2011 release.

Sources: Collider, MTV

The Hobbit, the much-anticipated film from director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy)  may feature a turn from Tom Waits, or so says AICN.  Waits would inject some creepy fun into a cast that so far consists of Ian McKellan (LOTR) – although casting of The Hobbit has begun as of this week.

If you can survive the jump, there’s a quote on the other side!Contact Music claims the following quote was given to AICN, although AICN doesn’t have this bit of info in quotes themselves (the mysteries of cyberspace!):

“As much as I’d like to say he’s a lock (certainty), I’m told he’s simply someone the production is talking about – but they seem to be talking about him pretty seriously.”

Where did this quote come from?  A source.  Would a talking banana qualify as a source?  Probably.

Cinematical used their noggins and speculated that Waits’ engaging performance as The Devil himself in the otherworldly The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus got him noticed by the Hobbit folks.  That raspy, charming voice may be just the one to voice the dragon Smaug, perhaps?  Waits and the dragon probably inhale equal amounts of smoke on a daily basis.

The Hobbit: Part 1 will be in theaters in 2011.

Source: AICN, Cinematical, Contact Music

When rumors hit the Net last week that the highly-anticipated adaptation of The Hobbit was being delayed a full year, it wasn’t good news for fans who are dying to see this film on the big-screen. However, we were right to treat it as a rumor, as soon afterward, producer Peter Jackson debunked the rumor, saying that as far as he’s concerned there’s been no delay and the film (Part 1) is still on course for a December 2011 release.

So, with that out of the way, one of the biggest questions hovering over The Hobbit is that of who will bring the characters of the classic fantasy tale to life, most importantly (I think you’ll agree) the role of Bilbo Baggins. Clearly, with the story taking place six decades before The Fellowship of the Ring, they can’t use Ian Holm again. Ian McKellen has said in the past an actor is already signed on to play Bilbo, but exactly who that is has remained a mystery up until this point.

Well, with this report from The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision Blog, it may mean that instead of being signed, the actor may have just have been kept in mind: Casting for The Hobbit is set to start this week in Los Angeles and London, reports Variety, with Jackson, Guillermo del Toro and Co. apparently set to cast the net wide to find the right actors for the roles. That means we could very well end up seeing an unknown get the role of Bilbo, as opposed to a famous actor as some might expect.

However, Bilbo isn’t the ONLY role to be cast, and Jackson says they’re casting for every role except for Gandalf, which is being reserved for he who played him in the LOTR trilogy, Ian McKellen (wasn’t he confirmed?!). Here’s what Jackson has said about the casting:

“We’re auditioning for every role… What we’ve done over the years is discover a lot of interesting actors, like Orlando Bloom (in ‘Rings’), Kate Winslet (in ‘Heavenly Creatures’), Saoirse Ronan (in ‘The Lovely Bones’). So if you start looking and auditioning seriously, it’s amazing what incredible talent you’ll find out there.”

Some very surprising info buried within THR’s report is Jackson’s denial that he’s approached any actor to reprise their role beyond McKellen as Gandalf. Where does that leave the apparent confirmation of both Hugo Weaving as Lord Elrond and the no-brainer of Andy Serkis returning to play (at least in motion-capture form) Gollum. I doubt Jackson will go with anyone else unless they absolutely knock it out of the park (being a better fit than, for example, Weaving as Lord Elrond). Jackson says that, “Apart from Ian McKellen, who we obviously want to return as Gandalf, we are not really offering any roles to anybody until we’ve done a casting sweep.”

Getting back to the possibilities of unknowns being cast, Jackson says he and del Toro have casting approval for both Part 1 and 2 of The Hobbit, and they feel no pressure to cast big name stars in any of the roles, even Bilbo:

“(These movies) have never been a star-driven vehicle. The star is (author J.R.R.) Tolkien and the world he created. We are not under any pressure. We want to find the right people. Casting someone to portray a hobbit is not as easy as you might imagine. They have to have a particular type of physical appearance and a sensibility. And the same with an elf or a dwarf. These are fantastical characters, but you’ve got to find the right people to play them, the right humans to translate these characters.”

Lastly, Jackson also reiterated that The Hobbit is NOT delayed, and that’s it’s still on course for its 2011 release as planned. The status on the scripts is still as we last reported: the first has been handed in already, with the script for Part 2 being halfway written, and they hope to hand in the draft to WB in a few weeks, around Christmas time.

I’d personally love for an unknown actor to be cast in the role of Bilbo Baggins. It’s not like they need a big-name star to get people interested in the project (it’s going to make serious box office bank, mark my words), and in the end there just might not be one out there that suits the role of a hobbit. James McAvoy has often been rumored to play the role, but Jackson has “pooh-poohed” that he’s approached him about it. I think casting McAvoy as Bilbo is just wishful thinking on the part of fans, me included, admittedly.  I personally think he’s an amazing choice for the role – I kind of get that vibe that everyone got when Robert Downey Jr. was announced as Iron Man: no on thought of him at first, but as soon as the announcement came it was like a lightbulb turned on.

Does McAvoy fit the role of Bilbo to you?

However, much like it was with Brandon Routh playing Superman, making Bilbo an unknown will really help you invest in the character you’re going to be following, as opposed to just seeing Johnny Depp in a hobbit outfit.

Do you think Bilbo, and the rest of The Hobbit cast, should be played by unknowns? Do you think casting big-name actors would take away from it? Or since it worked in LOTR do you think it’s fine either way? I know it’s been asked a thousand times but who would you like to see play Bilbo Baggins?

Part 1 of The Hobbit is set to be released in December, 2011, with Part 2 following a year later in December, 2012. Shooting is supposed to start filming around the summer next year.

Source: THR (Heat Vision Blog)

Last week reports hit the net that the highly anticipated adaptation of The Hobbit by Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro wouldn’t hit theaters till 2012, a year after the planned 2011 release.

As we reported earlier, the two-part production for The Hobbit will start filming in summer 2010 putting it on track for a December, 2011 release. The rumor which said otherwise surfaced last week from TheWrap’s column WaxWord, claiming that executives close to Warner Bros. don’t think  Part 1 of The Hobbit would release until 2012, with Part 2 likely pushed 2013.

We said at the time it was just a rumor and according to Peter Jackson, it is just that. Talking to Collider, Jackson said that he doesn’t know of any delay and that the scripts will be completed shortly after Christmas.

“Nothing has changed as far as I am concerned.  Somebody wrote something on the internet and a lot of nonsense happened.  You don’t want to believe everything you read on the internet.  We were due to deliver the scripts and be shooting sometime around April and now I think I said in an interview we were shooting in June.  And somehow people are now saying the film is delayed.  As far as I am aware, they are not delayed at all.  I am not even sure when we are going to start shooting…we are delivering the scripts just after Christmas they’ll be finished and we’ll be shooting as soon as we possibly can.  But you need a certain amount of time to finish the pre-production.”

Steve Weintraub then asked Jackson specifically if 2011 is still the target for Part 1 of The Hobbit.

“At this stage, that is certainly the plan.  Yeah.”

This should help ease the patience for the Lord of the Rings fans among us waiting to see Gandalf the Grey again. Jackson does point out though that the shooting date hasn’t been confirmed yet and that there’s still plenty of pre-production to be done. With the amount of post-production work needed on the films, we still could see a delay down the road but we’re hoping things work out according to plan.

Once those scripts for both parts are finished, expect major casting announcements shortly thereafter.

Source: Collider

This could either be another piece of false news that Guillermo del Toro or Peter Jackson will soon debunk, or a pretty major downer for us fans: Hot on the heels of Jackson revealing a few days ago that The Hobbit will start filming in summer 2010 – putting it on course for Part 1’s already-planned release of December 2011 – word comes that the adaptation will be delayed a full year, not hitting screens until 2012.

The rumor (as we’re treating it until it’s confirmed otherwise) comes from TheWrap’s column WaxWord, which claims that executives close to Warner Bros. are saying that the studio is likely not going to release Part 1 of The Hobbit until 2012, with Part 2 logically being delayed until 2013.  An unnamed executive told WaxWord that, “While it is still possible that it could come out in December 2011, it looks more likely to be 2012.”

Strangely, there’s no detailed information on a possible Hobbit delay, which could either mean that there’s no credence to the rumor or that the news is simply leaking early. Let’s just assume for a second that the news is true and us fans have to face another full year before we see J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit on the big-screen – what could be the reason?

Well, I can’t see it being the shooting schedule, since the summer 2010 production start that Jackson let us know about recently allows for well over a year of shooting before Part 1 needs to go into post-production. It’s been said that director Guillermo del Toro and producer Peter Jackson want to shoot for more than 370 days total, but that includes both part’s 1 and 2. All the needed footage will be in the can well before the previously-planned December 2011 release for Part 1. So what’s the problem?

Perhaps they want to have another year of time to make sure this thing gets handled right, from pre-production to shooting to post-production and beyond, the latter being where the huge marketing push will take place (make no mistake about it, you won’t be able to turn around without seeing a Hobbit ad). Still, taking those into account, a year does seem a bit excessive to delay one of the most highly-anticipated films in the works.

Taking this “news” at face value (that there WILL be a delay on The Hobbit), what do you think could be a reason for it? Do you think they want more time to work everything out? Is a year too long? And just generally, on a scale of 1-10, how irritated would you be if the film was to be delayed for that long?

The Hobbit’s release date has no be thrown into doubt – up until this point, Part 1 has been set for a December 2011 release, with Part 2 following a year later in December 2012. However, as stated, until this news gets proven otherwise, it may be delayed a year later for each part.

Sources: TheWrap (WaxWord) and ComingSoon

One of the most eagerly anticipated and discussed upcoming movies is Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson’s upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit. Little snippets of sometimes true and sometimes false information keep rolling out almost like clockwork, with the last one reported on being just this past weekend when producer Peter Jackson talked about the fact that he’s been scouting shooting locations for The Hobbit, and confirmed the film would NOT be coming to us in three-dimensions (thanks God, I say).

However, today we get some more information on The Hobbit, following and related to the news that the script for at least the first part is done and handed into the studio who seem to be happy with it (remember, the film is being split into two parts and released a year apart from one another). A quote from TheOneRing.net, which originated over at a German site called MovieReporter.net, says that during an interview for Jackson’s drama, The Lovely Bones, the acclaimed filmmaker revealed that the film will probably start shooting next Summer and not the Spring (March) date that was previously rumored.

Here’s the quote (translated from German):

“We’re currently working on the second script which we hope to have completed by the end of this year or beginning of next. When the scripts are completed, we can begin with the exact calculation of the necessary budget. We hope to start filming in the middle of next year. However, we’ve received no green light from the studio yet.”

No greenlight from the studio? I think we’ll hear word that has changed since Jackson is pretty confident the studio likes it…

We already learned recently that the first script was done, and that the second one was well on its way to getting to that point, too. I think that puts it on course for the original rumored start date of Spring 2010 and not the later Summer date that Jackson has now thrown into the ring. Word is the month is July, which puts it a whole 7 months away (at the very least) from today – perhaps they need a heck of a lot of time for pre-production, to make sure they have everything right (there’s still the casting of the titular character to take care of – which might already be known according to Sir Ian McKellen) before they start the cameras rolling.

We already saw photos from one of the sets of The Hobbit, which we reported on months ago. It showed Hobbiton being built, so they’re well prepared for principal photography. Like with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, they’re allowing natural growth of the lush greens and natural setting of the Shire which does definitely show when watching scenes in these beautiful locations.

But what does this mean for the reported release date for Part 1 of December 2011? There’s been rumored word for a while now that del Toro and Jackson want to shoot for more than a straight year for the entire project – if they start shooting in July 2010, and shoot for more than 360 days, they’ll still be shooting scenes for part 2 awfully close for their currently planned release date of part 1.

Nonetheless, I don’t think we need to be too alarmed about the “delay” in the shooting schedule – all the stuff like that about The Hobbit has been vague so far. It’s not like there was a set in stone start date and they’re now delaying it because of production problems. But still, coming from Jackson himself (who’s producing the mammoth project) it’s definitely worth taking note of.

What do you think of The Hobbit apparently set to start filming next summer instead of next spring? Is it cause of any concern on our, the audience’s part? When do you think we’ll hear word of the all-important Bilbo Baggins casting?

As far as we know, The Hobbit is set to start shooting summer 2010. Part 1 is set to hit theaters in December, 2011 with Part 2 following a year later in December, 2012.

Sources: TheOneRing.net, MovieReporter.net and /Film

We recently learned that the script was done for at least the first part of Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated adaptation of The Hobbit. It’s now in the hands of the studio, who Jackson says, “seem to be happy with it.”

Jackson talked, during a press conference for his drama The Lovely Bones, about the fact that he thought it’d be difficult to get back into the groove of writing “Lord of the Rings style” since it’s been about 8 years since they wrote the script for that trilogy. However, once they got started it was “easy,” said Jackson.

On top of that info about the first script being finished and handed in, Jackson spilled some more beans to the BBC, again during a press conference for The Lovely Bones. He talked about the fact that he’s been scouting locations in New Zealand as possible places to shoot The Hobbit, which is currently in pre-production. He also mentioned that they’re would be continuity between the film and LOTR:

“We’re writing the screenplays with him, so in terms of the script, there is continuity.”

Jackson also talked about the dialogue, particularly for Ian McKellen’s Gandalf, who remember is younger (although presumably not in appearance) than he was in LOTR, as well as why he wanted del Toro to direct instead of him:

“We’re writing Ian McKellen’s dialogue just the same as we did in Lord Of The Rings. But Guillermo, being the director, will obviously take the script and interpret that and shoot his film. So that’ll be interesting to see.”

“That’s actually the reason I wanted him to do it. I felt like I’d be trying to compete with myself and deliberately do things differently, which is not the way I want to work. I want it to be natural.”

Jackson went on to say that The Hobbit will be shot in regular film and NOT in 3D, as we’ve previously heard from del Toro. Those who are sick of the now much-used utilized technology can rest easy. Jackson says he didn’t want to go 3D for the adaptation as he wanted it to stay in the same vein as LOTR. However, he didn’t write-off the three-dimensional technology, saying it, “only adds to the experience.” He did say he found an annoyance in that the image is a little dull, commenting that it’s almost like watching a movie with sunglasses. However, he pointed out something like, “brighter bulbs in the projectors” would easily fix that problem.

Not disregarding 3D above is evident in his upcoming 3D-motion capture project, Tintin, which he also recently updated. A bit of bittersweet news has come out about it: the film – subtitled The Secret of the Unicorn – is in the can, but it will take two years for all the computer animation to be finished. Jackson had this to say:

“Tintin is great. It’s made. The movie is cut together and now [we] are turning it into a fully-rendered film… So the movie, to some degree, exists in a very rough state.”

I suppose this shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who mark their calendars for all the latest (big) releases: Tintin was long ago revealed to have a release date of December 23rd, 2011. Two years sounds about right for it being on course to be released as and when planned. However, a full 24 months being devoted to adding the necessary computer animation is a lot, particularly when you look at the contrast in, for example, a film like Paranormal Activity which was shot in just one week.

As /Film suggests, the ever-advancing computer technologies might allow for the film to be finished before the two-year mark and we may see it earlier. In fact, an earlier October or November release is already in the cards for international audiences, as opposed to the December release for the U.S.

Are you glad there is going to be strong continuity between The Hobbit and LOTR in terms of dialogue and the fact it’ll be in regular 2D and not 3D? Are you surprised Tintin’s computer animation is set to take so long or does it sound about right to you?

Part 1 of The Hobbit is scheduled for a December 2011 release, with Part 2 following a year later in December, 2012.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secrets of the Unicorn is set to hit theaters in late October/early November internationally, and on December 23rd in the U.S., both in 2011.

Sources: BBC and /Film

For most movies, this wouldn’t be major news, but for Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated The Hobbit, I make an exception.

Following in the footsteps of the successful, awesome and critically acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy, we wait in patience as the mastermind behind bringing the J.R.R. Tolkien lore to life works with another wonderfully talented man to bring the prequel novel to the big screen with a pair of films based on The Hobbit.

While we’re eagerly awaiting to find out which lucky actor will get the chance to portray the title character amidst other casting rumors, we do have an update on the status of the scripts.

Peter Jackson was present to promote his new film, The Lovely Bones, at a press conference and during the talk, he confirmed that the first of the two scripts for The Hobbit has been completed and submitted to the studio and that they were well on their way with part two. With the studio now having possession of the scripts, approval can be made and Jackson and co. can move on to the fun stuff: casting.

“The Hobbit will be two movies and we’ve written the first script and delivered it to the studio who seem to be happy with it,” the New Zealander told reporters.

“We’re now halfway through the second script and Philippa, Fran, Guillermo and myself are doing the scripts and having great fun… It was an interesting experience because eight or nine years have passed since we wrote the Lord of the Rings screenplays and I was worried it’d be weird or hard or uncomfortable to go back there, but as soon as we started writing the scripts it was fun, actually, and easy.”

Jackson continues on to praise Guillermo, re-iterating that they’re there to support him and his work of adapting the 1937 novel and Jackson shows no hesitation in passing off the franchise to him. Along with Jackson and del Toro, the screenplay is being co-written by Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh.

Are you as excited as I am about returning to Middle-earth?

If you’re dying for more Hobbit news, check out what del Toro has to say about the film’s creatures and monsters.

Part 1 of The Hobbit is planned to hit theaters in December, 2011, with Part 2 following a year later in December, 2012.

Source: In The News, Latino Review