According to some people the world will come to an end in 2012. Probably not, but even if it is, there is at least one good reason to look forward to Christmas next year. Nine years after the Lord of the Rings trilogy finished with The Return of the King, we can once more immerse ourselves in Middle Earth as the first installment of The Hobbit will appear in theaters worldwide in December 2012. Based upon the namesake 1937 novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, who also wrote Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit takes place sixty years before the adventures of Frodo and Sam and their mission to destroy the One Ring.
What is especially interesting is that quite a lot of the actors and actresses who appeared in the Lord of the Rings trilogy will return in The Hobbit. Familiar names returning in The Hobbit are Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Elijah Wood (Frodo), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Andy Serkis (Gollum), Hugo Weaving (Elrond), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), and Ian Holm (Bilbo). In addition, a large part of the production crew that worked on the three Lord of the Rings films is also involved with The Hobbit, including director and producer Peter Jackson.
Similar to Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit will not be released as one film. Instead, the first part (named An Unexpected Journey) will be in theaters around Christmas 2012. If the world indeed does not come to an end, the second part (named There and Back Again) will arrive in theaters a year later. The two installments of The Hobbit are currently filmed back to back in New Zealand as filming started in March earlier this year. As was to be expected, The Hobbit is filmed and will be released in 3D.
There has already been considerable attention for the new films as details about the production are shared online by the production crew. Especially interesting and insightful are the official ‘Behind the Scenes’ production videos, which can be found below. Not only interesting, but also entertaining material!
The Hobbit Official Trailer #1
The Hobbit Behind the Scenes Production Video #1
The Hobbit Behind the Scenes Production Video #2
The Hobbit Behind the Scenes Production Video #3
The Hobbit Behind the Scenes Production Video #4
The Hobbit Behind the Scenes Production Video #5
Links for further reading: