Big Names Set to Return to Hobbiton
26 May 2008
Thousands of excited Hobbit fans have hit the net to get the low down on Kiwi film-maker Peter Jackson's sequel to The Lord of the Rings - The Hobbit.
More than 5,500 people registered for a record breaking one hour live chat on the internet with The Hobbit's director Guillermo del Toro, in London and Executive Producer Peter Jackson.
During the interview Jackson revealed he wants to use the same New Zealand locations from The Lord of the Rings, as well as the same actors, for The Hobbit and a sequel that will be shot in 2010.
It will include rebuilding the elaborate Hobbiton village on a farm in Matamata, which is now a tourist attraction.
"We hope, with the permission of the land owner, that we will rebuild Hobbiton bigger and even better than what it was for Lord of the Rings in exactly the same location," said Jackson. "It is unlikely we will need any locations outside of New Zealand which has always been the perfect Middle-earth."
While much of Hobbiton has been returned to its natural state, 17 of the 37 hobbit holes and some structures have been left and are visited by thousands of tourists each year.
Will The Stars Return For The Hobbit?
The most common question received on the live interview was whether any of the stars of The Lord of the Rings would return for The Hobbit and the second film. Other than Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Andy Serkis as Gollum, others still had to be cast.
"Unequivocally, every single actor that originated a role in the trilogy will be asked to participate and reprise it," del Toro said. "If health, availability or willingness become obstacles - only in that case recasting would be considered.
"Apart from extreme circumstances, we would never recast a character who appeared in the Lord or the Rings trilogy," said Jackson.
The hobbit Bilbo, played by British actor Sir Ian Holm in The Lord of the Rings, is the central character in The Hobbit.
Jackson said preproduction on the two films would take place next year, and back-to-back shooting throughout 2010. The Hobbit would be released in December 2011 - the 10th anniversary of the release of the first Lord of the Rings film. The second film, still to be titled, would be released in 2012.
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