Hobbit fever is rising - New Zealand is getting ready for the next Lord of the Rings saga! ‘The Hobbit’ book was written by JRR Tolkien in 1937. It is a prequel to the history of ‘The Lord of the Rings', here is a short summary:
‘The Hobbit’ is about the adventures of a hobbit called Bilbo Baggins, who one day is surprisingly visited by the wizard Gandalf and his dwarfs to be taken on a long journey. They encounter many creatures on the way, amongst those the lonely Gollum, who preciously guards an ancient ring with magical powers. It is Bilbo's fate to bring that ring to safety, a task that takes the Hobbit to the limits of his possibilities. He meets elves, dragons and orcs and in the end must survive a gigantic battle...
The heroes
Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit, who misses his five daily meals (at least) during the journey and would have rather preferred to stay at home.
Gandalf, the fascinating wizard with his dwarf helpers, however he frequently disappears during the story to deal with mysterious important issues.
Thorin Oakenshield, proud heir to the Dwarf throne, who still has a lot to learn along the journey.
Gollum, the astonishing creature that lives by an underground lake and guards his magic ring like the most precious thing on Earth...
Smaug, the dragon who captured Thorin's Kingdom and for a long time guarded the treasure under the mountain Erebor.
The film
Even though ‘The Hobbit’ book is much less detailed than ‘The Lord of the Rings' the film will be released as a two part epic. The film is scheduled to launch late 2012 and 2013. It seems that director Peter Jackson will not want to compromise on anything and the high budget of USD 300 million should be sufficient for a great spectacle.
The film is not only made in 3D but also with a higher frequency rate of 48 instead of the usual 24 frames per second. The perception of action scenes should therefore turn out to be much more intense.
The filming locations in New Zealand
The Wellington Stone Street Studio. Some old sets from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ will be revived.
The Aratiatia Rapids below the Huka Falls.
The well-known Hobbiton movie set on a farm in Matamata. The village is being rebuilt since everything was dismantled after the last filming. Maybe this time the end result will be a real theme park...? The valley is being especially irrigated so that in case of a drought the typical New Zealand green will still be visible.
Nelson area.
Mount Doom in the Tongariro region is certainly no longer used for location shoots as the local Maori tribe does not agree with this use. Could it be that the even more majestic volcano Taranaki in New Plymouth will be chosen instead?
