As announced in May, J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic book is to be released in two parts, subtitled An Unexpected Journey and There and Back Again, with the first instalment hitting the big screen on 14th December 2012.
The films are set sixty years before The Lord of the Rings and, as if you don’t already know, follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman)who finds himself caught up in an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom from the fearsome dragon Smaug.
The movies are being filmed in 3D at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand and also star Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Orlando Bloom as Legolas; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum.
The ensemble cast also includes (in alphabetical order) Richard Armitage, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, Mike Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott, Jeffrey Thomas, and Aidan Turner.
The Hobbit is a New Line Cinema and MGM production, distributed by Warner Bros Pictures.