The Lord of the Rings returns to the  big screen

Peter Covino
Film Critic

Only 13 more days until one of the most anticipated movie events of the year: The premiere of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”
Advance tickets for the film can be purchased now at theaters in Central Florida.
This is the first film in a trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.”  And all three films are directed by Peter Jackson, who of course also directed “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
All three films in “The Hobbit” trilogy tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings.”
“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is one of the most successful movie franchises ever, the three films have made more than $1 billion since their release and that amount is about to go up.
As part of the celebration for The Hobbit opening, moviegoers will get a rare chance to relive Middle-earth on the big screen with marathons of “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy in their Extended Cut editions on Saturday, Dec. 8, and Sunday, Dec. 9.
Tickets for the all-day events are on sale, online and in theaters throughout the U.S.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who joins the Wizard Gandalf and 13 Dwarves, led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.
Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. Also reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” in “The Hobbit” Trilogy are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The international ensemble cast of the trilogy also includes (in alphabetical order) Manu Bennett, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Barry Humphries, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner.
The screenplay for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro. Jackson also is producing the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.
Under Jackson’s direction, “The Hobbit” Trilogy has been shot in 3D 48 frames-per-second and will be released in High Frame Rate 3D (HFR 3D), other 3D formats, IMAX and 2D. Production has taken place at Jackson’s own facilities in Miramar, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.
Among the creative behind-the-scenes team returning to Jackson’s crew were director of photography Andrew Lesnie, production designer Dan Hennah, conceptual designers Alan Lee and John Howe, composer Howard Shore and make-up and hair designer Peter King. The film is edited by Jabez Olssen. The costumes were designed by Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor and Bob Buck.
Taylor also oversaw the design and production of weaponry, armor and prosthetics, which were once again being made by the award-winning Weta Workshop. Weta Digital took on the visual effects for the films, led by the film’s visual effects supervisor, Joe Letteri. Post production is taking place at Park Road Post Production in Wellington.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and the second and third films of the trilogy are productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” will be released in the U.S. on December 14, 2012, with the second film, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” releasing December 13, 2013, and the third film, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” slated for July 18, 2014.