Fans of "The Hobbit" have waited with baited breath to see if the long-anticipated, seemingly troubled-from-the-get-go production would get off the ground, particularly after director Guillermo del Toro dropped out of the project last May.
Since then, Peter Jackson has stepped in, but Wednesday night the film had another setback as the Oscar-winning director underwent surgery for a perforated ulcer, according to a statement from production.
Filming was expected to start sometime next month, but will be delayed as Jackson, who was admitted to New Zealand's Wellington Hospital after experiencing acute stomach pains, heals from the surgery. According to Entertainment Weekly, a New Line Cinema rep confirmed that the director "is resting comfortably and doctors expect a full recovery."
The statement from production also assured that Jackson's "surgery is not expected to impact on his directing commitment to 'The Hobbit' beyond a slight delay to the start of filming."
Just how "slight" the delay ends up being remains to be seen. The two parts of Jackson's "Hobbit" will feature many actors reprising their roles from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, including Sir Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett and Elijah Wood (not to mention that rumored $1 million, two-minute cameo by Orlando Bloom.)
Parts 1 and 2 of "The Hobbit" are slated for December 2012 and December 2013 releases, respectively.
Do you think "The Hobbit" will continue to face setbacks throughout filming or will it be smooth sailing after Jackson's recovery?
Tags cate blanchett, elijah wood, guillermo-del-toro, lord of the rings, News, orlando bloom, peter jackson, Sir Ian McKellen, the-hobbit
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'Hobbit' Trailer: What We Want To See
Posted 12/19/11 2:00 pm EST by Terri Schwartz in Commentary, Trailers
If you're a "Lord of the Rings" fan, today and tomorrow are two big days for the film franchise's legacy. First up, today marks the 10-year anniversary of "The Fellowship of the Ring's" big debut on the big screen (you're welcome for making us all feel incredibly old). Fittingly, Warner Bros has decided to release the first trailer for "The Hobbit," the prequel movie follow-up to "The Lord of the Rings," online tomorrow at 7 p.m. PST.
It's been confirmed that the trailer will debut before screenings of "The Adventures of Tintin" on Wednesday, so if you want to see Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey towering over you -- potentially even in 3D?! -- then that's the place to do it. But if you, like us, have been waiting for this movie to come out since 10 years ago today, then you'll probably be refreshing your browser repeatedly to see the trailer as soon as you can. Here are five things we're hoping to see in the trailer.
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Tags lord of the rings, peter jackson, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: There And Back Again, the-hobbit