The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey


 * This article is about the 2012 live action film. For the 1977 animated film, see The Hobbit (1977 animated film).

Summary
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first film of the upcoming movie trilogy The Hobbit. Peter Jackson, who previously directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy, will direct all three films. An Unexpected Journey is scheduled for release on December 14, 2012, and its sequel The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is scheduled for release on December 13, 2013. The third film of the trilogy, currently titled The Hobbit: There and Back Again, is scheduled for release on July 18, 2014.

Synopsis
On his 111th birthday, the hobbit  Bilbo Baggins decides to write down the full story of the adventure he took 60 years before for his nephew Frodo. Bilbo writes about how, prior to his own actual involvement, the Dwarf Thrór becomes king of Erebor and brings an era of prosperity to his kin until the arrival of Smaug the dragon. Drawn by the amount of gold that the Dwarves have amassed, Smaug destroys the nearby town of Dale before driving the Dwarves out of Erebor. Thrór's grandson, Thorin, sees King Thranduil and his Wood-Elves on a nearby hillside and is dismayed to find them taking their leave rather than aiding his people.

Following this, Bilbo is tricked by the wizard Gandalf the Grey into hosting a party for Thorin and his band of Dwarves, which doubles as Bilbo's recruitment as the Dwarves' "burglar" to help them steal their treasure back from Smaug. Bilbo reluctantly joins the company on their journey to the Lonely Mountain. The group gets captured by mountain trolls, but Bilbo is able to stall the trolls from eating them until dawn, when Gandalf saves the company by exposing the trolls to sunlight, turning them into stone. They search the trolls' cave and find treasure and Elven blades. Thorin and Gandalf each take an Elf-made blade—Orcrist and Glamdring, respectively—with the latter finding an Elven shortsword, which he gives to Bilbo.

The group encounter Radagast the Brown, a wizard who lives in Greenwood. He tells them of a strange presence he encountered at Dol Guldur and how it is poisoning the forest. The group is then chased by Orcs on Wargs, with Radagast covering their escape. Gandalf leads them through a stone passage to Rivendell as the Wargs and Orcs above are slain by Elven riders. Elrond discloses the map's indication of a secret door that will be visible only on Durin's Day. Gandalf talks with the White Council—Elrond, Galadriel and Saruman the White—about his involvement with the Dwarves, explaining the presence Radagast encountered and expresses mild suspicion that this necromancer is the Dark Lord Sauron. The others are skeptical, believing Sauron to have been defeated forever, and that this necromancer is not a true threat.

Against the Council's wishes, Gandalf sends Bilbo and the Dwarves towards the Misty Mountains. While passing through the mountains, Bilbo and the Dwarves are captured by Goblins and taken to their leader, the Great Goblin. Bilbo is separated from the Dwarves and encounters Gollum, who accidentally drops a mysterious ring while killing a stray Goblin to feed on. Picking up the ring and placing it in his pocket, Bilbo finds himself confronted by Gollum. They play a riddle game, wagering that Bilbo will be shown the way out if he wins, or eaten by Gollum if he loses. After Bilbo wins by asking Gollum what he has in his pocket, Gollum realizes Bilbo has stolen the ring and attacks him. Bilbo discovers the ring grants him invisibility and evades a furious Gollum, following him to find the way out and deciding not to kill him out of pity, despite the chance to do so.

Meanwhile, the Great Goblin reveals to the Dwarves that Azog, an Orc chieftain who killed Thrór and lost his forearm to Thorin in battle at the Dwarven city of Moria, has placed a bounty on Thorin's head. By this time, Gandalf arrives and saves the Dwarves from the Goblins, killing the Great Goblin during their escape. Still invisible, Bilbo resists the urge to kill Gollum out of pity, and rejoins the group once he sees them, keeping the ring he found secret. The moment of triumph is cut short as they are ambushed by Azog and his hunting party. After taking refuge in cliffside trees before the Wargs uproot most of them, Thorin charges Azog, but is wounded and knocked to the ground. Bilbo defends Thorin from being beheaded before the group is saved by eagles, who fly them to safety on the Carrock. Gandalf wakes the unconscious Thorin, who acknowledges Bilbo for his bravery. As the party sees the destiny of their journey, the Lonely Mountain in the distance, Smaug awakens.

Cast
Martin Freeman will portray a young Bilbo Baggins while Ian Holm will reprise his role as the Older Bilbo Baggins. Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis will reprise their roles as Gandalf and Gollum, respectively. Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett will also reprise their respective roles as Elrond and Galadriel.

Orlando Bloom will reprise his role as Legolas. Although Legolas never appears in the book The Hobbit, it is revealed that the Elven King that Bilbo and the dwarves met was actually Legolas's father Thranduil.

The character of Radagast the Brown will appear in the movie and will be portrayed by Sylvester McCoy, known mostly for his portrayal as the seventh incarnation of The Doctor on Doctor Who. Although he is mentioned in the book The Hobbit (in Chapter 7 on page 109 when Gandalf asks Beorn if he remembered Radagast and that he was Gandalf's cousin who lived on the Southern borders of Mirkwood), for the rest of the book Radagast makes no appearance.



Future Films in the Trilogy
In The Desolation of Smaug (scheduled for release on 13 December 2013), having successfully crossed over (and under) the Misty Mountains, Thorin and Company must seek aid from a powerful stranger, Beorn, before taking on the dangers of Mirkwood Forest—without their Wizard. The film will likely follow the group through Mirkwood, their arrival in Lake-town, and their exploration of the Lonely Mountain, culminating in the desperate fight against the ancient dragon Smaug.

There and Back Again (scheduled for release on 18 July 2014) will likely begin with the Battle of the Five Armies, which occurs near the end of The Hobbit, and may then explore the adventures Bilbo had in returning home, events which were not covered in the book The Hobbit, and will perhaps reveal some of Gandalf's investigation of and conflict with the Necromancer in southern Mirkwood, serving as bridge between the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings film trilogies.

Plot
On the day of his 111th birthday in TA 3001, with Frodo Baggins leaving to wait for Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins decides to write down the full story of the adventure he took 60 years before. Bilbo writes about how, prior to his own actual involvement, the Dwarf Thror becomes King under the Mountain and brings an era of prosperity to his kin until the arrival of Smaug the Dragon. Drawn by the amount of gold that the Dwarves have amassed, Smaug destroys the town of Dale before driving the Dwarves out of Erebor. Thror's grandson, Thorin Oakenshield, sees King Thranduil and his Wood-Elves up on a nearby hillside and is dismayed to find them taking their leave rather than aiding his people. This event is what led the Dwarves to despise Elves ever since. Sixty years before his 111th birthday in TA 2941, Bilbo is tricked by Gandalf into hosting a party for Thorin and his band of Dwarves that doubles as Bilbo's recruitment as the Dwarves' "burglar" to help them steal their treasure back from Smaug. Though Bilbo refuses at first, he decides to join the company on their journey to the Lonely Mountain. During his first night sleeping in the wild, Bilbo learns about how the Dwarves met when they were fighting back for the Dwarven city of Moria, that had fallen under Orc dominion, in the Battle of Azanulbizar. The leader of the Orcs, Azog, also known as "The Pale Orc," or "The Defiler", killed Thror. Thorin, devastated, fought back with part of an oak tree trunk as a shield and succeeded in chopping off Azog's left forearm to turn the tide of the battle with the Orc chief presumed dead. The battle proved to be a pyrrhic victory, as the vast majority of the Dwarven army was killed.

Gandalf leaves the company after he comes into conflict with Thorin after proposing that they seek Elven aid on their quest. The group gets captured by mountain trolls, but Bilbo is able to stall the trolls from eating them until dawn, when Gandalf arrives and saves the company by exposing the trolls to the petrifying sunlight. They search the trolls' cave and find treasure and Elven blades. Thorin and Gandalf each take an Elf-made blade, with the latter finding a sword, Sting, which he gives to Bilbo.

The group encounter Radagast the Brown, a wizard who lives in Greenwood. He tells them of a strange presence he encountered at Dol Guldur and how it is poisoning the forest. The group is then chased by Orcs on Wargs, with Radagast covering their escape. They are cornered and manage to escape through a stone passage as the Wargs and Orcs above are slain by Elven riders. Gandalf reveals that he has led them to the Elven stronghold of Rivendell. Elrond names the two swords Thorin and Gandalf acquired, Orcrist and Glamdring, and also discloses the map's indication of a secret door that will be visible only on Durin's Day. Gandalf talks with Elrond, Galadriel and Saruman the White about his involvement with the Dwarves, explaining the presence Radagast encountered and expresses mild suspicion that this necromancer is the Dark Lord Sauron. The others are skeptical, believing Sauron to have been defeated forever, and that this necromancer is not a true threat. Gandalf shows them the sword of the Witch King of Angmar, who was placed in an enchanted grave but attacked Radagast, as proof. Though the White Council is against him aiding them, Gandalf believes Smaug may become a greater threat if allied with Sauron and secretly sent Bilbo and the Dwarves away during their meeting towards the Misty Mountains.

While passing over the Misty Mountains, the group barely survive an encounter with stone giants, and Thorin declares that Bilbo was not fit to have joined them, prompting Bilbo to try and leave. However he and the Dwarves are captured by goblins and taken to the Great Goblin, who reveals that Azog is still alive and has placed a bounty on Thorin's head.

Separated from the group as they were captured, Bilbo encounters Gollum, who accidentally drops a mysterious ring while killing a stray goblin to feed on. Picking up the ring and placing it in his pocket, Bilbo finds himself confronted by Gollum, and they play a game of riddles, the stakes of which are that Bilbo will be shown the way out if he wins or eaten by Gollum if he loses. After Bilbo wins by asking Gollum what he has in his pocket, Gollum realizes the ring has ended up in Bilbo's possession and attacks him. Bilbo discovers the ring grants him invisibility and evades a furious Gollum before following him to find the way out. By that time, when the goblins become enraged upon finding Orcist on Thorin's person, Gandalf arrives and saves the Dwarves from the goblins, with the Goblin King killed during their escape. Still invisible because of the ring's power and resisting the urge to kill Gollum out of pity, Bilbo escapes once seeing the group. Bilbo overhears the dwarves, who assume he has fled home and abandoned them, and rejoins them regardless, keeping the ring he found secret. As Thorin presses to know how he avoided the goblins, Gandalf, spotting the ring, persuades Thorin to drop the question.

The moment of triumph is cut short as they are ambushed by Azog and his hunting party. After taking refuge in cliffside trees before the Wargs uproot most of them, Thorin charges Azog but is defeated and knocked to the ground. Bilbo shows his true courage as he defends Thorin from being beheaded before the group is saved by Eagles, who fly them to safety on the Carrock. After being revived Thorin admits he was wrong about Bilbo and finally accepts him as being worthy of being part of their quest. In the distance, they see the Lonely Mountain, where Smaug awakens, covered in gold.

Trivia

 * Guillermo del Toro was originally on board to direct, but bowed out due to "ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming"
 * When it appeared Martin Freeman would not be available to play Bilbo in The Hobbit films due to scheduling conflicts with the BBC television series Sherlock, other actors such as James McAvoy, Tobey Maguire, and even David Tennant were considered.
 * Ryan Gage was originally cast to play Drogo Baggins, father of Frodo Baggins. According to Peter Jackson, "Ryan is a great young actor who we originally cast in a small role, but we liked him so much, we promoted him to the much larger Alfrid part."
 * The scene when Bilbo first puts on the Ring is very similar to the scene in The Fellowship of the Ring (film) where Frodo puts on the Ring in The Prancing Pony.

Memorable Quotes
"While I can honestly say I have told you the truth, I may not have told you all of it."

- Bilbo Baggins

"Far over the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old We must away ere break of day To find our long forgotten gold. The pines were roaring on the height, The winds were moaning in the night, The fire was red, it flaming spread; The trees like torches blazed with light."

- Thorin Oakenshield,Fíli, Kíli, Óin, Glóin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori and Ori

"I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure..."

- Gandalf

"Allow me to introduce: Fíli, Kíli, Óin, Glóin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, Ori, and the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

- Gandalf

"Thorin: I cannot guarantee his safety, Gandalf: Understood. Thorin: Nor will I be responsible for his fate."

- Thorin Oakenshield and Gandalf

"Gandalf: You'll have a tale or two to tell when you come back. Bilbo: Can you promise that I will come back? Gandalf: No, and if you do, you will not be the same."

- Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins

"Bilbo: My Name is Bilbo Baggins. Gollum: ''Bagginses, what is a Bagginses?....Preciousssssss."

- Gollum and Bilbo Baggins

{{Template:Quote|The world is not in your books and maps… it's out there!|Gandalf|Fellowship of the Ring}|"The world is not in your books and maps… it's out there!"}}

Deviations from the Book

 * Elijah Wood appears briefly as Frodo Baggins, whereas this character does not appear in the book. As Frodo hadn't been born during the events of The Hobbit, the inclusion of Frodo indicates that parts of the story will take place shortly before or during the events of The Lord of the Rings. According to TheOneRing.net, "As readers of The Hobbit know, the tale of 'The Downfall of The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit: or There and Back Again,' are contained in the fictional Red Book of Westmarch. In Peter Jackson's LOTR films, the book is shown on screen and written in by Bilbo and Frodo and handed off to Samwise Gamgee... The fictional book and either the telling from it or the reading of it, will establish Frodo in the film experiencing Bilbo's story. Viewers are to learn the tale of The Hobbit as a familiar Frodo gets the tale as well." This inclusion has many Tolkien purists in an uproar, but in an interview for The Salt Lake Tribune, Elijah himself spoke to this issue: "It’s lovely. And it’s very appropriate... 'What they’ve done is clever and it’s actually a nice entry into the story."
 * The Dwarves did not arive in order (first Dwalin, then Balin, then Kili and Fili, then Oin Gloin Dori Nori and Ori all at once, and then Thorin arived significantly later) and they did not have there multi-colored hoods as they did in the book.
 * The group is attacked by Orcs on the way to Rivendell, just after the Trolls sequence in the movie. This did not happen in the book.
 * Bilbo goes to the trolls because the trolls steal the Dwarves' ponies.
 * Radagast the Brown aids the Dwarfs in escaping the Orc Warg Riders near Rivendell. In contrast, Radagast did not appear in the book at all.
 * Radagast investigates the darkness of Mirkwood, and at Dol Guldur encounters the Necromancer and the Witch-king of Angmar, with whom he briefly duels and from whom he takes the Morgul Blade. In contrast, Tolkien never wrote of any such incident.
 * Azog has survived the war of the Dwarves and Orcs in which he was wounded by Thorin and hunts Thorin Oakenshield and his followers. In contrast, in the Tolkien literature Azog was beheaded by Thorin's cousin Dáin Ironfoot in the Battle of Azanulbizar, well before the events of The Hobbit.
 * While at Rivendell with Thorin's party, Gandalf meets with Elrond, Galadriel, and Saruman (the film's version of the White Council) and relates Radagast's news about Mirkwood, but Saruman discounts Radagast's news about the Necromancer, who he says must be no more than a human pretending to be a wizard. This conflicts with Tolkien's version, in which the White Council already knew that the Necromancer was Sauron and was at Dol Guldur, since Gandalf had already confirmed this 89 years earlier, and Saruman had discovered two years earlier (although he did not inform the Council of this) that Sauron had learned of Isildur's loss of the One Ring at the Gladden Fields by the river Anduin and his servants were searching the area. Accordingly, in Tolkien's version, in the year of the events of The Hobbit, Saruman finally agreed to an attack on Dol Guldur because he wanted to prevent Sauron from finding the Ring.
 * At the White Council meeting, Elrond relates how the Witch-king of Angmar, after his defeat near Fornost, had been killed and sealed in a tomb in that could not be opened. This is a serious departure from canon (Tolkien's writings), in which the Witch King had not died, but fled. In fact, Glorfindel had stopped pursuit of the Witch King and prophesied, "Do not pursue him! He will not return to these lands. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall." This prophecy, of course, was the basis for the later dramatic moment in The Lord of the Rings in which Éowyn was able to kill the Witch King because she was not a man. This prophecy no longer makes sense if the Witch King had already been killed and is now (as Radagast implies) just a spirit raised by a necromancer who could "summon the dead." Furthermore, per Tolkien the White Council knew the Witch King had not been killed because he and the rest of the Nazgul had previously been fighting with Gondor and had captured (and presumably killed) the last king of Gondor at Minas Morgul in TA 2050, long after he had fled Fornost.
 * In the book The Hobbit, as in the prologue to The Fellowship of the Ring (film), Bilbo Baggins finds the One Ring by chance when his hand happens to fall upon it as he is crawling through one of the dark Goblin-town tunnels. In this film, Bilbo sees Gollum drop it while Gollum is fighting with an Orc.
 * When traveling along the mountain pass, Bilbo observes the stone-giants hurling rocks at a distance, "across the valley." Bilbo and his companions take refuge under a hanging rock during the thunderstorm (thunder-battle), but are never involved in the stone-giants' game.

Production
According to hollywoodreporter.com, principal photography began on March 21, 2011 in Wellington, New Zealand at Wellington Stone Street Studios, as well as in the town of Matamata and at other undisclosed locations around New Zealand. Jackson recorded a video blog in July of 2011 from on set at Pinewood Studios in England which featured Christopher Lee in full makeup and costume as Saruman. Sets were built here on stages F, N, and P. As reported by theonering.net, the next segment of shooting, again in New Zealand, began at the end of August and was completed in December 2011. Filming is rumored to have a scheduled completion target of March 2012.

In April 2011, via his Facebook page, Peter Jackson revealed that he has chosen to film The Hobbit "duology" at 48 fps (frames per second) instead of the normal 24 fps:


 * "We are indeed shooting at the higher frame rate. The key thing to understand is that this process requires both shooting and projecting at 48 frames/s, rather than the usual 24 frames/s (The great majority of films have been shot at 24 frames per second since the late 1920s). So the result looks like normal speed, but the image has hugely enhanced clarity and smoothness. Looking at 24 frames every second may seem ok–and we've all seen thousands of films like this over the last 90 years–but there is often quite a lot of blur in each frame, during fast movements and if the camera is moving around quickly, the image can judder or "strobe." Shooting and projecting at 48 frames/s does a lot to get rid of these issues. It looks much more lifelike and it is much easier to watch, especially in 3-D."

It was announced that the two parts of the movie would be split in to three parts: Part 1: An Unexpected Journey to be released in 2012, Part 2: The Desolation of Smaug in 2013 and Part 3: There and Back Again in 2014.

Timeline

 * 1995: According to Brian Sibley's 2006 book "Peter Jackson: A Film-maker's Journey," interest in filming The Hobbit is originally expressed by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh this year. They envision it as the first part of a trilogy (parts two and three would have been based on The Lord of the Rings).


 * March, 2005: Peter Jackson launches a lawsuit against New Line claiming he has lost revenue from merchandising, video and computer game releases associated with The Fellowship of the Ring.


 * January, 2007: New Line co-founder Robert Shaye, annoyed with the lawsuit, states that Jackson will never again direct a film for New Line, accusing him of being greedy.


 * August, 2007: After a string of flops, Shaye begins trying to repair his relationship with Jackson, saying "I really respect and admire Peter and would love for him to be creatively involved in some way in The Hobbit."


 * December 16, 2007: Peter Jackson is officially announced as executive producer of The Hobbit films.


 * February, 2008: New Line Cinema completes a merger with Warner Bros. The two parts of The Hobbit are announced as being scheduled for release in December of 2011 and 2012 respectively.


 * April, 2008: Guillermo del Toro signs on to direct the films despite an interview in 2006 where he was quoted as saying "I don't like little guys and dragons, hairy feet, hobbits, [...] I don't like sword and sorcery, I hate all that stuff."


 * August, 2008: Pre-production begins, with Del Toro, Jackson, Walsh and Philippa Boyens writing the scripts.


 * November, 2008: Del Toro has mentioned that he, Jackson, Walsh and Boyens realize something new about the story virtually every week and that the script is continually changing.


 * March, 2009: Completion of the story outlines and treatments end, and the studios approve the start of writing the screenplay.


 * June, 2009: Del Toro reveals that he has decided where to divide the story based on comments from fans about signifying a change in Bilbo's relationship with the dwarves, and on how many actors would be available to reprise their roles.


 * November, 2009: Peter Jackson reveals that he anticipates the script for The Hobbit will not be finished until the beginning of 2010, which will delay the start of production until the middle of that summer (several months later than previously anticipated). The announcement creates doubts about whether the film will make its previously-announced release dates of December 2011 and December 2012.


 * January 22, 2010: Alan Horn states that the first film will likely not be released until the fourth quarter of 2012.


 * May 30, 2010: Del Toro announces at TheOneRing.net that "[i]n light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming", he would "take leave from helming", further stating that "the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. [...] I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future and fully support a smooth transition to a new director."


 * June 25, 2010: Jackson is reported to be in negotiations to direct the two-part film.


 * September 24, 2010: The International Federation of Actors issues a Do Not Work order, advising members of its member unions (including the Screen Actors Guild) that "The producers...have refused to engage performers on union-negotiated agreements." This would subject actors who work on the film to possible expulsion from the union. In response, Warner Bros and New Line Cinema considers taking the production elsewhere, with Jackson mentioning the possibility of filming in Eastern Europe.


 * October 15, 2010: New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. confirm that The Hobbit is to proceed filming with Peter Jackson as director, and that the film will be in 3-D. That same day, Deadline Hollywood reports that James Nesbitt is in negotiations for a part in the film.


 * October 23, 2010: Former "Doctor Who" star Sylvester McCoy confirms that he is in negotiations to play a major role as a "wizard", leading to speculation he could appear as Radagast the Brown.


 * October 25, 2010: Partly out of fear for the Tolkien tourism effect, thousands of New Zealanders organize protest rallies imploring that production remain in New Zealand, as shifting production to locations outside New Zealand would potentially cost the country's economy up to $1.5 billion.


 * October 27, 2010: After two days of talks with the New Zealand government (including involvement by Prime Minister John Key), Warner Bros. executives decide to film The Hobbit in New Zealand as originally planned. In return, the government of New Zealand agrees to introduce legislation clarifying the distinction between independent contractors and employees working in the film production industry and also broaden the government's financial support for big budget films made in New Zealand.


 * November 1, 2010: Peter Jackson confirms that James Nesbitt has been added to the cast. Jackson is quoted as saying: "James's charm, warmth and wit are legendary as is his range as an actor in both comedic and dramatic roles. We feel very lucky to be able to welcome him as one of our cast."


 * November 27, 2010: Ian McKellen updates his website to include The Hobbit, suggesting that he has, in fact, decided to reprise the role of Gandalf in both parts of The Hobbit.


 * December 3, 2010: Swedish newspaper Nöjesbladet announced that Mikael Persbrandt had been cast in an unspecified role.


 * December 4, 2010: Deadline Hollywood reports that Orlando Bloom has entered into negotiations to reprise the role of Legolas.


 * December 7, 2010: Mikael Persbrandt is confirmed to play the role of Beorn. Jackson is quoted as saying, "The role of Beorn is an iconic one and Mikael was our first choice for the part. Since seeing him read for the role we can't imagine anyone else playing this character." Also on this day, Sylvester McCoy is officially added to the cast as Radagast the Brown.


 * January 6, 2011: Deadline Hollywood reports that Elijah Wood is in talks to reprise his role of Frodo Baggins.


 * January 7, 2011: Elijah Wood is confirmed as joining the cast by TheOneRing.net.


 * January 10, 2011: Deadline Hollywood reports that Ian Holm has entered into negotiations to reprise his role, playing the part of old Bilbo, that Christopher Lee has entered into negotiations to reprise the role of Saruman, and that Andy Serkis has been confirmed to reprise his role as Gollum.


 * January 11, 2011: Christopher Lee announces on his website that he will be reprising his role as Saruman the White.


 * January, 2011: Ian McKellen confirms on his website that he is "happy to say I start filming in Wellington on 21 February 2011."


 * March 21, 2011: Principal photography begins in Wellington, New Zealand


 * April 4, 2011: Bret McKenzie is added to the cast as Lindir, a Rivendell elf quarreling with Bilbo in The Fellowship of the Ring, whose name means "singer." (His father, Peter McKenzie, played the role of Elendil in The Lord of the Rings)


 * April 6, 2011: The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Andy Serkis (Gollum) would also serve as second unit director on the films. Serkis states: "I think I understand Peter's sensibility and we have a common history of understanding Middle Earth. A lot of the crew from The Lord of the Rings was returning to work on The Hobbit. There is really a sense of Peter wanting people around him who totally understand the material and the work ethic."


 * April 22, 2011: Peter Jackson confirms via Facebook that Ian Holm has officially been added to the cast.


 * April 24, 2011: English actor Rob Kazinsky (originally cast as Kili's brother Fili) leaves the film "for personal reasons."


 * April 25, 2011: Orlando Bloom reveals that he has been in contact with Peter Jackson, who had given him a copy of the screenplay, and states that there is a high probability he will return. He is quoted as saying, "I'm going to bet on it ... But I can't really talk too much about it because it's still sort of in the ether. But I would love to go back to work with Peter Jackson. It would be an honour."


 * April 29, 2011: After having previously been linked to actors Doug Jones and David Tennant, Peter Jackson reports on Facebook that the role of Thranduil has gone to Lee Pace. On his casting, Jackson said, "Casting these Tolkien stories is very difficult, especially the Elven characters and Lee has always been our first choice for Thranduil. He's going to be great. We loved his performance in a movie called "The Fall" a few years ago and have been hoping to work with him since. When we were first discussing who would be right for Thranduil, Lee came into mind almost immediately."


 * April 30, 2011: Peter Jackson announces via Facebook that Dean O'Gorman has been hired as Kazinsky's replacement, stating: "Dean's a terrific Kiwi actor, who I am thrilled to be working with."


 * April, 2011: Peter Jackson reveals through his Facebook page that he is filming The Hobbit at 48 fps (frames per second) instead of the normal 24 fps.


 * May 1, 2011: Hugo Weaving is confirmed to reprise his role as Elrond: The Elven master of Rivendell. Weaving portrayed Elrond previously in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and it had long been assumed that he would be returning to the role, but his return was not officially confirmed until this date (almost six weeks after principal photography had begun)


 * May 27, 2011: Peter Jackson announces via Facebook that Orlando Bloom will reprise his role as Legolas.


 * May 30, 2011: New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM announce the official release dates for "An Unexpected Journey" (December 14, 2012) and "There and Back Again" (December 13, 2013)


 * July, 2011: Scenes from The Hobbit are filmed at Pinewood Studios, England using sets constructed on stages F, N, and P.


 * August, 2011: The second block of shooting in New Zealand begins.


 * October, 2011: Warner Bros. confirms that a Hobbit video game will be released in 2012, before the release of the first film.


 * December 16, 2011: Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Lego announce the development of figures and play sets based on the upcoming adaptations of The Hobbit as well as Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.


 * December 21, 2011: The first trailer for the film is screened in the U.S. before the Jackson-produced "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn," and released on the Web on the same day.


 * December, 2011: The second block of shooting in New Zealand ends.

Score
Highly praised for his work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Howard Shore returns to compose the score for The Hobbit films.

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