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Viggo Mortensen Says He Turned Down 'The Hobbit,' Gearing Up Directorial Debut With 'The Horsecatcher'

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • May 29, 2013 11:18 AM
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  • 3 Comments
News
There are few actors around as discerning, interesting and talented as Viggo Mortensen. As he's gained success in career, he's become choosier about this roles, usually going for something that stirs his heart or brain (or both), rather than the obvious star vehicle or blockbuster franchise. But of course, as Aragon in Peter Jackson's "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy, it brought the actor to the peak of fame and worldwide recognition, but count him out of any more trips to Middle Earth. Like it or not, Jackson found a way to turn the novella "The Hobbit" into three movies, in a new saga that overlaps with 'LOTR,' with a handful of characters carrying over. But for Mortensen, he wasn't interested in reprising a role that deviated from the text.
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More: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: There And Back Again, Viggo Mortensen, The Horsecatcher

Christopher Tolkien Trashes Peter Jackson's 'Lord Of The Rings,' Says Films Lack "Beauty And Seriousness" Of The Books

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • January 9, 2013 3:51 PM
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  • 20 Comments
News
The Tokien Estate hasn't been too fond of Peter Jackson's "Lord Of The Rings" films. They've been ever wary of the multiplex spectacle approach to the source material, at one time suing New Line over royalties, but they've also generally stayed out of the media spotlight, preferring to pout in private. But for whatever reason an interview given to Le Monde last summer by the 88 year-old Christopher Tolkien, son of J.R.R. Tolkien, is coming to light now. And he has ripped into Jackson's trilogy of movies and expressed his concern about "The Hobbit."
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More: Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, The Lord Of the Rings

'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey': What Worked & What Didn't

  • By The Playlist Staff
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  • December 17, 2012 12:15 PM
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  • 17 Comments
Features
For a long time, it seemed as though "The Hobbit" would never get made. Despite the multi-billion dollar success of Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films, the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's earlier novel were tangled up, and Jackson didn't even seem to be sure he wanted to go back to Middle Earth. Even once the film got underway, MGM's bankruptcy delayed the film for years, losing original director Guillermo Del Toro in the process.
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More: Features, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage

Watch: Dwarves Sing "Misty Mountain" In New Clip From 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • December 12, 2012 10:00 AM
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  • 0 Comments
News
Starting tomorrow night, audiences around the world will be taking a trip back to Middle Earth with "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." It will be coming packed to the gills with 48fps, 3D, CGI, action, adventure, comedy, drama and....singing. Yep, the songs are back too, and before you test your bladder this weekend, you can get a sneak peek of one of the movie's tunes below.
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More: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit

Watch: Trailer For 'Age Of The Hobbits' That A Federal Judge Thinks You'll Mistake For 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • December 10, 2012 4:49 PM
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  • 5 Comments
News
Brands and franchises are lucrative properties, and considering how much they mean to the bottom line of a studio, it's no doubt they have teams of lawyers working around the clock to protect anything that might harm or impair the boatloads of money they'll make. And sometimes that zeal just gets plain ridiculous.
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More: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit

Peter Jackson Explains How 'The Lord Of The Rings' Was Almost One Film Directed By John Madden & How Some Careful Lies Saved The Project In Four Weeks

  • By Rodrigo Perez
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  • December 9, 2012 2:02 PM
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  • 1 Comment
Features
As you can likely tell, we've been in the presence of Peter Jackson a lot lately as the New Zealand director has spent plenty of time in New York of late. Last week, Drew Taylor spent time with Jackson and "The Hobbit" cast at 'The Unexpected Journey' press day -- Jackson defended the controversies surrounding 48fps and explained why he expanded the films into three movies -- and Kimber Myers attended attended a screening of the film that included a post-screening Q&A featuring the director and his co-screenwriters, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.
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More: The Hobbit, Peter Jackson, The Lord Of the Rings, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Peter Jackson Calls 48fps & 3D A "Gift To His Style Of Filmmaking," And Says Fran Walsh Directed The Best Scene In 'The Two Towers'

  • By Kimber Myers
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  • December 7, 2012 4:05 PM
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  • 5 Comments
Interviews
The press tour for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” must be nearly as epic as the film itself. Earlier this week, we shared what we learned from Peter Jackson at the New York press conference for the film (and don't forget to read our review of the movie). Later that day, Jackson was joined by his fellow writers and producers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens in a post-screening Q&A moderated by Entertainment Weekly's Deputy Managing Editor Jeff Giles.
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More: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, John Madden, The Hobbit

Holy Hobbit: First Pic From 'Desolation Of Smaug' Plus New Image & Clip From 'An Unexpected Journey' & More

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • December 7, 2012 11:26 AM
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  • 0 Comments
News
So, here we go again. Yesterday we got treated to the first look at the third movie in Peter Jackson's new trilogy, with a peek at Orlando Bloom and Luke Evans in "The Hobbit: There And Back Again." Now comes a non-dragon preview of "The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug" -- and all this before "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" opens next week.
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More: The Hobbit, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

First Look: Luke Evans & Orlando Bloom In 'The Hobbit: There And Back Again'

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • December 6, 2012 3:56 PM
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  • 4 Comments
News
Well, movie marketing has reached a whole new level. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" isn't even in theaters yet and we're already getting the first look at the last movie in the trilogy that doesn't come out for two years. Hooray? So here we go, take a look at Orlando Bloom reprising Legolas alongside Luke Evans as the Laketown warrior Bard the Bowman.
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More: The Hobbit: There And Back Again, The Hobbit, Peter Jackson, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans

Peter Jackson Talks About Why He Expanded 'The Hobbit' Into 3 Parts, 48fps, Almost Losing Martin Freeman As Bilbo & More

  • By Drew Taylor
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  • December 5, 2012 4:39 PM
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  • 2 Comments
News
Today in New York the junket was held for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," the first in the new trilogy of J.R.R. Tolkein-based films from "Lord of the Rings" mastermind Peter Jackson. A sweeping fantasy epic that takes place above and below Middle Earth, featuring heroes both new and familiar, 'The Hobbit' is made even more audacious and mind-boggling by Jackson's insistence in shooting the movie in 48 frames per second, which gives the 3D some much-needed oomph and, honestly, might make you a little bit sick (more on that in a minute).
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More: Peter Jackson, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit

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