Thompson on Hollywood

Fran Walsh, The Woman Behind the 'Hobbit' & 'LOTR' Curtain

Interviews

The NY Times' Brooks Barnes compares meeting Fran Walsh, co-writer and producer of "The Hobbit" and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, to meeting the Wizard of Oz. While Gollum actor Andy Serkis says that “It’s impossible to overstate her importance,” the woman remains an elusive Hollywood mystery who shies away from the spotlight. She's also Peter Jackson's partner, and tells Barnes that, “He’s not my husband. He’s never asked me, and if he did, I probably wouldn’t say yes.”

By Sophia Savage
|
December 3, 2012 2:04 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Trailer Watch: Fan-Made 'Hobbit' Video Includes Over 7 Minutes of Footage

Video

Check out this fan-made "trailer" for Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," which compiles every single piece of video released thus far for the film. At more than seven minutes in length, the video is an unwitting comment on the elaborate release of trailers, teaser trailers and clips that is now common for anticipated films.

By Beth Hanna
|
November 21, 2012 12:34 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

'Hobbit' to Play in 48 FPS on 450 Screens--For Starters

News

Finally, Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" will screen in its original 48 FPS version in only about 450 of its approximate 4,000 release locations on December 14. That was not the original plan. Warner Bros. distribution president Dan Fellman tells TOH! that the majority of the higher frame rate screenings will happen in or near most major and mid-sized cities.

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
|
November 7, 2012 1:47 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Jackson Reveals 'Hobbit''s Running Time -- 'Our Shortest Middle-Earth Yet' (But Still Epic)

News

Empire magazine's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" edition (on newstands October 25, with five collectors' covers) arrives with some juicy new details for fans of Peter Jackson's ongoing Tolkien franchise, including the film's running time.

By Beth Hanna
|
October 24, 2012 12:59 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

'The Hobbit' US Premiere to Benefit AFI with Gala Event

News

The US premiere of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," the first of the forthcoming trilogy, will benefit the American Film Institute with a gala event on December 6 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York. Benefit tickets and packages are available here (beware, they start at $500 per person). On December 14 the rest of the country can enjoy the film in theaters.

By Sophia Savage
|
October 4, 2012 3:23 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Latest Trailer for 'The Hobbit' -- Bilbo and the 13 Dwarves

Video

Check out the latest trailer for Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," which doesn't add an unexpected amount of new info to the mix, but does focues on the comedic element of 13 dwarves whose names all sound alike.

By Beth Hanna
|
September 19, 2012 1:42 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

'The Hobbit' Takes the Safe Route: 24 FPS Goes Wide, 48 FPS Goes Limited

News

Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" was supposed to lead the 48 fps revolution in the film industry, but now it looks like its debut will be more whimper than bang. After the film's 48 fps footage received mixed reactions at CinemaCon, and the filmmaker took the safe route at Comic-Con by screening "The Hobbit" footage at only 24 fps, Warner Bros. has opted to give the increased frame-per-second "Hobbit" a limited release on December 14, with the standard frame rate version releasing wide.

By Beth Hanna
|
August 8, 2012 1:43 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

It's True: Peter Jackson Will Turn 'The Hobbit' Into a Trilogy (COMIC-CON VIDEO)

Festivals

At a press conference backstage at Comic-Con, Peter Jackson revealed that he wants not only to get permission for a few weeks of reshoots next year for what could be two long "Hobbit" films--supplemented with darker material from JRR Tolkien's appendices-- but they could wind up as three. UPDATE: Now the filmmaker confirms the trilogy.

By Anne Thompson
|
July 30, 2012 12:49 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Comic-Con Wrap: from 'Walking Dead' Zombie-Proof Car and 'Twilight' Finale to Marvel Panel; Costume Photo Gallery

Festivals

Comic-Con is great fun if you don't have to be in Hall H. I'd skip it and watch the panels on YouTube if I didn't want to see the early footage. The Hall H security was so tight this year that even the studio PR execs were complaining about trying to get their people in. I bargained for passes for each individual studio panel..

By Anne Thompson
|
July 27, 2012 4:24 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Studios Go Gigantor at Comic-Con: 'Pacific Rim,' 'Godzilla,' 'Man of Steel,' 'The Hobbit'

Festivals

The studios have boxed themselves into a corner. Because you can't just keep piling money into VFX to lure audiences to theaters, as their current (failing) tentpole strategy attests. And digital 3-D isn't exactly an event anymore--both "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "Ice Age 4" saw lackluster 3-D performance.