After giving us a second look at the production of The Hobbit less than two weeks ago, Peter Jackson’s now released the third instalment of the video diary from the two-part film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There And Back Again.
Just like the first two, Jackson has released this third video via his own Facebook page. He apologises that The Hobbit won’t be coming to this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend, but says that it’s more than likely they’ll be there this time next year.
He explained his decision by saying,
“New Line and Warner Bros were very happy to support a presentation, but I declined, simply because I felt it was too early. There’s so much more of the films still to shoot. I just wanted to get that out there, because I’ve seen various references to the possibility of something Hobbity at Comic Con. Hate to disappoint anyone. But something tells me we will be there in force next year.”
And as a sort of consolation, we’ve got the third production video diary to enjoy. It’s made up of footage taken from the first of the three blocks of shooting being done for this film, and it opens and closes with Peter Jackson wandering around Pinewood Studios here in the UK, which suggests that filming in the second and/or third blocks could well be done here in our own backyard.
Through the course of the video, we get to see some great footage of Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis as Bilbo and Gollum on set in a cave. We also get to see Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, and Sir Ian McKellen in costume as the brilliant Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf. Brilliant stuff. And be sure to watch until the end to get a great last line from Christopher Lee.
We’ve been getting so many photos lately of all of the dwarves, we now get to see them all in and out of costume, talking about their favourite memories from the first shooting block. And there’s a really nice moment near the end, talking to Richard Armitage, who plays Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the Company of Dwarves, and he tells us that one of his favourite moments so far was when they were all lined up together wearing their gear, taking it all in. As he says in the video, it’s spine-tingling material watching it happen, being taken back to Middle-earth.
At just under a quarter of an hour, these video diaries might seem like they’re quite long, but you lose yourself in them as soon as they start, and this one’s definitely a must-watch for fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. One of the highlights for me has got to be the dwarf Bombur’s ridiculous air guitar/drum rendition of one of Tolkien’s songs from the novel. We also get a nice shot of John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli in The Lord of the Rings, visiting the set – just visiting – whilst the Company of Dwarves are sitting round the table in Bag End.
Jackson writes on his Facebook page,
“I’ve been on the go since wrapping the first shooting block, but I’m about to settle down and get into the much delayed 20 Questions. I’ve a few half-written and will get those done very, very soon! I promise!”
So we can expect more updates to come from him in the near future, and you can be sure we’ll keep you up to date on that and everything else when it comes. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is due out on 14th December, 2012, and The Hobbit: There And Back Again is due out a year later on 13th December, 2013, with both films being released in 3D. And without further ado, here is the latest video diary. If you’d like to watch it in beautiful HD, then you can do so here.
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