Production is underway on The Hobbit…again.  Director Peter Jackson announced today that filming has resumed on the trilogy in New Zealand, as there’s still a bit of footage yet to be captured in order to fill the J.R.R. Tolkein adaptation out to three films.  While originally envisioned as a two-film adaptation, Jackson and fellow screenwriters/producers Philipa Boyens and Fran Walsh convinced Warner Bros. to greenlight a third film last summer, after they had already wrapped what we presumed to be the bulk of principal photography.  Hit the jump for more on the additional filming, including what material it covers.

Last week, folks who bought a home copy of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey were given a code where they could participate in a live-event promoting The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  During the event, Peter Jackson showed some clips, behind-the-scenes footage, concept art, and took some questions.  We showed you some images from the event, but Warner Bros. quickly had us take them down, so I hope you got a chance to see the them.  I know I’ll never look at life the same way again.  As minor consolation to those who didn’t see the event, Jackson has posted a six-minute excerpt where he reveals some behind-the-scenes footage, talks about handling a middle chapter, explains the geography of the journey compared to The Lord of the Rings, and takes issue with Stephen Colbert‘s mugs.

Hit the jump to check out the video.  The film stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Stephen Fry, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, and Richard Armitage.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens in 3D on December 13th.

If you bought a copy of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, last night you were treated to a special live presentation of Peter Jackson talking about the upcoming sequel, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  In addition, Jackson was joined by stars Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, and Lee Pace as well as The Lord of the Rings cast members Orlando Bloom (who also appears in Smaug), Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan as well as special surprise appearance by Tolkien super-fan Stephen Colbert, who has a cameo in The Hobbit trilogy.  In the presentation, Jackson showed off new concept art, behind-the-scenes video, and a scene from the film.

Hit the jump for more including when we’ll see the first trailer.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens in 3D on December 13th.

Update: WB has asked us to take down the images. 

It’s February, so you know what that means: it’s time to start making preparations for this summer’s Comic-Con.  Public badges for SDCC 2013 went on sale this morning and, quite amazingly, completely sold out in an hour and a half.  Indeed, demand for Comic-Con only seems to be growing as time goes on, and it appears that thousands of fans will be descending on San Diego this coming July to catch a sneak peek of upcoming film and TV fare and to peruse the ginormous convention floor for some geek-friendly finds.

Last year was my second time to attend SDCC, but I found that the lines and overall madness descending on Hall H had grown exponentially since the previous year.  My more experienced colleagues confirmed that demand for the 6500 seater was higher and crazier than ever before.  If these badge sales are any indication, the nuttiness is likely to continue this year.  Hit the jump as we wildly speculate about which films and TV shows might be making hosting panels at Comic-Con 2013.

Mid-March has been claimed by The Hobbit.  Warner Bros. has announced that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be arriving on Digital Download on March 12th.  For those who want to wait a week, the film will arrive on 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and 2-Disc DVD Special Edition on March 19th.  Furthermore, Peter Jackson will host a live first look at The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on Sunday, March 24th at 3:00 PM EST.  If you want in, you’ll have to have the UltraViolet code that comes when you buy the 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, or DVD.  An edited version will be archived on the official website (and I’m sure it will be bootlegged to hell during the live-stream).

Hit the jump for a full list of special features.  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be available on 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack for $35.99, on 5-Disc Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack for $44.95, and on 2-Disc DVD Special Edition for $28.98 (All prices MSRP).  The press release doesn’t say if the 3D Blu-ray will run at 48fps (I don’t know if that’s even possible).

As 2012 winds down to a close, it’s tough to see us having another year filled with so many good movies anytime soon. Nevertheless, looking to 2013 there’s certainly reason to be excited, and what better way to kick off the new year than to take a look at what 2013 has in store for us by way of blockbuster filmmaking?  We’ve compiled a list of 20 “blockbusters” to look forward to in the coming year, and the resulting preview teases some promisingly diverse fare.  Naturally there’s no lack of superhero movies headed our way, but we’ve also got a great mix of exciting entries in horror, comedy, sci-fi, and drama to look forward to.  Hit the jump to take a look at our 2013 Blockbuster Preview.

With Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey now playing around the world, it’s time to post the last interview I did at the NYC press day and it’s with screenwriter Philippa Boyens.  While Jackson gets most of the credit for the Lord of the Rings, Boyens has been an absolutely crucial part of the adaptations, having co-written Fellowship, The Two Towers, Return of the King, all three Hobbit films, and also acting as a co-producer on The Hobbit trilogy.  She’s a key player in helping to bring J. R. R. Tolkien’s work to life.

During my extended interview we talked about the themes of The Hobbit, the differences between Hobbit and LOTR, setting up the LOTR movies in the beginning of The Hobbit, the eventual Blu-ray extended cut, deleted scenes, whether The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug will be the same length as An Unexpected Journey, what they still need to still film next year, changes on set, what props she has taken home, and more.  Hit the jump for more.

At the recent New York City press day for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, I was able to land an extended video interview with Weta Digital’s Sr. Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri.  During our wide ranging conversation we discussed turning The Hobbit into three films, how performance capture technology has reached a new level in terms of integrating CG characters into live-action filming and creating worlds digitally, the process of creating an effects-heavy scene, his thoughts on tweaking previous movies effects, how much have they worked on the dragon Smaug, how they didn’t use Miniatures on The Hobbit, and more.  In addition, when discussing the next two Hobbit films (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: There and Back Again), Letteri  said the biggest task left is to stage the Battle of the Five Armies.  In the book, it’s mostly about the dialogue but they are going to make it a big action scene.  He also compared the Battle of the Five Armies to the Battle of Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers.

Hit the jump to watch.  And if you missed Letteri talking about Weta’s work for Man of Steel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Wolverine, Iron Man 3, and the Avatar sequels., click here.

Over the past several months, we’ve had new images from some of Warner Bros. 2013 films, but now the studio has released hi-res versions of these images.  After the jump, you’ll find hi-res images from Pacific Rim, Beautiful Creatures, Seventh Son, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  Pacific Rim opens July 12th, Beautiful Creatures opens February 13th, Seventh Son opens October 18th, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens December 13th.

Though Peter Jackson’s first entry in his Hobbit trilogy hits theaters next weekend with the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, just yesterday we got our first look at the final entry in the series by way of an image debut from The Hobbit: There and Back Again.  Completionists need not fret, as EW has now unveiled the first image from the second film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  It’s not incredibly revealing, as we’re simply given a tease of Martin Freeman’s Bilbo hanging out on top of Smaug’s gold pile, but what this image and the title do reveal is that Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy doesn’t exactly end after Bilbo faces down the dragon Smaug.

Hit the jump to take a look at the image and to see what screenwriter Philippa Boyens teased about what the climax of the third film.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens in 3D on December 13, 2013.

As the release date for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey draws ever nearer, more and more content is being released to remind you of that fact. In addition to a new TV spot that shows off a bit of how Dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) got his name, Entertainment Weekly has also released four collector’s covers featuring the film’s major stars. The new issue, which will be available starting December 7th, also promises a look ahead at the next installment in the trilogy, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett andAndy Serkis, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in 3D December 14^th. Hit the jump to check out the new TV spot and magazine covers. 

IMAX and Warner Bros. have signed a 20-picture deal.  Over the next three years, Warner Bros. will release 20 movies in the IMAX format.  This will obviously include the studios 2013 tentpole releases Jack the Giant Slayer, Man of Steel, Pacific Rim, 300: Rise of an Empire, Gravity, Seventh Son, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  It’s a big coup for both companies due to IMAX’s higher ticket prices, and I’m a little surprised to see Alfonso Cuaron‘s Gravity included in the mix, but glad to see it considered on the same level as Superman and The Hobbit.

Hit the jump to check out the press release.  The next Warner Bros. film to hit IMAX will be The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

It seems as if pseudo-Conservative talk show pundit and comedian Stephen Colbert may be joining the cast of J.R.R.Tolkien’s beloved characters in Peter Jackson’s upcoming The Hobbit trilogy.  This is completely unconfirmed and more for fun speculation at this point, but Colbert talked about his visit to The Hobbit set in a recent interview and neither confirmed nor denied a possible cameo.  He did confess to being a Tolkien fan, however, and if that enthusiasm proved enough to sway Jackson, there’s already a precedent set for a Colbert cameo. Hit the jump to see what Colbert had to say.

[Update: THR confirms that Colbert will indeed be making a cameo in The Hobbit, but he won't appear in this fall's An Unexpected Journey so keep an eye out for Colbert in The Desolation of Smaug and/or There and Back Again.]

Hugo Weaving is fascinating, as both an actor and a human being.  Whether it’s in memorable roles in bigger features (i.e. The Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta and The Lord of the Rings trilogy), in smaller character studies or on the stage, he definitely makes an impression.  While at the press day for the filmmaking masterpiece Cloud Atlas, where he plays six characters over races, genders and periods of time, Collider was fortunate enough to get to speak to him about his work during an exclusive interview.

While we will run what he had to say about the epic experience of making Cloud Atlas closer to the film’s October 26^th theatrical release, we did want to share what he had to say about three other films he’s been involved with – The Hobbit, Transformers and Captain America.  During the interview, Weaving said that he only found out that The Hobbit movies would be a trilogy quite recently, that not only has he not been called to voice Megatron for another Transformers movie, but that he’s never actually even met Michael Bay, and that even though he signed a multi-picture contract with Marvel, he doesn’t see Red Skull returning.  Check out what he had to say after the jump. 

Thanks to the upcoming slew of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey merchandise heading our way, we now have our first look at Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel.  The character doesn’t appear in J.R.R. Tolkien‘s novel, but back in January, Lilly described Tauriel as a warrior and head of the Elven Guard.  “She’s the big shot in the army,” said Lilly. “So she knows how to wield any weapon, but the primary weapons that she uses are a bow and arrow and two daggers. And she’s lethal and deadly.”  So basically she sounds like female Legolas.  Lilly also added that her character would have a larger role in the second movie, although this was back when there were only two movies.  It will be interesting to see how Tauriel gets divided up between Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, and There and Back Again.

Hit the jump to check out the image.  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in 3D on December 14th.