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.

Based on New York Times best-selling author Alan Furst’s acclaimed novel, the mini-series Spies of Warsaw (airing April 3^rd and April 10^th on BBC America) tells the story of military attaché Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier (David Tennant), a decorated hero of the 1914 war.  While he is being drawn into a world of abduction, betrayal and intrigue in Warsaw, he finds himself in a passionate love affair with Anna (Janet Montgomery), a Parisian lawyer for the League of Nations.

During this exclusive interview with Collider, actor David Tennant talked about what attracted him to this project, what the experience of shooting in Poland was like, dream roles that he’d love to do, how he’d love to be a part of a big comic book movie, what it’s like to interact with Doctor Who fans, what it means to him to have been a part of the Harry Potter franchise, whether he was ever really in talks for The Hobbit, which props he’s taken home, why he wasn’t a part of the London Olympics opening ceremony, and how he’d love to do a project with Aaron Sorkin.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

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. 

With Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey arriving on Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, and DVD tomorrow, I recently landed an extended video interview with Martin Freeman.  Since I’d already spoken to him a few times for the film (here’s the on set interview and the interview right before the movie came out), I tried to ask all new questions.  We talked about what it was like the first day on set, when he first knew he could play Bilbo Baggins, how many times he has seen the film, deleted scenes, all The Hobbit merchandise, Lego sets, what it was like to fly on an airplane that had his picture on it, his favorite places in Wellington, and so much more.  Hit the jump to watch.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey exemplifies the difference between “disappointing” and “bad.” Director Peter Jackson created a modern classic with his Lord of the Rings trilogy, and fans had every right to expect the same genius from the prequel. Sadly, it was not to be: The Hobbit is too long, too bloated and too unsure of its ultimate purpose to rank alongside its fellows. That said, it still captures the essence of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginary world, as well as providing reliable entertainment in its own right. Hit the jump for my full review.

Fans of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy will have to wait a few more months to see the final installment, The Hobbit: There and Back Again.  Previously slated to open on July 18, 2014, Warner Bros. has pushed the closer back to December 17, 2014.  This robs the picture of a summer box office, but takes it out of competition with X-Men: Days of Future Past, which opens on July 18th, as well as Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, slated to open on August 1, 2014.  As of right now, The Hobbit: There and Back Again has the sole spot on December 17th, but Minions and Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland are expected to open that weekend.  Will Gluck’s Annie remake and Shawn Levy’s Night at the Museum 3 are expected to open Christmas Day 2014.

Alas, we’ve come to the end.  The 85th Academy Awards will take place tomorrow evening, after which the past year of maneuvering, campaigning, and controversy-drumming will be rendered obsolete as we wipe the slate clean and start the next awards season cycle anew.  Over the past six days, we’ve been taking a look back at the 2012 awards race in a number of categories, chronicling the ebbs and flows that have led us to today.  This past year was one of the more crazy awards seasons in recent memory, but at least it’s been interesting.  Today we close out our Road to Oscar feature with the final category, Best Picture.  Hit the jump to read on, and click here to read our predictions for tomorrow night’s ceremony.

With all of the focus landing on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’s use of high frame rate/48fps, the rest of the production’s stunning achievements in visual effects have been unfairly shunted to the sidelines.  Thankfully, four-time Oscar/BAFTA/VES winner Joe Letteri recently spoke about the VFX behind the first film in Peter Jackson’s new trilogy and we were invited to check out the presentation.  As both the visual effects supervisor on the films and the current Director of Weta Digital, Letteri pulled back the curtain on the unbelievable amount of work, creativity and expertise that goes into making a film like The Hobbit.  Hit the jump to watch a video featurette on the film’s VFX, as well as a break down of Letteri’s presentation with some incredibly cool behind-the-scenes information.

At the VES Awards last week, I was able to get a few minutes with Andy Serkis and Weta Digital’s Sr. Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri.  During our red carpet interview we talked about the audience reaction to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the sequences that were the most challenging to get right, how far along they are on the sequels, and more.  In addition, Serkis talked about Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and they both talked about the perception of performance capture and why it seems to be overlooked by the Academy.   Hit the jump to watch.

Last week at the VES Awards in Beverly Hills, I got to speak with Eric Saindon (visual effects supervisor), David Clayton (animation supervisor Weta Digital) and Christopher White (visual effects supervisor Weta Digital) about The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and its sequels.  During the red carpet interview they also talked about the challenging shots of The Hobbit, Gollum, going back to Rivendell, Smaug, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch the interview.

For our final Toy Fair image article, we’re doing a huge roundup of NECA toy images.  While they’re making figures/toys for all the regular movies and TV shows you’d expect, the highlight of NECA’s 2013 lineup is the 60′s Batman featuring Adam West!  The reason it’s taken so long to get an Adam West Batman is lawyers.  From what I’ve been told, Warner Bros. owns Batman, while 20th Century Fox owns the show.  For years the two companies have been trying to work out an agreement to release DVDs/Blu-rays and new merchandise with little success.  However, late last year, the two companies finally worked out a deal and 2013 should see a lot of new toys and hopefully a home video release.  Which is great news for the fans.

In addition to checking out the first 60′s Batman toy in quite some time, you can also see new toys for Aliens, A Christmas Story, Captain America, Michael Keaton’s Batman, Carrie, Gremlins, E.T., Harry Potter, Hulk, Iron Man, Pacific Rim, Predator, Prometheus, Scarface, Rambo, The Hobbit, The Hunger Games, Thor, and a lot more.

As you’ve probably noticed, over the past 48 hours, we’ve posted a ton of toy articles.  The reason is every February in New York City, the toy industry holds its yearly convention (Toy Fair) and it’s where every toy manufacturer shows off their upcoming products.  If you’re a fan of movie related toys, Lego, or just cool stuff, Toy Fair is basically a huge preview of what you’ll be spending your money on this year.

Anyway, while walking around the show yesterday, Samantha Cheirif took a number of pictures and this batch covers Mezco Toyz Breaking Bad and NECA’s Carrie, Kick-Ass 2, Pacific Rim, Prometheus, Aliens, Rambo, The Lone Ranger, The Hobbit, Gremlins and more.  Hit the jump to check out the images.

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).

There’s no shortage of parody and/or critique videos for some of the biggest blockbusters of the year nowadays, but rarely are they put together with both an admiration for the material and a keen sense of the film’s shortcomings.  Such is the case with the latest “How It Should Have Ended” video, which takes on Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.  Instead of simply pointing out the film’s faults, the video in and of itself is actually a really funny piece of work.  Hit the jump to take a look.