THE HOBBIT’s, two films, start shooting in New Zealand in June. Filming will take over a year. Casting in Los Angeles, New York City and London has started. The script too proceeds. The first draft is crammed with old and new friends, again on a quest in Middle Earth. The director Guillermo del Toro is now living in Wellington, close to the Jacksons’ and the studio in Miramar.
It's about time! The Hobbit, although written primarily as a children's book, was always my favorite Tolkien story. It's far more light hearted than the following stories, with more of a sense of wonder. I can't wait to see del Toro's interpretation of Smaug the dragon, Thorin Oakenshield, and the rest.
