In Entertainment Weekly’s annual Comic-Con preview issue, the magazine scored ten new stills from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first installment of the epic two-part 3-D prequel to big screen The Lord Of The Rings trilogy set for a highly anticipated release on December 14th.
In addition to the cover featuring Sir Ian McKellan (reprising his role as Gandalf the Grey) and Martin Freeman (as Bilbo Baggins), inside the pages the sneak peek at the film reveals a new CGI image of Gollum, Gandalf standing in the Shire, a first look at Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett reprising their roles as the elves Elrond and Galadriel, and a studio portrait of newcomer Richard Armitage in costume as the dwarf Thorin Oakenshield.
In addition to Evangeline Lily and Billy Connelly’s inclusion to the cast, confirmed to return from The Lord Of The Rings trilogy in cameo roles are Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Ian Holm (elder Bilbo Baggins), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Christopher Lee (Saruman), and Andy Serkis (Gollum and Smegol).
Here is the official synopsis of the film from New Line / Warner Bros.:
The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.
Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever…Gollum.
Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
Peter Jackson returns as producer, co-screenwriter, and director of the films, which were shot back to back in New Zealand with the EPIC RED cameras for 3D. Its also worth noting a huge change in visual presentation will be pioneered with this major studio release. Jackson and his team have used 48 frames per second to shoot the film at, whereas the industry standard has been half that, 24 frames per second since the inception of film making. This promises to present a very different visual experience for the two Hobbit films on the big screen.
You can check out here what Elijah Wood had to say about returning to New Zealand and reprising his role as Frodo Baggins from the Sundance Film Festival.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set for December 14. The conclusion of the two-part event film, The Hobbit: There And Back Again, is scheduled to hit theaters in 3D December 13, 2013.
SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly
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