The Hobbit – First Official Image from the Set

June 23, 2011 Paul Martin J.R.R. Tolkien, Miscellaneous Fantasy, The Hobbit 109

These are a couple of movies that I’m very excited about: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Party and The Hobbit: There and Back Again are coming out in December 2012 and December 2013 respectively.  I cannot wait to see how Peter Jackson’s return to Middle-earth unfolds.  I’m not planning on reporting extensively about this, but I wanted to share the first official picture from the set of the film.

We’ll all have to wait until Dec. 14, 2012, for the full fruits of director Peter Jackson’s labors on his two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbit. But, to tide us over, Jackson has shared the first images from his Lord of the Rings prequels with EW — and talked to us about how the fantasy epic is shaping up so far. (For the full story, pick up the issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands June 24.)

Visit EW.com for a couple more pictures.  One with Gandalf the Grey and the other with Peter Jackson and Martin Freeman on the set. [EW.com]

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109 Comments

      • I had read the books (The Hobbit and the LotR Trilogy), and just recently, I watched the Lord of the Rings movies, so now I am even MORE excited!!! Although, does anyone know if they are using the same Bilbo that they used for the Lord of the Rings?

        • Though he may appear, it’s been about 12 years since they shot LOTR. Sir Ian Holm is unable to play Bilbo as he would need to. They’ve cast Martin Freeman in the role, and based on early pictures, he’s perfect for a young Bilbo Baggins.

  2. Why on Earth is there news about “The Hobbit” on a website that’s supposed to be about Narnia? Beyond the fact that both literary works are in the same genre and were written by two friends who lectured at Oxford and were both Christians, there is very little relevance of this article to the site.

    • Why on Earth is there news about “Narnia” on a website that’s supposed to be about Tolkien? http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2004/03/08/4664-kidman-flies-into-narnia/

      That’s just one example. Also, you answered your own question in the follow up. Both literary works are in the same genre and were written by two friends who lectured at Oxford and were both Christians. Both were part of a group called “The Inklings.”

      I have every right to write about The Hobbit here.

      • does not seem like a very strong reason. “well, theonering did it!”

        no one thinks you dont have the right. but some think it’s a bit odd

        • Why isn’t that a strong enough reason? Explain that.

          Also, I’ve posted a lot of LOTR and Hobbit news before. This is the first time I can recall anyone having a problem with it. Check out the Categories list on the sidebar.

          • theonering posted something out of place. and in my opinion you did too. i dont see how the fact that another site posted something inappropriate for their site justifies another site doing the same. i also disagree that “someone else did it so its okay for me to do it” is good logic.
            you have posted other hobbit stuff but i think that was mostly big news like release dates and stuff. stuff that might effect the timing of the magicians nephew.,,just my opinion. cool site overal

          • I still don’t think it’s out of place. Comparing apples to apples is perfectly logical. If it looks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it’s a duck. If I had posted something about the first picture being released from The Dark Knight Rises, I could see a case being made that it was both out of place and inappropriate. Thanks for the compliment, in any case.

    • And also because I’m sure just about every Narnia fan is also a LOTR fan and will be very excited to see things like this.

      • lol I hate LOTR!!!!!!! And i’m a Narnia fan until the end!! Narnia is wayyyy!!! better than LOTR!! IN EVERY ASPECT!!!! GO NARNIA!!!

        • That’s a shame. The Lord of the Rings is both my favorite book and favorite film of all time. I have yet to find anything even half as good… Narnia included. Either way, why comment if you’re only doing so to say how much you hate it?

          • Here we go again. As soon as you put something relevant to some other equally great fantasy pieces of literature or film everyone goes on a tangent. Why does everyone have to make big stink about something new and at the same time the same without knowing it?

          • Not addressing this statement, but in a general statement relevant to the little hate claim above. 🙂

          • Just woundering, do you have a LOTR website? That was a pretty bold statment to make on NARNIA Fans, Paul.

          • That’s not a bold statement. It’s an honest one. It doesn’t make me *not* a fan of something else. If that’s how it is seen, then I wouldn’t want to be part of a fandom that doesn’t except someone because they happen to be a bigger fan of something else. I don’t have a LOTR website because TheOneRing.net does a good enough job reporting the news that I want to read.

          • So do the other Narnia websites not do a good enough job? And to me, that statment came across pretty bold. It’s like John Madden saying that Baseball was the best sport and not any other sport, football included, is half as good. Just did come across right to me.

          • The other Narnia websites did not exist when I built this one. Both Narniaweb and NarniaFans launched within a week of each other in 2003, and AC launched only a year and a half ago. Either way, would you expect me to lie? I said that it was *my* favorite book. How you put it changes how I said it. What I said would be like Madden saying “Baseball is *my* favorite sport, and I have yet to find a sport that is half as good, football included.” See the difference? It’s not a declaration that anything is definitively better than anything else, it’s a statement of my own point of view, which I have every right to have and to share. I don’t know how you define “right” when you think it doesn’t come across that way to you. Is it that I don’t or shouldn’t have the right to say that? Is it that I am morally wrong to say that? I am not clear why I cannot say what I want to on my site.

          • I’m not saying that you can’t say what you want on your site. I completely respect that. (And I don’t care if you put a story like this. It’s not like you named the site Narnia Fans and all you ever post is about was LOTR. I see a lot of Narnia stories 🙂 ) I was just saying your comment came across wrong to me. And I don’t see a difference between your Madden statment and mine.

            That’s really interesting that NarniaWeb and NarniaFans came out between a week of each other. That’s kind of cool 🙂

  3. On a personal note why is the Hobbit now split in two? If it is then why one whole film dedicated to the first chapter and the second dedicated to the rest? That seems a bit odd.

    • To your first question: Because the book done in only one movie couldn’t capture everything well enough. They wrote the screenplay for one film, and when they got to the length of one movie, they still had half the book to go.

      Question two: I think I know why you think that, but you’re not using your noggin. 🙂 It’s not just the first chapter.

      • Also, isn’t this the same sort of deal that they ran into with LotR? There’s so much material, you can’t possibly fit it in (respectably, anyway) into just one movie. I don’t believe that you could do Hobbit justice by one film any more than you could do LotR justice with only two.

        • Precisely. Originally Jackson pitched a single film, and had hoped they’d let him do two… and they found a savvy financier that gave them the room to do three.

          • LOTR was one story made up of six books. Those six books were split into three parts, each containing two of the books.

            What I said was very simple. Jackson pitched the studio on a single film. Secretly, he hoped that he could convince them to let him do the story in two films. The financier remembered that the Lord of the Rings was broken into 3 books, so he recommended doing the story in three films as well.

            I.E. Instead of Jackson doing LOTR in only 3 hours, he was able to do it in about 11.

          • Really!? Wasn’t LOTR originally one huge story told in three books: FOTR, TT, and ROTK? This is getting a little confusing. I knew they filmed all three back to back. That much I do get.

          • Thanks! That cleared things up. Its been a while since I read Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit so the layout of the story was a bit forgotten, but now thinking back on it I remember there was something like each one split in two “books”.

      • I wanted to make sure it wasn’t dedicated to that one chapter? My impressions on it was getting split both ways. 🙂

    • The fit ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ into one film, so I expect they could do the same to The Hobbit. But here’s the deal…

      Basically, Tolkien wrote The Hobbit….and then years later (as he was writing LotR), he wrote tons and tons and tons and tons and tons […] of backstory for Middle-earth. This included events taking place at the same time as events in The Hobbit, such as the White Council. (In the book, Gandalf drops in and out of the story with very little explanation. In the movie, we will see where he keeps disappearing to). These events aren’t really relevant to the story of The Hobbit, but they are very relevant to the events in The Lord of the Rings (The “Necromancer,” who turns out to be Sauron, is referenced a couple times in The Hobbit).

      The filmmakers are going to take all those events that happened “off-screen” in the book and incorporate them into the main narrative. The result: A huge amount of material is being added to The Hobbit. More than could be squeezed into a 3-hour film I guess. So, they are splitting it into two.

      I’m expecting two good films and two satisfying LotR prequels. But am I expecting “The Hobbit”? … Not sure yet.

      • Personally, I am very excited that they’re going into other Tolkien works to extrapolate on the stuff we would otherwise be missing from “The Hobbit.” We all know that Peter Jackson is delivering on The Hobbit. He’s got the cast in place, the characters in place, and we know from The Lord of the Rings films that he meets Gollum, acquires the Ring, has a run-in with Smaug, has a run-in with trolls and travels with the dwarfs on the adventure. I also know someone that was in the room during the planning for the battle of five armies.

        My question is, what would make all of the above *not* “The Hobbit?” Would it be if they focus more on the other parts of Middle-earth than Bilbo and the Dwarfs?

        • The Hobbit is a very different book from The Lord of the Rings. The fact that Tolkien was able to write in such drastically different styles shows how amazing of a writer he was.

          The Hobbit is a much more personal story, much lighter, more humorous, and has a more traditional A-to-Z adventure story feel. … The Lord of the Rings is a giant event deciding the fate of the world. The book itself feels like an authentic piece of history that was discovered in a long-forgotten cave or something.

          My concern is that they were trying to LOTRize The Hobbit.

          Like I said, I’m expecting two good films and two satisfying prequels. But I’m not sure it will feel like The Hobbit. PJ’s recent comments about the tone made me feel a bit better.

          • Example…

            If Tolkien was writing The Hobbit in the LOTR style, Bilbo’s buttons would not have popped off when he was escaping from the goblins. That kind of humor would feel out of place in LOTR.

            Conversely, if Tolkien was writting LOTR in a Hobbit style,
            Frodo stabbing an orc’s foot in Moria would’ve been preceded by a witty comment about something “Tookish” awakening inside him, and perhaps followed by Frodo suddenly craving eggs and bacon.

          • Gotcha. I agree that it’s a very different book. Tolkien is my favorite author of all time, with his tales of Middle-earth my favorite books of all time. (Lewis takes a close second.)

            I disagree about the Hobbit being more personal, but I do agree that it is much lighter and more humorous. The line about the invention of golf still makes me laugh.

            I think that Jackson has to be careful do two things with the film adaptation: be true to the atmosphere of the book and be true to the style of The Lord of the Rings films. Honestly, I think he has to do both, and that if they do end up LOTRizing it, it will be for the sake of the audience. My feeling is that they’re going to keep the power of the Ring as it was in LOTR, so as to maintain the power that the Ring holds over its’ bearers.

            I think that he has to balance both, because regardless of writing style, it is in the same world.

            Don’t get me wrong, I get what you’re saying exactly. I’m hoping PJ keeps a lot of the humor of it, somehow.

          • I was really disappointed when del Toro left. I think he would’ve been perfect. But we’ll see what PJ does.

            The Lord of the Rings doesn’t have a clear main character. For the most part, it feels like an objective historical record. This is why Tolkien was able to get away cutting away from whole character groups for 10 chapters or more.
            The Hobbit, on the other hand, is seen strictly through Bilbo’s eyes, and we see the way he views the world and really get inside his head. I think this makes The Hobbit a far more personal story.

          • Preachin’ to the choir. I was actually very happy when del Toro left. He hasn’t made anything that I’ve enjoyed.

            As for The Lord of the Rings, I think of Sam as the main character of the story. That said, there are so many characters that you follow, that to some Frodo is the main character, to others it could be Aragorn, etc. To me, LOTR was a far more personal experience than The Hobbit. The Choices of Master Samwise is one example. If you want a more clear historical record, see The Silmarillion.

          • It would be fair to say The Hobbit is a story about the journey of Bilbo Baggins. Where he goes, and how he changes as a character. It is strictly his perspective from beginning to end.

            LotR is about…well a lot of things. It’s about the war of the Ring, and that involves many different people and many different places, most of which Frodo and Sam know nothing about. The story constantly changes POV.

          • While true, after reading The Lord of the Rings, you have a different perspective on the Hobbit, and it makes the story of the Ring also resonate a bit more in the story as well, doing what any good sequel should: strengthening the other entries in the series.

            Star Wars owes much of its’ structure to LOTR and is the story of Luke Skywalker in the OT, with the PT it makes the entire saga about Anakin / Darth Vader. However, there are many other things that Star Wars is about: a rebellion, an empire, the end of the old Jedi order and the first of the new, etc, but it’s all based around the same war and they’re all fighting for the same outcome.

            Both stories are so vast that you can easily follow the characters that you wish. Either way, if you look at just The Hobbit, it is kind of the same as looking at just A New Hope. The Hobbit being about Bilbo, A New Hope being about Luke. Both have a lot going on that feature the overall story, but both can also stand on their own.

        • Well I just dont like it!!! ok!!! i’m just saying what I feel for LOTR!I don’t like them and never will!!! I tried to like those movies, but they can’t compare to Narnia, Narnia is more original and entertaining!! LOTR is just like, the same story in 3 books, Narnia has different adventures in every book!!! thats why I preffer Narnia.

          • I get what you’re saying, you want shorter adventures with a variety of different storylines, whereas The Lord of the Rings covers one story arc, with a multitude of characters locations and events that all come together with a single purpose. As I’ve stated elsewhere, The Lord of the Rings was intended to be one book, but Tolkien’s editor had him split it into three titles. It is intended to be one story, and was written as the sequel to The Hobbit.

            It’s okay not to like it, just don’t claim that Narnia is more original and entertaining. You’ll not get very far with that argument. And this is just for your own good. The Lord of the Rings is one of the primary reasons that fantasy literature exists as it does today. It defined what fantasy literature could be, and that it could be mature enough for anyone of any age to read.

          • ummmm!!!! Fantasy is in peoples imagination and dreams!!! I write fantasy story’s and LOTR did not inspired me!! and I think that out there, are allot of great fantasy books better tan LOTR!!! I know that those books are classics, but for me the aren’t. I respect you, but sorry I just don’t like them, they aren’t even that fantasy and inspiring. I want Narnia news!! not the hobbit!!!! or LOTR!!! =(

          • You’re just going to have to relax. It’s not like you’re forced to read the Tolkien news that I post. Plus, you shouldn’t claim that the Lord of the Rings isn’t “that fantasy and inspiring.” Consider that every single fantasy book to come after that has taken some inspiration from Tolkien, even your fantasy stories are, even if you don’t realize it. The world of fantasy writing would be nothing today had Tolkien not written his books. It would be a very different world.

          • That’s okay 🙂
            I understand how you feel. I’m not overly thrilled about sitting through a three hour long movie, to be honest with ‘ya. 😉 But I think it’s either you like them or you don’t, I’m not sure if there’s an in between, but I could be wrong. 🙂 I agree with what Paul’s saying, though.

    • Remmeber…I don’t mean to offend or do anything to start a fight/arguement. I am just showing good infomation that I found.

    • Make sure you watch all three. It really is good stuff, gives you another point of view.

      • C.S. – just a word of caution. If even one… just one… person comments to the negative, I’m going to remove all posts that have anything to do with Potter. Understood?

        • Yes, sir. I understand your concern. I wouldn’t want that to happen anyways. I was just giving a point.

          (the one i didn’t really get to post before,but you get what I mean…)

    • I think that has to do with how much of him you can see. You don’t see his feet, plus the angle of the photo makes him look as tall as your mind translates that to. His feet could be just off of the picture or a little lower than that. Hard to tell due to the shadows on this pant legs, and the fact that he is way in the foreground.

  7. I have to admit, I have a bit of LOTR envy. I love the LOTR trilogy and am almost as excited to see the HOBBT as a new Narnia movie. But as much as I love Narnia, a part of me wishes that CON could match the epicness of LOTR/HOBBIT. But I console myself with the fact that Narnia is a magical fairy tale, and I love fairy tales also. Thanks for the news Paul!

    • No problem! I agree with you completely. It seemed as though LWW wanted so bad to be LOTR while trying so hard to be Narnia that it kind of lost its’ voice. Personally, I think it should be a mix of The Lord of the Rings and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole in style.

      • I thought Lengend of the Guardians was cute. But I haven’t read or watched LOTR, we have the movie, but I haven’t ever watched it. I want to though. (It doesn’t help that it is in storage!) So I can’t really agree on how you see LWW and LOTR like the same…but I wish I could.

        • Narnia din’t want to be like LOTR, It wanted to be better!!! and it Did!!! Go narnia!!!!!

          • What, excuse me? um, both writer’s were friends and studied stuff together, so there books are most likely , in some ways, alike.
            (I beleive they were both trying to give the same message through the books also, but i can’t say for sure; since I haven’t read LOTR.)

            BTW, I think you need to settle down a little, no offense.

            I took what you said, offensing; I am just hoping you didn’t mean it that way and it was just a ‘joking around thing’.

  8. Paul Martin, I know this is off topic too, but I that you in the picture? If it is , are you drinking a milkshake? Just wondering…

  9. Wow! Nice photo! LOTR really is one of my most favorite fantasy books. I mean, in watching/reading sequence, it comes third(after Narnia and HP). I mean these 3 are EPIC, though I have this uncanny connection with Narnia. But thanks for the post anyway! It’s really exciting to find all your favorite movies’/books’ info on one website!! Looking forward to The Hobbit…BTW, I have a question, um, are there more than 3 LOTR movies/books? Also, is ANYONE here a Twilight, sorry, Toilet fan?

    • Okay, when it comes to The Lord of the Rings, that’s only part of the tales of Middle-Earth. A big part, sure, but only part.

      The Hobbit
      The Silmarillion
      The Children of Hurin

      These are all books set in Middle-Earth. The Silmarillion is a collection of stories about the creation of Middle-Earth, and even goes into the creation of the rings. The Children of Hurin is also part of that book, but is a longer version of the story found there.

    • Nice to know another fantasy fanatic of Narnia, LOTR, and HP. I read the twilight series because it was the big talk around and didn’t want to be left out of the loop, but it really wasn’t my kind of series. Sorry about that. On a small note did you mean to say Toilet fan or was it typo in trying to type out Tolkien?

  10. Hello! I was just wondering if they are doing another Narnia movie. Thanks!:)

    • ** *in a whisper* Actually, we don’t know yet.**

      But not to worry. You can be sure that if one gets greenlit, the news will be right here.

  11. Oh I can’t wait to see this!!!! I am a big fan of LOTR and was too young to ever see them in theaters so I am so excited to see these two!!!! 😀 😀

    • Well I only saw the first one in theater and the last two I didn’t. So you’re not alone. I would have I was a fan earlier. I never heard of it until the FOTR was released. I didn’t want to see it because it was in competition with HP and all I loved at that time was HP. To make it worse my I had a high fever and my parents took the family out to see it at night. So naturally such an intense long movie on a big screen with a high fever didn’t go very well. I only started liking it because people around me started to watch Two Towers and then slowly I began liking it. So this will be my second Tolkien film to see in theaters. 🙂

  13. I think they should make a ‘The Children of Hurin’ movie! That book is amazing. Even though it is extremely depressing.

  14. I love the lord of the rings, book and films, and I love the Hobbit book! I hope Peter Jackson does a good job on the films (I almost know for sure that he will) I really hope there is another Narnia film, although it does seem a shame that they have not decided on which one they are making. I would like Andrew Adamson to come back, or another director.
    Here’s a scary thought- what if Peter Jackson directed N-n-narnia!!!???

    • Scary thought!? Sorry but I would love that! Imagine 4 hours of each narnia book on film!

      • LOL, uh! That would be frightening. Such long movies!

        I have to agree that Andrew Adams did a pretty good job until he made PC romantic. (From the talk at my church, that was the one thing that everyone disliked.) But I do hope that if they do another Narnia movie, it’s going to be Andrew again. Does anyone know who was the director of VotD?

    • NOOOO!!! i want Andrew back!! he is better!!!! he knows how to make good quality movies!!!!!!!!!!

      • Just because Jackson made LOTR doesn’t mean he will be horrible to direct Narnia. I know you have a very strong distaste for LOTR, but that doesn’t mean the directing was horrible. Many of us found he was pretty good. He stuck pretty close to the LOTR books and so he could with Narnia. Isn’t that what we want directors directing these films as close to the books as possible. Besides Jackson may not actually ever do Narnia film. It is just a thought they were putting out. Personally I think both Jackson and Adamson are phenomenal directors.

      • I know this is a little offf topic (again), but I read a comment you said up above about you writing fantesy stories? That’s cool!I do too !(well, at least I have finished one, but it isn’t out there yet.) I have to say I was inspired by C.S. Lewis…I can’t say LOTR, because I haven’t seen it/read it yet… (And now back onto topic) I don’t really care who directs Narnia; but I guess I can say I like Andrew better too.

    • I hope it delivers. When the Lord of the Rings movies came out I don’t think anyone thought a movie could be made that did the books any sort of justice. Thus I was blown away. This time everyone knows what Peter Jackson can do and he’ll have far more pressure to do the impossible again.
      (I reckon he’d be an awesome director for something like “The Silver Chair”. I don’t know if I’d like to see him direct “The Horse and His Boy” or “The Magicians Nephew” though.)

  15. I’ve never read or watched any LOTR movies/books. Maybe I should start by watching this.

  16. I seriously have no problem with LOTR on narnia fans…both writers were good friedns, so I think it’s fine.(just speak’n out loud…)

  17. if the link doesn’t work try searching this : Prince Caspain Easter Egg- Blonde Cam

  18. Might be worth noting that that the white bearded dwarf is believed to be Balin, played by Ken Stott (voice of Trufflehunter).

  19. Looks good! My brother is a huge LOTR fan and has gotten me plugged into the movies as well. 🙂 We’re already planning to go see it when it comes to theaters.

  21. um, hello? doesn’t nyone want to watch anything i post??? Could you people at least post somthing or just watch it, blonde cam is funny! Just search it if you have to, it is crazy-funny! (I am begining not to like coming on narnia fan any more. I have only had paul martin respond to my comments. it makes me want to start an arguement just to talk to someone!) Please say something, thanks.

    • I don’t have email yet so this is my only comunication for the moment. (I get it when I am 16 and I am using my brothers email, + he does know i am and it’s alright with him…) That’s why I am upset.

      • That is, the one Skander Kaynes did for the bonus features of Prince Caspian.

      • Sorry That was meant to be a reply to C.S But i forgot to press it But Everyone Feel free to watch them aswell!!! 🙂

        • And that comment as suppose to be under the other one that i accedentially sent to no one when i forgot to press the reply button to C.S omygosh i Keep forgetting to press the reply button! 😀

      • I did see your video’s; they are (like many others) awsome! I really mean it to…even thought I also; like other’s, want to be part of the ‘narnia family (cast)’. I truly mean it is good.

        (I just think people are just getting anoid by ‘jill this’or ‘jill that’. Someone like ME!) They are good though….

  22. One of the guys in the back-round of the picture posted looks like when Peter Jackson did a cameo in the third film.

  23. Ahhhh! This pic is so amazing I could just die! I can’t WAIT to see this movie, although I don’t expect it to be half as good as the other three because Orlando Bloom isn’t in this one! 😉
    I’m just kidding, I’m sure it’ll be amazing!

    • Actually, Orlando Bloom will be back as Legolas in The Hobbit. He was living in Mirkwood with his father, King Thandurill at the time and would be at least half a century younger durring the time of the Hobbit. Most Likely, he will also be in the Battle of Five Armies.

      • REALLY?!?! YESSSSSSSS!!! My friend and I debate all the time over who is better: Aragorn or Legolas. And I thought it was really close, but I think that Legolas is just a liiittle bit better.
        Although, I wonder how much younger you can really make an Elf look…I mean, seriously, he already looked uber young in LotR, buuuuuuttt…cosmetics can work wonders in this era.

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