The First Hobbit Movie to Premiere on Nov 28

JUNE 6, 2012 - Warner Bros has announced that the much awaited The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will have its world premiere on November 28, 2012 in Wellington, New Zealand. 

A production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first of two films from film-maker Peter Jackson, the Oscar-winning director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, who shot the films concurrently on locations across New Zealand. 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is adapted from the popular masterpiece The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.  The second film is The Hobbit: There and Back Again.  Both are set in Middle-Earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, which Jackson and his team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar-winning LOTR: The Return of the King.



Ian McKellen is back as Gandalf the Grey (above), the character he played in the LOTR trilogy, and Martin Freeman plays the central role of Bilbo Baggins.  Also reprising their roles are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; Orlando Bloom as Legolas; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. 

The screenplays for both films are by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro.  Jackson is also producing the films, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh.  The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producer. 

Under Jackson’s direction, both movies are being shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming is taking place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand. 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released on Dec 14, 2012.  The second film, There and Back Again, is slated for release on Dec 13, 2013.