Sending Middle-Earth fans into a frenzy,
Peter Jackson has confirmed "The Hobbit" has officially become a trilogy after
announcing on Monday (July 30) plans for a third film instead of the originally
scheduled two.
Sharing the news through his facebook
page, the franchise's director explained, "We know how much of the story of
Bilbo Baggins, the Wizard Gandalf, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the
Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur will remain untold if we do not take
this chance."
The epic fantasy-adventure tale will
begin this December when the first installment titled "The Hobbit: An Unexpected
Journey" opens with the follow-up film dubbed "The Hobbit: There and Back Again"
due in December 2013.
Now, the pair of highly-anticipated
flicks will be capped off by a third motion picture which is expected to hit
theaters sometime in Summer 2014.
Check out Peter Jackson’s announcement in
it's entirety below:
"It is only at the end of a shoot that
you finally get the chance to sit down and have a look at the film you have
made. Recently Fran, Phil and I did just this when we watched for the first time
an early cut of the first movie – and a large chunk of the second. We were
really pleased with the way the story was coming together, in particular, the
strength of the characters and the cast who have brought them to life. All of
which gave rise to a simple question: do we take this chance to tell more of the
tale? And the answer from our perspective as the filmmakers, and as fans, was an
unreserved ‘yes.’
We know how much of the story of Bilbo
Baggins, the Wizard Gandalf, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer,
and the Battle of Dol Guldur will remain untold if we do not take this chance.
The richness of the story of The Hobbit, as well as some of the related material
in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, allows us to tell the full story of
the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and the part he played in the sometimes
dangerous, but at all times exciting, history of Middle-earth.
So, without further ado and on behalf of
New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wingnut Films, and
the entire cast and crew of “The Hobbit” films, I’d like to announce that two
films will become three.
It has been an unexpected journey indeed,
and in the words of Professor Tolkien himself, ”a tale that grew in the
telling.”
Based on the bestselling coming-of-age
novel, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" comes to theaters on September 14th. A
new poster for the movie was released today (July 25) showing the film's three
young stars, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, and Ezra Miller.
The drama tells the story of 15-year-old
Charlie (Lerman) and his struggle to cope with his first love, the suicide of
his best friend, and his own mental illness, all while struggling to fit
in.
In related news, the "Harry Potter"
starlet made headlines recently when PerezHilton.com reported that she may be
considered for the role of Anastasia Steele in the hot romance film "Fifty
Shades of Grey."
According to the source, film producers
Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti felt that the 22-year-old actress was a good fit
for the role.
Weeks ago, actors Channing Tatum and Matt
Bomer were rumored to be considered for the male lead, Christian
Grey.
Causing a frenzy upon their names'
announcement, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner took the
stage as big winners at the 2012 Teen Choice Awards.
Held at the Gibson Amphitheatre in
Universal City, CA on Sunday (July 22), the "Twilight" trio were called onstage
to collect the coveted Choice Movie: Romance surfboard.
Adding to the hardware, Miss Stewart
racked up a trio of trophies early in the night for her work in "The Twilight
Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" - with her wins coming in the Choice Movie
Actress: Romance, Choice Summer Movie Star: Female and Ultimate Choice Award
categories.
Hosted by Demi Lovato, the 2012 Teen
Choice Awards also featured performances by Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen, Flo
Rida and No Doubt.
Robert Pattinson is almost as known for
his iconic locks as for playing heartthrob vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight
saga. But fans of the thrillers may notice something slightly out of place with
his vampire alter ego’s trademark mane in the final chapter of the
series.
“We had to do the re-shoots on [Breaking
Dawn -- Part 2] a few weeks ago, and it was the first time I had to wear a wig,”
Pattinson told fans last week at a San Diego Comic-Con panel for the film. “I
couldn’t believe my last two days on Twilight they put this orange wig on my
hair.”
The hairpiece, which Pattinson described
as being “like Frankenstein’s monster” and “an amalgamation of six [different]
wigs,” practically had the actor pulling his hair out.
So when asked what he would warn his
younger self about if he had the opportunity to go back in time to the first
Twilight film, Pattinson’s answer was clear. He joked, “Don’t succumb to peer
pressure and start wearing a wig like everybody else in this cast.” Tell us: Are
you excited for the final Twilight film?
It doesn’t come out until March 8th, 2013
and already “Oz The Great and Powerful” is generating tons of industry
buzz.
A new behind-the-scenes video features
interviews with the film’s stars James Franco and Mila Kunis as well as a look
at the movie’s aesthetic.
“Oz The Great and Powerful” is directed
by Sam Raimi and imagines the origins of the much-loved central character from
the ever popular “The Wizard of Oz.”
Per the synopsis, “When Oscar Diggs, a
small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas
to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot--fame and fortune are
his for the taking--that is until he meets three witches, Theodora, Evanora and
Glinda, who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting.
Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its
inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too
late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity--and even a
bit of wizardry--Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful
Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.”
It looks like art will be imitating life
when Katie Holmes begins filming a new movie in which she plays a single
mother.
According to a report, the “Dawson’s
Creek” darling will star in “Molly,” a project she also co-wrote and will share
producing duties as well.
The plot of “Molly” is said to be
centered on a single mother and her daughter, which is interesting given that
Katie recently filed for divorce from Tom Cruise and is seeking sole custody of
their little girl Suri .
And most of the divorce details will
likely be kept under wraps. An insider told press, “Neither of them wants this
to be hashed out in public.”
Getting in an afternoon pick me up,
Selena Gomez was spotted sipping an icy beverage in Los Angeles, CA on Tuesday
afternoon .
The 19-year-old starlet looked fierce in
a Russian Vodka shirt with tall black boots as she relaxed after celebrating
Ashley Tisdale’s birthday on the beach in Malibu on Monday night .
In other news, it was recently revealed
that Electronic Dance Music superstar Skrillex will be composing the score for
the brunette beauty’s newest film “Spring Breakers.”
Randall Poster, the musical director for
the film, told Pitchfork.com, “I'm working on Harmony Korine's movie Spring
Breakers now and Skrillex is doing original music for us.”
Poster added, “I had heard of Skrillex,
but I wasn't watching it that closely. And Harmony, who I've worked with
forever, sent me a link to some Skrillex YouTubes, and I saw one had 54 million
hits - I thought he had somehow figured out a way to manipulate the numbers. And
then it dawns on you: There are kids that are never going to buy a record.
They're just going to play songs on YouTube."
Much like it's titular hero, The Amazing
Spider-Man has had to overcome a lot; cynics argued that it was too soon to
start over with a new cast, especially in light of the record-breaking success
of the original Spider-Man movies. Director Marc Webb promised us that his
iteration would be different, and he does his best to inject freshness
everywhere he can: Peter Parker has a new(ish) personality, a new girlfriend,
and a new villain to tackle. Despite all these tweaks, this reboot of the Spidey
franchise still feels like something we've seen before. That said, The Amazing
Spider-Man is an inspired take on the comic book that will please fans of the
Spider-Man story, and Andrew Garfield proves he can carry the weight of a
superhero franchise.
Garfield is our new Peter Parker, and
this time he's more of a hipster outcast (complete with skateboard and a
seemingly endless array of hoodies) than timid nerd. Still troubled by the
mysterious disappearance of his parents years earlier, Peter's lonely teenage
years change dramatically when a spider bite leaves him with some serious
strength and cobwebs coming out of his ears wrists. Like I said, you've heard
this story before, but to find out why The Amazing Spider-Man is still worth
seeing.
