Hobbit Video Diary

Peter Jackson has recently posted a video diary from the production of The Hobbit on his facebook page. I have to say this is very exciting indeed because we get to see a real glimpse of whats to come. With some really great HD views of Bag End and Rivendell and a traditional Maori Welcoming ceremony this 10 min vid has it all. I just hope Mr Jackson makes this a regular thing but I suspect most of the good stuff with be kept for the Blu Ray releases !

Click HERE for the direct link to Peter Jackson's facebook page or have a view of the video on youtube below

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - First Full Trailer

I am very excited by this trailer. The first glimpse of 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' from 20th Century Fox. This is a prequel to the original 1968 film starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall.

The prequel stars James Franco (127 Hours), Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), Tom Felton (Harry Potter) and Andy Serkis playing Ceasar in a motion capture role. Directed by Rupert Wyatt who previously directed the very underrated 'The Escapist' starring Brian Cox and Damian Lewis and special effects from Weta Digital (Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Avatar) this promises to be something special. It will also be the first Apes film to feature completely CGI apes and if Weta's King Kong is anything to go by, and with all the advances in CGI in recent years, then we should be in for a real treat.

Also involved in the production are Director of Photography Andrew Lesnie (Lord of the Rings, King Kong, Lovely Bones, The Hobbit), Composer Patrick Doyle (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Eragon) and Editor Conrad Buff (Titanic, Tears of the Sun, and Training Day) so some veteran professionals have been employed by the look of it.

Well done for 20th Century Fox for re-booting the Apes franchise. Most people though Tim Burton's "re-imagining" in 2001 put the nail in the coffin once and for all but I'm guessing enough time has passed now for Fox to try again. The biggest surprise for me is this is the first trailer for this film with an August release date. This could mean either there have been a lot of production problems and re-writes so there hasn't been much to show yet or the simple fact that Weta have only just completed some of the effects on the apes (which is probably more likely as is common for CGI heavy films.)

Role on August !

Double Vision for the Hobbit

Well the rumours are without a doubt true. Both of the Hobbit films will be filmed in 3D. Ian McKellen confirmed that Director of Photography Andrew Lesnie (long term collaborator of Peter Jackson and DOP for all three LOTR films) has been doing some lens tests during costume fittings with Martin Freeman.

I have to say this is exciting news. To see the wonders of Middle Earth in 3D will be something to behold and I am really glad it's being shot in 3D rather than a conversion. Andrew Lesnie is one of the best in the business and I am confident he will do a wonderful job in creating Hobbiton and all the other Hobbit locations in 3D. Just a note though Andrew.........in the dark scenes can you brighten it up just a little bit??? - Those glasses don't help much in the dark scenes.....something I am sure The Hobbit will have a lot of !

Bofur and Gandalf (James Nesbitt and Ian McKellen)

Photo courtesy of Ian McKellen

New Winnie the Pooh Clip on Youtube

Walt Disney Animation studios have recently posted a clip from the forthcoming Winnie The Pooh feature which opens April 15th 2011 in the UK whilst the US will have to wait until July (unusual for the UK to get a WD film first ??)

I think this is a brave move for Disney and I really hope it pays off. In a world of 3D CGI animation, going back to hand drawn for a second time after The Princess and the Frog is a gamble because although 'Princess' was a great film it suffered from being released at the same time as Avatar and we all know how well that did. Also Winnie the Pooh is nothing new and the techniques used are the same as the ones used on other Winnie the Pooh shorts but is this a bad thing ? Answer....No ! 

If is isn't broken, don't fix it. This promises to be classic Disney and I can't wait for it. I am most excited though about Bud Luckey voicing Eeyore. Bud Luckey is a legend in the world of animation. Working for Pixar for many years he was one of the main artists behind the creation of Toy Story's Woody and he also created and directed one of Pixar's best short films ever in the form of Boundin'.

Take a look at both the clip and the trailer (which features music from Keane to great effect) and I don't mind telling you I had a small tear forming in my eye at the end of it. Quite beautiful !

Plan B for "The Sweeney"

Some good news this week that Brit Musician Plan B (Ben Drew) has been cast alongside Ray Winstone in the Vertigo films remake of The Sweeney based on the classic 70's series of the same name. Even further good news is the fact that the film will be set in the present day. I was worried that the film might turn into a missed opportunity due to the fantastic 'Life On Mars' a few years ago and, although I am a huge fan of Ray Winstone, I feared no matter how good his Jack Reagan turn was, people would just compare it to Philip Glenister's excellent portrayal of Gene Hunt. With a screenplay from John Hodge (Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, The Beach and unfortunately 'Seeker: The Dark is Rising', but we can forget about that one can't we?) this will hopefully prove to be a great re-visit to London's Flying Squad. I hope this time it does happen though as a previous attempt by director Nick Love (The Firm) ran into financial difficulties last year.

I think Ben Drew is an excellent choice for the role of George Carter. Aside from his obvious talent in the music world, he has also proved his acting chops with roles in Adulthood, 4.3.2.1, and my personal favourite Harry Brown.

We will keep you updated with all the news from The Sweeney as we hear it at The Production Diaries.

New Pirates Trailer - Johnny Depp Doll & 4 New Posters

Disney have recently released the latest trailer for "Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides" and I have to say it looks great. Don't get me wrong, I loved the previous trailers but they were a little too Depp heavy to get a real feel for the film itself but this one gives us it in spades.

On Stranger Tides will be released in 3D and thankfully it was actually shot in 3D and it won't be an awful conversion (see Clash of the the Titans) and I was lucky to see one of the first trailers in 3D and it looks like this could be one of the best 3D films released yet....even better than Avatar perhaps ?

To see the some superb one sheet posters and a strangely clean Captain Jack Sparrow/Authentic looking Johnny Depp doll continue reading after the jump

Ian McKellen Confirms First Hobbit Rehearsal

Ian McKellen has confirmed on his site that the first joint rehearsals for The Hobbit have started (17th March). He mentions in his blog that he was in the main studio which was used for The Lord of the Rings and talks of the new Bag End set which features a bedroom and pantry !

Now we just need definite confirmation that Orlando Bloom is in or not ?