20 Years of Magic Captured in Weta’s 20th Anniversary Books

The celebrations of 20 years of film-making from Weta Group will kick off with the launch today of two stunning books capturing the history of the Weta companies.

The books, Weta Digital: 20 Years of Imagination on Screen and Weta Workshop: Celebrating 20 Years of Creativity will be unveiled at Weta’s booth at Comic-Con International and are available as a special edition dual set for purchase by fans attending Comic-Con.

Spielberg & Crew Talk Tintin

Heather Buckley recently shared an afternoon with Steven Spielberg and crew to talk all things Tin Tin and bring back this report:

When Steven Spielberg makes a new movie we’re interested. He’s E.T.’s “father” for Pete’s sake. And his latest, Tintin, is coming to theaters in all of its 3-D glory this holiday season. If you do get a chance to see it, you’ll “get” why Spielberg has been trying since 1983 to get this flick made. That is, Tintin, the property, is a lot like Raiders of the Lost Ark on a junior scale. A fact, which was not, lost on the French press in ’81 who kept referencing Tintin in Raider’s reviews. That mention piqued Spielberg’s interest and after a quick read, he was hooked. Because Spielberg is Tintin, so to speak; ruthless in looking for stories—even if it takes him around the world; laser-like problem solving abilities and determination even in the face of a faulty mechanical shark.

Tintin’s stories frequently center around friendship and trust. Which we see again with his successful life-long collaborations with producer Kathleen Kennedy. “I could not have made this movie if Kathy hadn’t been with me for twenty eight years trying to get this thing off the ground, back in 1983, when we both went to Belgium, two weeks after Hergé’s death, to meet the widow Annie, who we got the rights from, and welcomed us as Hergé would have had he lived, and has been tenacious in getting me not to forget Tintin. All these years, ‘Don’t forget it. Don’t forget how you felt in ’83. I know now, it’s ‘95, but remember about ’83? You loved it then, why wouldn’t you love it any less in ’95!’”

Helping Spielberg finally bring Tintin to the big screen is the great and wonderful Peter Jackson, whose laid back attitude made the film loads of fun to make. During motion capture sessions, Jackson would call in at 4 am New Zealand time to help give pointers to the L.A, team—a style of collaboration light years away from Spielberg's collaborations on the Indiana Jones series with George Lucas, who would work on the script with Spielberg, come up with the "macguffin" and then not show up again until post. “George goes away, I don’t see him for six, maybe seven months, eight months, till I show him the cut of my movie. With Peter, he was on my set every day. But not physically, his head was on a TV screen… And sometimes, I would just walk over to the monitor, to ask Peter a question, and I would find Peter [sleeping] and we would go ‘Peter’ …’Peter’…’Peter’ and he would say…’Yes, and about the last take, maybe Jamie is speaking too loud’. So I had a real collaborator on the set with me”

For the look of Tintin, WETA’s Joe Letteri and team looked closely at the source material for inspiration, “…We went back to [Hergé’s] references, the family was really gracious, they opened up all their archives… So we took those ideas, and just kept going with it. Everything we saw, we tried to imagine what Hergé would have done, if he had been able to look around and see that third dimension.”

Most importantly, though, was the understanding around eye rendering. Letteri was given notes by Spielberg while working on the title character of the 1995 movie Casper, “They have to look like E.T.’s eyes.” As his work progressed to Gollum, Letteri kept thinking about what that meant. And so it hit him. “I kept that line in the back mind, about really trying to bring out the expressiveness of the eyes, and it’s been a focus ever since, because, as you say, human characters, you understand that instinctively, even if you don’t understand it technically. So we’ve just progressed that work, you know, through King Kong and Avatar, and we’re able to do the same thing on Tintin.”

Though over 25 years in the making, and with a great depth of collaboration and technical skill, Spielberg just hopes his audience forgets about all of that and just enjoys the story and experience and connection the film is trying to convey. And for the sequel? “Yeah, well, it’s being written right now, and Peter’s going to direct it, after he does the Hobbit, and I’ll produce it with him, as he produced this with me, and we have the stories, and we have the book we’re adapting from Hergé, and we can’t wait to get started.”

The Adventures of Tintin opens in theaters nationwide today.

Heather Buckley is a major contributor to our yearly NY Toy Fair coverage and writes for Dread Central as well. Thanks Heather!

The Hobbit Trailer

Because we love you. Happy Holidays!

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the first of two films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The second film will be “The Hobbit: There and Back Again.”

Both films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

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.

Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins. Also reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” movies 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 ensemble cast also includes (in alphabetical order) Richard Armitage, John Bell, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Barry Humphries, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Evangeline Lilly, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, Mike Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott, Jeffrey Thomas, and Aidan Turner.

The screenplays for both “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” are by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson. Jackson is also producing the films, together with Fran Walsh and Carolynne Cunningham. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Ken Kamins, Toby Emmerich and Zane Weiner, with Boyens 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.

Among the creative behind-the-scenes team returning to Jackson’s crew are director of photography Andrew Lesnie, production designer Dan Hennah, conceptual designers Alan Lee and John Howe, composer Howard Shore and make-up and hair designer Peter King. The costumes are designed by Ann Maskrey and Richard Taylor. The score is being composed by Howard Shore.

Taylor is also overseeing the design and production of weaponry, armour and prosthetics which are once again being made by the award winning Weta Workshop. Weta Digital take on the visual effects for both films, led by the film’s visual effects supervisor, Joe Letteri. Post production will take place at Park Road Post Production in Wellington.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” are productions of New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production. Warner Bros Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television licensing, being handled by MGM.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” will be released on December 14, 2012. The second film, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” is slated for release the following year, on December 13, 2013.

Lord of the Rings and Hobbit LEGOs Coming Soon!

Just start setting aside half your monthly income now. You know you want it all...times 500 for all the army builders!!!

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and The LEGO Group announced today a partnership that awards the world’s leading construction toy brand exclusive rights to develop build-and-play construction sets based on THE LORD OF THE RINGS™ trilogy and the two films based on THE HOBBIT™. The multi-year licensing agreement grants access to the library of characters, settings, and stories for THE LORD OF THE RINGS property, as well as films The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again.

LEGO® THE LORD OF THE RINGS construction sets are slated for a rolling global launch beginning in June 2012 in the United States, with LEGO THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY scheduled for later in the year.

“Only LEGO, with their expertise in the construction category, is capable of doing justice to the incredibly imaginative environments depicted in the world of THE LORD OF THE RINGS and the two films based on THE HOBBIT,” said Karen McTier, executive vice president, domestic licensing and worldwide marketing, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “These films give life to amazing worlds and characters and we are thrilled to bring fans these products that deliver an imaginative play experience befitting of these beloved properties.”

The LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS collection will translate into LEGO form the epic locations, scenes and characters of Middle-earth as depicted in all three films, including The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

In late 2012, LEGO THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY will give fans of all ages a chance to build and play out the fantastical story and new characters of the legendary Middle-earth adventures depicted in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson, slated to premiere December 14, 2012.

“Our collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products has delivered numerous worldwide successes in the construction toy aisle with lines like LEGO HARRY POTTER and LEGO BATMAN, introducing us to loyal audiences who love great stories, strong characters and the toys that they inspire,” said Jill Wilfert, vice president, licensing and entertainment for The LEGO Group. “It’s particularly exciting to now be able to create sets based on the fantasy worlds and characters from THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and the two films based on THE HOBBIT, not only because we know they will foster collectability and creative play, but also because these are two properties that our fans have been asking us to create for years.”

Information about the sets and collectible minifigures from both collections will be unveiled at a later date at TheLordoftheRings.LEGO.com and tune in this February for our coverage of the NY Toy Fair where they will surely have plenty of these on display!

The Bridge Direct Tackle The Hobbit Toys

Those wishing the masterminds behind Toy Biz's hugely successful Lord of the Rings figure line would continue the awesome party can quake in despair, as your old pal WB announces The Hobbit license has gone to The Bridge Direct, creators of Zhu Zhu Pets and Justin Bieber action figures. No doubt the cash from the Zhu Zhu craze has given The Bridge deep pockets to handle the Bieb license and now, they have ultimate control over your lords of Middle Earth. Oddly, The Bridge website also lists Power Rangers as an upcoming project. Seeing as how Bandai finally announced the coming of Rita Repulsa this year, it saddens us to think someone else will be starting those lines from scratch. Could The Bridge hire an all star team to crank out the very best Hobbit figures we've ever seen? We can only hope! Here's the press release...

Warner Bros. Consumer Products is pleased to announce today that it has awarded the worldwide master toy and game licensing rights for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again to The Bridge Direct, Inc., the global children's consumer products company. The Bridge will develop an exciting array of products inspired by the two films being directed by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson—who previously brought Middle-earth to life with the award-winning blockbuster The Lord of the Rings trilogy—including action figures, playsets, and role play accessories, which are expected to debut at retail in fall 2012 prior to the December 14 release of the first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

"We're thrilled about our partnership with The Bridge Direct, which produces engaging products that will recreate the storyline with stunning detail," said Karen McTier, Executive Vice President of Domestic Licensing and Worldwide Marketing for Warner Bros. Consumer Products. "Thanks to many of the same creative minds behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy products, we're looking forward to unveiling a robust toy line for the two films that captures the excitement of the beloved adventure and delights loyal fans of the series."

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again promise a timeless story, a broad range of appealing characters, thrilling action and the incomparable movie magic brought to life by master filmmaker Peter Jackson, all of which will make for an amazing toy line," said Jay Foreman, President and CEO of The Bridge.

Timed to reach consumers prior to the December 14, 2012 release of the first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Bridge will debut a multi-category toy line. The battle begins with Basic Action Figures, Adventure Packs, Beast Packs, and highly detailed Collector Figures. Fans can become real-life heroes with premium role play items including a Basic Sting Sword, a Basic Orcrist Sword, a Dwarven Battle Axe, and a Deluxe Sting Sword that features a blue glow just like in the film, bringing the thrill and the fantasy of the two films to life. The Bridge will reveal the 2012 product line to key retail partners in the coming weeks.

Inside Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Will Rodman's (James Franco) pharmacological experiments with chimps leads to the birth of an animal with far superior intelligence and sense of self. As Caesar learns about the world and the inherent evils therein, he sees this isn't a very pleasant place for a being like him. He must make difficult choices to survive and eventually become a leader.

Joe Letteri, Senior VFX Supervisor states clearly that Caesar had to be a real chimp but we also have to see the evolution. He starts out as this happy little animal and as he grows he comes to wonder why he is different than the others and seeks to find his place in the world. Eventually this leads him to his role as a leader. The chimps need to be very life like, but be able to convey the deep drama of the story.




Andy Serkis takes on the daunting task of playing Caesar. After tackling roles like Gollem in Lord of the Rings and King King himself, this should have been a no-brainer! Serkis says this was his most challenging role to date. He remaked that it is one thing to play a chimp but another to play through the evolution of this animal with a father figure in James Franco. "It wasn't just doing the movements that feel like ape movements. He's an Ape plus!" Serkis' Caesar is based on a real chimp names Oliver who many believed may have been a cross between a human and a chimp. There was just something profoundly different about him and people could tell.

For WETA, "Rise" is a huge expansion from a film like King Kong. It's a complex set of problems to overcome from an acting and FX standpoint all at once. Serkis explains " The WOWS aren't in your face." He explains saying the realism in the emotional truth of the content has a far greater impact than any over the top set piece. "This doesn't feel like a visual effects film at all!"

As a fan of the original films, I'm at once insanely excited to see my heroes at WETA taking on the topic but still, a little wary. WETA got very caught up in the emotional content in King Kong and while the result was visually breathtaking, the result with a bit mellow dramatic. Does the movie going public want to see a modern Kong rampaging through the city streets, real as life and twice as terrifying or do they want to explore the gentle side of this great beast as he plays on the ice with his lady love? On that same note, do fans of the franchise want to see a very cerebral take on the ape Caesar discovering the evils of man before finally leading his monkey army against them? We've certainly seen the gonzo, action driven version. Now we'll get the other side. One thing is certain. If ANYONE can make us feel for a chimp, it's WETA and Andy Serkis.

Hit us back tomorrow when the full trailer premieres! You can watch the full interview and see new footage RIGHT NOW by CLICKING HERE!!

Go Behind The Scenes of Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Every geek of every age will agree on one thing, solidly unifying us as a species. We all love us some damn dirty apes. WETA Digital, the industry-leading and Academy Award® winning visual effects house behind the wizardry of films such as Avatar, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and District 9, will host a livestream event on Facebook, for RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. On April 13, at 2:30PM PDT, from WETA's headquarters in Wellington, New Zealand, WETA's Joe Letteri and Dan Lemmon will give viewers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at their work on the film, a reality-based cautionary tale that blends science fiction and science-fact - and is the last big
event movie of the summer.

The event will run live, RIGHT HERE!! Check in at 2:30pm PDT

Watch live streaming video from apeswillrise at livestream.com

Last year, WETA won an Academy Award for its groundbreaking visual effects work in rendering an entire fantasy world in James Cameron's history-making epic. WETA's work on RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES presented very different challenges and opportunities. In addition to creating a CG character that gives a performance of unprecedented emotion and intelligence, WETA is applying some of the technology it developed for Avatar to bring to life a real world - the film is set in modern-day San Francisco - and epic battles on which rest the upended destinies of man and
primate.

Letteri, a five-time Oscar® winner, and Lemmon will provide a look into WETA's process, and explain how working on a Planet of the Apes film has long been the "holy grail" of visual effects wizardry - and a driving force behind their own careers. In addition, visitors to the livestream event will hear from other RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES filmmakers, including director Rupert Wyatt, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the work of actor Andy Serkis, whose nuanced performance is playing a key role in WETA's rendering of Caesar, the film's principal ape character.

A five-second preview of WETA's work on RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is available on the film's official Facebook page: (http://www.facebook.com/ApesWillRise)

In the film's story, a single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a war unlike any other -- and to the RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. It stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo and Andy Serkis as Caesar. Peter Chernin and Dylan Clark are producing for Chernin Entertainment under its pact with Fox. Rupert Wyatt
is directing from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, who are also producing.

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES opens in theaters everywhere August 5, 2011.