SAN DIEGO ― If reaction to “The Hobbit’’ footage at Comic-Con is any indication, Peter Jackson has another couple of blockbusters on his hands.
The crowd attending Jackson’s “Hobbit’’ preview at the fan convention Saturday went wild over a 12-minute reel the filmmaker and his colleagues screened.
Broken into two films, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’’ and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,’’ the 3-D epic is Jackson’s prequel to his “Lord of the Rings’’ trilogy, whose finale won 11 Academy Awards, including best picture and director.
“An Unexpected Journey’’ arrives in theaters Dec. 14, with “There and Back Again’’ following in December 2013.
The films are based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s prequel novel, which chronicles how tiny hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) acquired the ring of power that causes all the ruckus in “The Lord of the Rings,’’ Jackson’s three-part adaptation of Tolkien’s fantasy saga.
Lionel Lum, dressed as “Transformers” character Bumblebee, poses for photos on the third day of Comic-Con held at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, on Saturday. (AP-Yonhap News)
Along with Jackson and Freeman, “The Hobbit’’ panel at Comic-Con featured “Lord of the Rings’’ co-stars Ian McKellen, who reprises his role as the wizard Gandalf, and Andy Serkis, who is back as twisted ring-keeper Gollum. Also on hand was Richard Armitage, who plays the dwarf Thorin Oakenshield.
Jackson showed 12 minutes of footage that included a chillingly comic exchange between Bilbo and Gollum; a tender moment between McKellen’s Gandalf and Cate Blanchett, reprising her role as elf queen Galadriel; and the pivotal moment when Bilbo discovers the ring.
A surprise guest was Elijah Wood, who starred as hobbit Frodo Baggins in “The Lord of the Rings.’’ (AP)