Hot off the heels of announcing the wrapping of filming for The Hobbit last week, Peter Jackson attended the Comic-Con panel for the film today along with a few cast members, bringing with him some new footage to show off.
According to Screen Rant, the footage “looks amazing,” adding that the audience “was definitely definitely pleased with the twelve minutes of footage.” If the trailer we got several months ago is any indication, you can bet that these reports are not exaggerated.
After the footage, it was time for questions from the audience. One of the more interesting questions had to do with Martin Freeman, who plays Bilbo in the film, and whether or not he was intimidated in being the new man on the team. His response was that “he didn’t feel a lot of pressure and was certainly not intimidated,” adding that he wanted to be in the film because the filmmakers wanted him in it.
Jackson was asked: “What is the process for selecting the scenes for the theater and those for the extended edition?” to which he responded: “We write the script as we’re shooting… We’re not very good at making short movies, unfortunately.”
He added that the filmmaking process “is very organic and it’s only at the end when he decides what will make the theatrical race.” He goes on to confirm what many of us suspected early on, noting that there will be extended editions of The Hobbit films, just like he had done with The Lord of the Rings.
In addition, Collider has added that Jackson spoke about how he wants to film more footage for The Hobbit, which he says would either become part of an extended version or even possibly a third movie in itself. Personally, I’m all for a third film, but with us being this close to the release of the first film, I would guess it would just become material for a later extended cut.
Andy Serkis, who plays Gollum, was also present to take questions. He was asked about his returning to work on the prequel adaptation. He answered: “I was only supposed to come back for two weeks…” However, he ended up working on the film for a year and a half.
For those of you who haven’t been keeping up with Jackson’s production blog, you may not know that Serkis is the second unit director on the films. “It was a remarkable and extraordinary experience,” he added, “Peter’s been an immense part of my life for the last twelve years….To be entrusted in that position is a dream to behold.”
So there you have it. Despite not being given a new trailer, something we won’t see until September, at least fans at the Con were treated to some new footage. Plus, we got confirmation on the extended editions.
I, like the millions of fans, remain super-excited about Jackson’s return to Middle Earth. Being a huge fan of his adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, I can’t wait to see what he’s able to accomplish with The Hobbit.
The wait will finally be over when The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theaters on December 14, 2012.