Back to Middle-earth with a bang

Fans camp out as New Zealand capital renames itself for Hobbit
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Kiran Randhawa28 November 2012
The Weekender

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The hordes of Middle-earth turned out in force today to celebrate the world premiere of The Hobbit.

Thousands dressed up in medieval costume, wizard hats and Hobbit ears to line the red carpet and glimpse the stars of the first instalment of the fantasy movie trilogy in Wellington, the New Zealand capital.

Most camped out all night ahead of the screening of The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey.

They clambered on to roofs and clung to lamp posts, desperate for the best view of cast members including Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett and Elijah Wood.

The films are set 60 years before The Lord of the Rings films, and Peter Jackson, who directed both trilogies, has excelled himself, said Freeman, who plays the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

“He’s done it again,” said Freeman. “If it’s possible, it is probably even better than The Lord of the Rings. I think he’s surpassed it.”

The British actor, best known for The Office and Sherlock Holmes, added: “Between us — Peter and me — we hashed out another version of Bilbo. I hope people like it.”

Wellington renamed itself “The Middle of Middle-earth” for the event and the New Zealand tourism industry has launched a big promotional push on the back of the films, hoping to revive flagging international visitor numbers.

British actor Andy Serkis, who plays Gollum, the creature with a distinctive throaty whisper, said picking up the character after 10 years was like putting on a familiar skin. “I was reminded on a daily basis with Gollum that he’s truly never left me,” he said. The Hobbit films, shot back-to-back in New Zealand, depict Bilbo’s quest to reclaim the lost dwarf kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.

Jackson, who received a rock star welcome from chanting spectators at the premiere, said: “This is a humbling experience.

“It will be the first time I will be seeing the movie with an audience, I only just finished it, so I’m very nervous. The whole of Wellington seems to be here, it’s extraordinary.”

The second film — The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — is set to be released in December next year, with the third in the series, titled The Hobbit: There and Back Again, due out in mid-July 2014.

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