Marlborough To Be Featured In "The Hobbit": An Unexpected Journey

Marlborough Mayor Alistair Sowman says Marlborough stands to gain from the international publicity surrounding director Sir Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” with a scene from the film to be shot near Pelorus Bridge.

The film is the first of two movies adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The second film will be “The Hobbit: There and Back Again.”

Mayor Sowman says this is an unparalleled promotional opportunity for one of Marlborough’s most stunning scenic spots where a majestic river cuts through a beautiful scenic reserve of mature native forest.

Part of the filming activity centres on the Nelson region where the film production company, 3 foot 7, is reported to have made bookings for several hundred rooms throughout Nelson and Golden Bay in December.

It’s understood the Pelorus River will feature in a scene showing barrels plunging down the river—part of the perilous journey undertaken by Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves.

The crew involved at the Pelorus River location are expected to travel in from Nelson each day.

There will be extra traffic controls in place on the state highway due to the extra vehicle movements around the location, he said.

“We are assured that everything will be completed well before the Christmas traffic peak begins. Besides, I believe the opportunities this presents will more than make up for any slowing of the traffic flow through the area,” said Mr Sowman.

“We know from Matamata’s experience that “The Lord of the Rings” boosted tourist numbers by tens of thousands over a period of several years. We believe that this film will take our scenery to an international audience on a scale beyond our imagination,” said Mr Sowman.

“The Lord of the Rings” has provided continuing high exposure for New Zealand in the UK, North America and Australia tourist markets.

“This is going to be an opportunity for the magnificence of Marlborough’s rivers and landscapes to be seen by a global audience and, while we cannot quantify the value of that opportunity, it has got to be the ultimate travel promotion,” said Mr Sowman.

It’s even possible that this may lead to future film or advertising photography opportunities for Marlborough, he said.

Jared Connon, Supervising Location Manager for the films, says since the very first survey of the location, the film company had received a warm welcome from the community.

“Local support has been tremendous, particularly from the operators of the Pelorus Bridge Cafe, Department of Conservation, Ngati Kuia, Forest & Bird Protection Society,

Marlborough District Council and the residents of the Pelorus Bridge area. It is a unique location, rich with beautiful scenery, wildlife and history and it’s a privilege for us to work there. We will treat it with the utmost respect and our thanks go out to all those who have assisted us in making filming possible," he said.

Filming in Wellington is already underway on the two films. 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.

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 and Zane Weiner, with Boyens serving as co-producer.

“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.