The wait will soon be over for Hobbit fans: Peter Jackson will unveil the first trailer for his hugely anticipated movie tomorrow.

Studio officials said the trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey would be launched at 4pm on Wednesday, and nzherald.co.nz readers can expect to see it on their favourite news site as soon as possible after that time.

Anticipation for the film, based on JRR Tolkein’s iconic book, is high as only a handful of production photos of actors in character have been seen.

But a new synopsis of the film, released today, unveils new details about the movie.

“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,” the statement said.

“Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of 13 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.”

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released on December 14, 2012, with the second film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, due out on December 13, 2013.

- Herald online

New Zealand has been named as one of the “Top Ten Filming Locations in the Universe” by United States movie magazine P3 Update in its December issue.

New Zealand and Canada were the only two countries individually named in a list comprising the United Kingdom and several states of the USA.

Film New Zealand chief executive Gisella Carr said the accolade was a tribute to the hard work of the country’s industry and was also an incentive to invest in our talent.

“Given the current economic climate, it’s especially pleasing to see that New Zealand is an economically viable and desirable location for large budget international productions.”

Next year was already shaping up to be a big one for the New Zealand screen industry with Peter Webber’s Emperor starting filming in January, The Hobbit continuing to film (with Wellington hosting the world premiere in November) and the Jane Campion mini-series Top of the Lake filming in Queenstown late in the year, she said.

“These films aren’t even scratching the surface of the many ways New Zealand is contributing to the international screen industry and boosting our local economy.

“Our production and post-production industries continue to grow and build upon success in previous years with international productions like Tintin, Avatar, Yogi Bear, and Spartacus all made here alongside successful local films such as Boy and The Orator.

- APNZ

Who would’ve thought that Shortland Street CEO Callum McKay’s son, Hunter, would prove to be so much trouble? He had so much potential. A good-looking young man, a qualified paramedic determined to make his way through med school and follow in his father’s footsteps as a doctor.

But the stress got to him, (along with the trauma of watching his father hook up with his ex-girlfriend, of course) and over the last months we’ve watched Hunter’s addictions spiral from ADHD medication to much harder drugs, and now P.

His actions have become increasingly more desperate and, somehow, few people have seemed to notice his erratic behaviour, violent outbursts and constant sweatiness – except for his old mate, Daniel, and the ex-girlfriend, Jill.

Tomorrow night, of course, it all comes to a head in the final episode for the year as a pharmacy burglary goes badly wrong.

It’s been quite a year for Shortland Street, with writers ramping up the drama on several occasions and tackling topical issues. Apart from getting a few All Blacks along during the World Cup, they worked on a couple of recession storylines, with the Cooper family struggling to make ends meet earlier in the year, and constant struggles between various departments for funding at the hospital.

Jill got to demonstrate the plight of many a young working woman as she struggled to balance her bills, rent, food and credit card payments. Fortunately, Callum came to the rescue and got her spending sorted out.

And they lightly touched on the “brain drain”, with conniving Aussie doctor, Bethany, trying to lure Maxwell across the ditch for a better life. She didn’t succeed, though.

Maxwell felt his family obligations too strongly. Can he work things out with Nicole after being unfaithful?

Brooke had her fair share of drama (and the most convoluted plot lines of the year) – first with Chris Warner’s devious younger brother, Isaac, drawing her into several crazy get-rich schemes (and manipulating poor Luke Durville and his taxidermy skills), and then with her oddly reverent assistant/stalker Winston going to some extreme lengths to protect her from her own bad behaviour.

And, now, her long-lost sister has turned up. But is Brooke a changed woman, and will it be happily ever after with her and funny-man-with-a-soft-centre, Vinnie?

Of course, we’ve had the requisite birth (Sarah brought Tilly into the world in a ditch) and wedding (TK and Roimata got there eventually), and teenager Jasmine had a near-death experience.

There have also been more love triangles than you’d need to build the pyramids. Chris and Rachel got back together and have been playing happy families, but surely that won’t last – especially now that resident genius with Aspergers, Gabrielle, has declared she’s still in love with him.

While there are no explosions, car crashes, or serial killers on the loose this year, it’s a typically tense Shorty cliffhanger and, along with Hunter’s exploits, there’s a few new plot twists (a certain teenage couple are about to get a lot of attention) to keep fans guessing until the show returns on January 16.
-TimeOut

A post-World War II epic set in Japan is set to start filming in Henderson next month.

Auckland Council Investments confirmed today that US production Emperor will be filmed at Auckland Film Studios – the largest production lot in the country.

The historical drama, set in 1945, follows a US army general charged with deciding whether Japan’s emperor should be tried and hanged for war crimes.

Interwoven with the political thriller is the general’s love affair with a Japanese student.

Casting is still to be confirmed with an Academy Award-winning actor reportedly close to being finalised for a part.

Emperor – the working title for the film – will be directed by Peter Webber, best known for his screen adaptation of Girl with a Pearl Earring starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth.

Two days of filming will take place in Wellington and some scenes will be shot in Japan.

The movie is the first major production secured by Auckland Council Investments since it gained a 100 per cent shareholding in the studios in August.

Chief executive of the council-controlled organisation Gary Swift describes the deal as a “major coup” allowing the studios to develop their foothold in the country’s film industry.

“The film will create many jobs locally and will pump money into the domestic economy.”

New Zealand was chosen for filming as the southern hemisphere summer fits with the movie’s release schedule.

Webber says apart from himself and the film’s producers the rest of the crew will be New Zealanders.

It will be produced by Yoko Narahashi (The Last Samurai), Gary Foster (Ghost Rider, Sleepless in Seattle, The Soloist), Eugene Nomura (Tajomaru, Surely Some Day) and Russ Krasnoff (The Soloist).

Auckland Film Studios includes five sound stages and 5251 square metres of studio floor space.

It has previously been used to film The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Xena: Warrior Princess.

Dividends from the Auckland Film Studios are returned to Auckland Council.

- Auckland Now

We’re getting to that time of year when reviewers and critics start making lists and checking them twice, figuring out their Best Of and Worst Of lists for the year – and while I’ll probably do a proper Best/Worst list in a week or two, I thought I’d take a leaf from Mr Sweetman’s book* today and take a look at the best Kiwi-made television shows of the year.

It’s been a strong year for Kiwi drama. After the finale of Outrageous Fortune and the ratings-challenged This Is Not My Life in 2010, it seemed we were simply waiting for the next big local drama – enter The Almighty Johnsons and Nothing Trivial, two of the best shows of the year, local or otherwise. The former boasted a unique premise (Norse gods living in Auckland), whereas the latter was a more straightforward drama. Both boasted strong casts. I’m really looking forward to returning seasons of both in 2012.

New shows weren’t the only highlights: returning show Go Girls had a strong third series, and Underbelly: Land of the Long Green Cloud – the first Kiwi foray into the Underbelly franchise – was an engrossing, albeit short, series.

There wasn’t too much to be proud of in terms of reality television (I didn’t enjoy the latest seasons of Masterchef NZ or NZ’s Next Top Model), but two shows restored my faith in local reality shows: The Food Truck followed chef Michael Van De Elzen as he tried to create healthy alternatives to fast food and sell them out of a truck at public events, and Under the Grill followed celeb-chef Sean Connolly as he created a gourmet restaurant from scratch in the foyer of Skycity’s grand hotel. Interesting shows, even if I’m still in shock that Connolly can charge $100 for a single meal.

The Crowd Goes Wild is still a favourite at my place – I even got to hang out in the studio for a day back in February (and blogged about it here and here), which has made me appreciate the show even more. Sport was also the focus of Rocked the Nation 3: 100 NZ Sporting Moments, which was one of the most interesting shows I watched all year (even though I disagree that Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mt Everest counts as a sporting moment).

Local comedy also had a strong year: after moving to TV3, The Jono Project took a while to get going but hit its stride in the second half of the year, and the After Hours With specials (that filled in on Friday nights for a few weeks in the middle of the year) were hilarious. We’ve got a really strong batch of stand-up comedians working on television at the moment and it’s exciting to see guys like Ben Hurley and Jesse Mulligan going from strength to strength.

The big comedy show of the year was undoubtedly 7 Days – the show is recording its best ratings and the team are consistently delivering a hilarious half-hour of comedy on Friday nights. Again, it comes back to the state of stand-up comedy in this country: as our comedians have improved, so has 7 Days. Long may it continue!