MUST WATCH: New Performance Capture BTS Clip From DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES!

Wow - I love this! Take a look at how far technology has come - even since AVATAR - when it comes to the performance capture of actor's facial expressions. This Behind The Scenes (BTS) clip features a split screen approach to showing the on set action and what the end result is after digital post production.

Of course this whole movement has been spearheaded by a very capable actor (Andy Serkis) AND the artists behind the creation of these performances.

The digital work that's being done is of course married up with the industry leading native 3D produced from 3ality Technica's native 3D rigs. Man - can't wait to see all the technical execution done on this movie! I think I'll have to see it twice within a weekend; once with my Apes fanboy cap on and once from a purely technical view.

Anyway - please enjoy the work in this clip. I've watched it several times now and will continue to do ad nauseam - I like it that much.

Here's the storyline for the movie:
A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES opens on July 11.

New Photos From DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES !

We saw one the apes clutching an assault weapon during a recent TV spot and now we have another one pointing a shotgun. Seems these apes aren't all about spears at all and have adapted to the human technology that suits their needs. Not all of it does apparently though.

It'll be interesting to see Caesar lead his group of apes while the humans struggle to make a comeback. I'm looking for human interest AND ape interest stories here and when the two factions meet - look out!

Here's the storyline for the movie:
A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.

Says Serkis: "Caesar not only has a wife, but also an infant son and a teenage son. This film centers around the notion of family — the survival of the family and what lengths you would go to to protect them when life is extremely hard and tough."

Check out our exclusive interview with Andy Serkis (Caesar) if you missed it! Tim and Andy talk about 3D, the 3ality Technica rigs - and you know, cool MarketSaw stuff :-)

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES opens on July 11.

Source: USA Today

Details Of DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Revealed By Gary Oldman!

Ok so if you're a fan of the franchise then you may want to not read the following information that may or may not be revealed in subsequent trailers. One would assume that it may, but it may not as well so if you want a pristine viewing of DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES in July, keep that in mind.

Can't wait to see this native 3D production (3ality Technica rigs) see light in my local theater!

WARNING SPOILERS:

Gary Oldman gave some details on his character and the story around him in DOTPOTA which takes place 10 years after RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.

Gary Oldman:
"He's (Oldman's character) the sort of designated leader if you will of this community of those who were lucky enough to survive the flu, the disease and ensuing social uprising from it - so they're sort of survivors... and he was a police officer, so he's more of the kind of elected leader. And they need power and there's a power station and some of my people go out and see if it's operational, if it's still out there, and then they discover that there's a whole community of apes living there. We believed that they were all completely fire-bottomed and wiped out.

(Oldman's character) experienced great loss, personally and there's only one answer for him and that's to wipe them out. I see him as sort of the hero of the piece.

(Director Matt Reeves) was more interested in not just keeping the franchise alive but he wanted to make it more of a human story; he wanted to explore what had happened and keep it more focused on the human side of it before the story becomes the PLANET OF THE APES as we know it from the original."

More info when we get it! DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES opens on July 11.

Source: MTV

UPDATED! MUST WATCH: 4 New Clips From THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG !

**SAME DAY UPDATE: I've added a fourth clip that was just released: "Into The Barrels"!

Obviously these clips are minor spoilers because, well - it's clips from the actual movie so keep that in mind as you read on.

These three clips are starting to piece together the stories that are taking place in part two of the THE HOBBIT from Peter Jackson and company. We have clips discussing the sanity of trekking to the mountain, some of Tauriel's history and an ominous warning from an orc.

I LOVE the VFX for the orc in the third clip below! Looking wonderful guys! Weta's doing another smashing job. And obviously I can't wait for the HFR 3D experience either! 3ality Technica was on this job so look for outstanding results once again.

Here's the storyline for the movie:
The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG opens on December 13 in HFR 3D, 3D and flat.

MUST WATCH: New Production Video From Peter Jackson For THE HOBBIT - Post Production!!

Well here's another must watch production video from Peter Jackson for THE HOBBIT. Needless to say when these things drop, it's something you ignore everything else for and enjoy.

This video is all about the post production mayhem that Jackson and his team is going through to get THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY ready for us in December.

Here's the movie's storyline:
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the 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. 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 opens on December 14.

Hit the jump to watch the production video...

Boxleitner Confirms TRON 3 A Done Deal! 2013 Anticipated Release!!

Well I hope this man is in the know and by all means he is in a position to, so I am going with it! We have news (via AICN) of TRON 3 being a "done deal" through the spoken word of Bruce Boxleitner (who plays TRON) and that we will see the movie in 2013. Production will probably start next year according to Boxleitner.

Obviously the production will be in 3D, although nothing has been officially confirmed to my knowledge. Disney won't drop the ball on this one!

If I had one piece of advice for Disney it would be to use Weta for the facial performance capture. The young Jeff Bridges did not look up to snuff in TRON: LEGACY. It was distracting at times too. Go with the best!

Have a listen to what Tron himself had to say:



So what do you think? Are you amped about a TRON 3 hitting is in 2013? Any suggestions for Disney?

MUST SEE: Amazing TINTIN Standee From Europe!

I haven't seen any of these over on this side of the pond yet - have you? Check out these awesome standees for TINTIN from Europe, sent to me by F, an awesome MarketSaw reader.

Click to enlarge the images.

Clearly Weta has nailed the uncanny valley - those eyes are just about perfect. Blend in cartoon-like figures yet actual skin pores and bloodshot eyes and we are in the adventure business!

I love the 3D is sweeping the world and that there is an absolutely HUGE market overseas for everything Hollywood produces. TINTIN is one of those worldwide properties that you KNOW will enjoy stunning box office in Europe. It may surprise a few folks and indeed may lead to more European properties being developed by the studios.

Anyway, it looks like we can't go wrong with this one. Spielberg and Jackson looked to have nailed it. With Spielberg's track record one can be assured that the story and adventure will be grand indeed.

More when I get it! THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN hits theaters in Europe starting October 26 (Belgium, Switzerland, France, Netherlands and the UK) and in the US and Canada on December 23.

MUST WATCH: First Look At Andy Serkis' CAESAR From WETA!!

It's times like this that make me truly giddy to be involved in the business! WETA Digital just released the first look at the head honcho himself, Caesar from the upcoming James Franco starrer RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. And yes, that would be Andy Serkis in the clip!

...And I love that this first look is a movie clip and not a still photo!

What do you think? Imagine this and the action scenes in S3D! Wow. The detail is fascinating, I could watch this over and over and over. Look at the freckles, hair and bloodshot eyes! And a nice dolly move. Notice how the whole eye socket adjusts for movement?

You can see how far WETA Digital has advanced since AVATAR and KING KONG. Amazing!



More details when I get it! I will be sure to ask my sources about this development...

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES opens August 5.

More TINTIN Images From Spielberg And Jackson!!

Got freshly scanned images for you (filmsactu via /Film) from that Empire Magazine edition that is featuring director Steven Spielberg's and producer Peter Jackson's THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN!

Click images to enlarge...

The first shot has Thompson and Thompson (twins played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) with the pickpocket thief Silk (played by Toby Jones).

The second photo has Barnaby (played by Joe Starr) is a decidedly film noir scene! LOVE it. Oh man is this thing going to look great in 3D. I wish I could have seen Thomas Jane's DARK COUNTRY as it was a live action film noir in 3D - but Sony didn't theatrically distribute it. But I digress...

Finally we have a shot of the trio marching through a desert with bleached bones by their side - not the best omen of things to come!

TINTIN is set to hit theaters Christmas 2011 (USA / Canada) and various dates in October/November 2011 for European countries.

Note that these characters remain faithful to the designs of Hergé which I believe is key to winning the hearts of overseas markets, especially Europe. Stunning work! Hats off to those involved - you know who you are. *cough* Weta :-)

More when I get it!

UPDATE: Full First Look At TINTIN And More!

Empire finally released the whole first look image from THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN and it looks striking! Exactly what I had anticipated from the project in fact. Tintin (Jamie Bell) looks like a photo-real representation of what Herge himself drew!

Click images to enlarge...

Further we have another two shots from the movie to have a look at the first is a look at Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) and the second is Tintin, Haddock and Snowy looking stranded on a capsized lifeboat. At least it looks like a lifeboat. Could be a DOREY though. ;-)

Says Peter Jackson: “With live action you’re going to have actors pretending to be Captain Haddock and Tintin. You’d be casting people to look like them. It’s not really going to feel like the Tintin Hergé drew. It’s going to be somewhat different. With CGI we can bring Hergé’s world to life, keep the stylised caricatured faces, keep everything looking like Hergé’s artwork, but make it photo-real.”

Jackson continues on talking about what we might see in his directorial TINTIN: “One of my favourites is The Seven Crystal Balls, so that’s the one I’ve always been thinking of,” he says. “I also really like the Eastern European ones, the Balkan ones like King Ottokar’s Sceptre and The Calculus Affair. I think it’s a terrific setting for a thriller, the weird Balkan politics and the mysterious secret service agents. I think the Moon ones are terrific, but they’d be good for the third or fourth Tintin film, if we get that far. We want to keep his feet on the ground just a little bit longer.”

Says Steven Spielberg: “The first part of the film, which is the most mysterious part, certainly owes much to not only film noir but the whole German Brechtian theatre — some of our night scenes and our action scenes are very contrasty. But at the same time the movie is a hell of an adventure.”

With the creative genius behind this feature, the characters of Herge and the second-to-none delivery of Weta on effects (AVATAR anyone?) we are sure to see a spectacular movie and sequels! The worldwide response will be staggering too. Can't wait.

More when I get it!

Breaking News, Exclusive Photos: Kiwi Technicians Matching To Keep The MEAA Out Of New Zealand!!

** SAME DAY UPDATE #2: A new actor's union has formed in New Zealand and announced that it WILL NOT boycott the production of THE HOBBIT. More info from Variety. No word on whether this development is simply too late to keep the project in New Zealand.

**SAME DAY UPDATE: Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh have issued a statement via the Press of New Zealand:

“The damage inflicted on our film industry by [the actors unions] is long since done,” and resolution of the union issue now “does nothing to help the film stay in New Zealand. Next week Warners are coming down to New Zealand to make arrangements to move the production offshore. It appears we cannot make films in our own country even when substantial financing is available.”

How sad is that? One of the great prides of New Zealand is close to waving goodbye. Wow. The stupidity of this actor's union boggles the mind.

Hey guys - I have more breaking news from that industry meeting over THE HOBBIT that was held in Wellington only hours ago! All images here are MarketSaw exclusives sent in by a source for our site.

Click on images to expand.

Seems that meeting was organized by the Actor's Equity union to discuss new industry standards as it is looking to solidify a collective agreement for actors. It has in fact asked for its membership to boycott the production of the two Hobbit movies.

HOWEVER, Sir Richard Taylor who heads Weta Workshop met with film technicians only hours ago too. There were over 1000 of them. Those technicians had originally planned to protest outside of the Actor's Equity meeting but the actors CANCELLED their impromptu gathering and so that group of 1000 technicians took to the streets of Wellington.

These are photos of that march.

Taylor said the following quotes: "Everyone gathered felt that they had done their part in assuring the New Zealand film industry that they care passionately about seeing the Hobbit made in New Zealand and that the industry as a whole should be left as it is for the successful and ongoing future of film making in New Zealand."

"Wellington film technicians want to be heard. They want to be represented in these very bizarre and strange events that are going on right now."

"The producers are doing all that they can to retain the film here in New Zealand.

"By the actions of a very limited few, a huge fraternity of film makers, technicians, and artists will be affected."

Taylor was also expressed his opinion that the New Zealand film industry was "at some level of peril" and told TVNZ there was a mood of "great concern".

It is very important to note that the Actor's Equity union has NOT received full support from the actors and that Peter Jackson refuses to meet with them (quotes via Stuff).

Tempers are heating up in Kiwi and with good reason - their whole industry could be at stake should they lose THE HOBBIT's production to another country over this dispute.

Greed seems to be oozing out of that corner of the world but to me it seems like it is the MEAA trying to force their hand on a smaller country's livelihood and pride. THE HOBBIT needs to be filmed in New Zealand folks. Let's get this over with now.

More breaking news when I get it!

Why Did My Source Think THE HOBBIT Was Greenlit? And A Brief RISE OF THE APES Update!!

In light of Guillermo del Toro stepping down from directing THE HOBBIT (which was a complete surprise to everyone), I thought I should address the reasons why I posted the movie was greenlit back on Thursday.

The bottom line is this: My source (one of the best I have ever had) told me flat out that the movie was greenlit. And now I know why. Simply said, EVERY DEPARTMENT WAS GIVEN THEIR BUDGET AND THE CASH TO RAMP UP.

In my books, that IS a greenlight whether it is from a studio head or production company. This particular source is on the inside - not an executive at the top either. When budgets are set and operating cash is distributed that means a greenlight for pre-production.

So now you know where we stand on this. There was clear and deliberate action to ramp up the movie and it did in fact happen. The status as of today is murky with no director and I am still digging for the inside story. The resignation came out of the blue. What I want to know is what will Weta be doing on the project in the short term now that GDT is gone? Obviously this whole thing is Peter Jackson's baby so there will always be leadership present, but what is going on right now?

Weta is in a bit of a pickle too as production for the PLANET OF THE APES prequel is set to pick up soon. In fact they are already creating some CG models and the pipeline for the rigging and such for them. The CG models are looking VERY COOL according to my source.

Movie is set for a June 24, 2011 release.

With James Franco already cast, I have very high hopes for the movie. I have a feeling RISE OF THE APES is going to forever change the franchise. More when I get it!!

EXCLUSIVE: Just What Did Guillermo Del Toro Accomplish Visually While He Was In Charge? We Have Got Some Answers!!

I have the first bit of printable news from one of my inside sources to help paint the picture of what has been going on over in Wellywood, NZ lately - you know, before Guillermo del Toro stepped down...

**Some minor creature SPOILERS**

This is a direct quote (emphasis is mine):

"Things have always been rolling... it was quiet for a little while a few months ago but then it ramped up again with previs pushing forward and getting some great results on animation and camera work, obviously wanting to get out as much as possible to finally sell the product and getting production into full swing.

Workshop sculpted and finished painting a few miniature characters that turned out awesome and they were later scanned in to the computer and ready to be built as a final movie CG model.

One of the bigger ones that were scanned was "Smaug" the dragon and all I can say is that it looked great... but who knows if any of this will ever see daylight again, if someone else will be directing it and thus changing the design there is always a chance for changes in designs. The 3 trolls with all their gear on the backs also looked fantastic in the workshop models. The attention to detail was stunning and later when seen in the previs, one can truly understand how great this film will be, if it ever gets done. :) I say that more in the way of "a joke", it's too good of a film to pass up on, so it will definitely be made. Might just take a little while. Some of the film set crew are still hoping for an October-November start, but who can really tell with the latest news coming to surface."

Those scanned miniatures sound outstanding! Wish I could see what has been accomplished already. What a situation - the only true hand-off that would make sense now is for Peter Jackson to pick up the reins. We'll see!! Still digging for more - stay tuned...

Guillermo del Toro Steps Down From THE HOBBIT!!

Wow! In a stunning turn of events tied to the delay of THE HOBBIT getting made and GDT's commitment to living in New Zealand, Guillermo del Toro has stepped away from the project, save for co-writing the screenplays.

I knew Peter Jackson would be the director and it would be in 3D, but this sure is a long about way of doing things right? Kidding of course, Jackson has not commented on who would replace del Toro who just stepped down from the helm of the HOBBIT movies.

In an exclusive to TheOneRing.net (these guys deserve these scoops of course with all of their hard work over the years), both Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro chime in:

Guillermo Del Toro announced today that he is no longer directing the two movies based on J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, but will continue to co-write the screenplays. Out of respect to the legions of loyal Tolkien fans, both Guillermo and Peter Jackson wanted to break the news to The One Ring first. They are both committed to protecting The Hobbit and will do everything in their power to ensure the films are everything that the fans want them to be.
“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming “The Hobbit,” I am faced with the hardest decision of my life”, says Guillermo. “After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wlsh the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director”.

“We feel very sad to see Guillermo leave the Hobbit, but he has kept us fully in the loop and we understand how the protracted development time on these two films, due to reasons beyond anyone’s control – has compromised his commitment to other long term projects”, says Executive Producer Peter Jackson. “The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years. Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I’ve ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him. Guillermo’s strong vision is engrained into the scripts and designs of these two films, which are extremely fortunate to be blessed with his creative DNA”.

“Guillermo is co-writing the Hobbit screenplays with Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh and myself, and happily our writing partnership will continue for several more months, until the scripts are fine tuned and polished” says Jackson. “New Line and Warner Bros will sit down with us this week, to ensure a smooth and uneventful transition, as we secure a new director for the Hobbit. We do not anticipate any delay or disruption to ongoing pre-production work”.

The Hobbit is planned as two motion pictures, co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM. They are scheduled for release in Dec 2012 and Dec 2013.

Wow. I am on it guys - emails out to my sources as I type. In fact I was informed by one of them about this story not moments ago. More when I get it!!

PLANET OF THE APES Prequel Perhaps Coming In 3D!!

Jim here. Wow. Big news here: Fox is investing in their PLANET OF THE APES franchise with a prequel entitled RISE OF THE APES (tentative title). Variety reports that 20th Century Fox will release the scifi thriller June 24, 2011.

Here is the kicker! Peter Jackson's Weta has partnered with Fox to deliver the effects for the movie which promise photo real apes for the first time ever.

From Variety: RISE OF THE APES is an origins story set in present-day San Francisco. The film is a reality-based cautionary tale, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of war for supremacy.

Rupert Wyatt is directing, Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa writing with Peter Chermin and Dylan Clark producing.

Stunning isn't it? Many of Fox's tentpoles are going to be 3D in the coming years and, coupled with Weta's involvement, this points rather hopefully toward three dimensions for RISE OF THE APES. Sounds completely up my alley and with the Weta team behind the ape project, I am totally stoked. Who is with me? :-)

Exclusive Weta Update! MORTAL ENGINES In 3D, DISTRICT 10 Shooting This October AND AVATAR 2 Spoiler!!!

*EXCLUSIVE*

Jim here. What's new in Weta world?? I have got the goods for ya from two of my top embedded sources!

MORTAL ENGINES is definitely a GO! And it WILL BE in stereoscopic 3D!! It is extremely hard to get any information on this project at all - but you know us, we are in there digging all the time :-) Peter Jackson is both Director and Producer on this project. Mortal Engines is based on a series of five books by Phillip Reeve set in a devastated post annihilation world. Huge floating cities roam the skies and do battle with one another.

DISTRICT 10 (Production title at least) is now in pre-production with filming to start in the October time frame this year. Shooting locations will be South Africa once again as well as New Zealand. There has been no word on whether it will be shot in S3D or not as of yet. You will be the first to know! Peter Jackson is again producing the sequel with Neill Blomkamp directing.

AVATAR 2 will continue several years after the events of the original. It will also lay the groundwork for the other moons in the system. Things are going to get quite "weird" to the point of becoming somewhat abstract! Each movie will stand on its own and there will definitely be NO shooting the sequels back to back. Trilogy? Actually no. The sky is no limit for this universe - the plot lines are endless.

AVATAR 2 SPOILER ALERT: This is verbatim from my source...
"Oh and Pandora has a lot of shit coming its way. Break out the space marines, looks like some bugs need a stomping."

Holy Makarov! You didn't think Weta has been sitting idly by and doing nothing but TINTIN have you? :-) I have asked for clarification on the quote I gave you about AVATAR 2 and if he can go into any detail for us. Keep in mind that things could change this early in the AVATAR 2 creative process but he felt comfortable in telling me this. It must have graduated from Lightstorm Entertainment ideas to Weta concept design. STAY TUNED!! Exciting stuff!

The SMAUG Clears! More Ammo Behind MarketSaw's Exclusive: THE HOBBIT Will Be In 3D

Jim here. Finally other sources are coming out of the woodwork claiming that Guillermo del Toro's THE HOBBIT will be in 3D (Stuff.co.nz via TORn). Excitement is mounting in advance of the official announcement that we all know at MarketSaw WILL be coming.

Of course we have had this excitement for years now. Stereoscopic 3D was ALWAYS the preferred format for the movie from Peter Jackson's perspective. Sure Weta or Wingnut spokesmen may claim otherwise to preserve their decision as being fresh news but that does not cover the facts here. MarketSaw put our reputation on the line many, many times on this exclusive morsel of news. We put up with naysayers bashing the information, and even fellow movie bloggers felt anger in having to report on our story thinking that it wasn't true. Some tried to prove it wrong.

In the end, vindication will be sweet. It is because we have the BEST sources in the world - sources that care deeply about their work and about the movies. I am proud to have them on our side.

THE HOBBIT will be GORGEOUS in 3D. Just the sweeping vistas of New Zealand / Middle-earth alone will be mesmerizing!! Throw in a healthy measure of SMAUG and we have an epic adventure befitting the Tolkien masterpiece.

Ian McKellan (Gandalf) further reveals that THE HOBBIT will begin shooting in June!

Needless to say we are anxious to get started on reporting further exclusives from inside the production! And TRUST ME, those scoops are coming. Keep it on MarketSaw for breaking news on all things Hobbit.

3D Geek Alert: Awesome Interview With Joe Letteri Of Weta!

Jim here. A special treat for you AVATAR fans! Guess whose got "Oscar" written on his forehead? Ok yeah - other than Jim Cameron :-)

You guessed it: Joe Letteri. For those not acquainted with Joe's exploits, he was Weta's Visual Supervisor on AVATAR and was effects supervisor on THE LOVELY BONES, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, KING KONG (won Oscar), and the last two LOTRs movies (won Oscar for BOTH) to name just a few.

You can check out his interview right here at TVNZ.

His body of work in visual effects is astounding - check it out at IMDb. This guy is definitely on my interview list too! :-) I would say his Oscar chances are hovering around 100%.

EXCLUSIVE: What's New With Weta Now That AVATAR Is Done? Listen Up!

Jim here. Got some new info on what is happening now with Weta now that the relatively LARGE swath of CGI that was AVATAR has been taken off their books.

Towards the end of AVATAR (only a few weeks ago), the good folks at Weta were busily working along on TWO projects: AVATAR and TINTIN with THE LOVELY BONES already wrapped. Busy is an understatement. The 60 hour workweek is standard for these guys and man they must love what they do. And it shows in their work.

Weta owes a first delivery for TINTIN by the end of January and yes some will be working over Christmas to hit the target. Don't forget the summer is just beginning down in Kiwi! Weather is getting better for them - hard to stay indoors isn't it guys?

Weta is building TWO NEW INDOOR STAGES just behind Weta Digital on Stone Street and these will be for THE HOBBIT movies that will be filming later next year.

Things aren't completely rosy though as Weta Workshop has been informed that their next load of work (THE HOBBIT) will be delayed until September 2010. What does this mean exactly for the fine employees of Weta? Seems that not all the artists have a very keen interest in working on TINTIN (an animation) and may be seeking to leave outright. That is quite sad news to me. I hope they can stay on as THE HOBBIT is going to need them!

Finally, Peter Jackson's KONG ride for Universal Studios (the one that burned down) is now running STRONG and will be delivered to the park in June. The ride itself sounds spectacular - listen to Jackson himself talk about it at this year's Comic Con:




So there you have the latest from the outstanding talent that is Weta! Love your work guys. You know folks are going to be expecting AVATAR-like results from now on right? :-)

Exclusive: Weta Is Done With AVATAR As Of TODAY!! Time To Hoist One!

Jim here. Word just out from New Zealand - Weta officially wraps up their AVATAR involvement TODAY!! This from one of my top sources.

Yep. PARTY TIME :-)

I would imagine there will be plenty of hoisted toasts tonight! This does not mean that AVATAR is completely finished (darn close), just Weta's significant contribution is wrapped and signed off. I expect to see AVATAR printed soon. More when we get it of course!