Weta will be unveiling their initial range of collectibles and prop replicas based on the upcoming films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 2012) andThe Hobbit: There and Back Again (December 2013),productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Created by the original film artists in New Zealand and under license from Warner Bros. Consumer Products, these authentic collectibles will be available to order in late 2012.
In addition, Weta is excited to offer two exclusive items for sale at Comic-Con International: San Diego:
Thorin Oakenshield – with shield*
The first in a range of 1:6 scale polystone statues.
US$249 – Limit 2 per person
This limited edition collection will have a run of 700 pieces, 500 of which will be available for purchase at San Diego Comic-Con. (The remaining 200 statues will be reserved for sale in October at the Weta Cave in New Zealand and at Ring*Con in Germany.)
*Note there will be a separate version, without shield, available at www.wetaNZ.com in October 2012
An Unexpected Journey*
Art print by Weta Workshop Conceptual Designer Gus Hunter
100 signed (US$60) and 400 unsigned (US$50) copies available at San Diego Comic-Con
Limit 2 per person.
*Note there will be additional copies available at www.wetaNZ.com in October 2012
A specific number of items will be allotted for sale each day (Wednesday to Saturday) to ensure that more people have a chance to purchase.
Weta will also be revealing their most complex collectible ever created, Barad-dûr – Fortress of Sauron; the newest piece in Weta’s The Lord of the Rings range, which debuted back in 2001.
In order to take full advantage of this amazing collectible, make sure you download the new free app “Eye of Sauron” on the App Store before the show.
About The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey andThe Hobbit: There and Back Again
From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of two films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit. The second film will be The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Both films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journeywill be released beginning December 14, 2012. The second film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, is slated for release the following year, beginning December 13, 2013.
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 & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro. Jackson is also producing the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journeyand 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.
© Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and the names of the characters, items, events and places therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises under license to New Line Productions, Inc.
About Warner Bros. Consumer Products
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.
About Middle-earth Enterprises
The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises is the holder of worldwide motion picture, legitimate stage, merchandising, and other rights in the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. SZC has been producing and licensing films, stage productions and merchandise based on the Tolkien works for more than 30 years. Its headquarters are located in Berkeley, California and its Middle-earth Enterprises’ website may be found at www.middleearth.com.
About Weta Workshop and Weta Limited
Weta Workshop is the multi Academy Award winning conceptual design and physical effects manufacturing facility servicing the world’s entertainment and creative industries. Weta Workshop is based in Wellington, New Zealand and is best known for the company’s design and effects work on award-winning film projects, including The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, King Kong, Avatar, District 9, The Adventures of Tintin and The Hobbit films (in production). Website: www.wetaworkshop.com
1 Comment
Wow! The statue of Rivendell is already the biggest thing they’ve ever made. I practically had to give it it’s own shelf. Not to mention I’m still paying it off. I can’t imagine what their Barad Dur will be like (if it is larger than the Danbury Mint one it will need it’s own shelf).
Of course if they really wanted to surprise people they could do a “House of Tom Bombadil”. Poor Tom and Lady Goldberry get the short straw every time the story gets re-interpreted.