McKellen Has Seen THE HOBBIT’s Bilbo In 3D

Get stoked Tolkien fans because THE HOBBIT is happening and sir Ian McKellen a.k.a Gandalf has updated his official site with the following description of his fellow co-star, Martin Freeman in costume as Bilbo, testing for the 3D cameras..

I’ve seen Bilbo — in three dimensions.

I was visiting old friends in the Stone Street offices and heard Martin Freeman was just round the corner by the permanent greenscreen, done up as Bilbo, testing his costume in front of the 3D cameras. Indeed, there he was in the open air, mostly oblivious to the camera, though turning this way and that as required. Martin improvised a hobbity gait, padding back and forth, testing his big hairy Hobbit feet, pointy ears and little tum.

Beneath the shade of a tent, in a sun hat, Andrew Lesnie was remotely controlling the two lenses within the mighty camera which digitally records in 3D. His screen showed the familiar 2D image but next to it, above the director’s chair, was a large colour screen in full magical three dimensions, much as it will appear in the cinema — courtesy of the spy-glasses that transform the blurred outlines onscreen to the high definition exactitude of the 3D effect.

Three Bilbos simultaneously, two performances on screen and the actor beyond: which was the real one? Martin Freeman was transmuting into a character whose reality will soon be as authentic as his own.

Cate Blanchett (LOTR Films) returns as Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlorien
Ian McKellen (LOTR Films) returns as Gandalf
Christopher Lee (LOTR Films) returns as Saruman
Elijah Wood (LOTR Films) returns as Frodo
Andy Serkis (LOTR Films) as Gollum
Ken Stott (Charlie Wilson‘s War) as Dwarf Lord Balin
Sylvester McCoy (TV’s Doctor Who) as wizard Radagast the Brown
Mikael Persbrandt as shape-shifter Beorn
Ryan Gage as Drogo Baggins
Jed Brophy (LOTR Films, District 9) as dwarf Nori
William Kircher as dwarf Bifur

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins
Richard Armitage (CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER) as Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the Company of Dwarves which sets off to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from a thieving dragon
Aidan Turner as Kili
Rob Kazinsky as Fili
Both Kili and Fili are members of the Company of Dwarves.
Graham McTavish (Secretariat) as Dwalin
John Callen as Oin
Stephen Hunter as Bombur
Mark Hadlow (King Kong) as Dori
Peter Hambleton as Gloin
James Nesbitt wil play Bofut, “a disarmingly forthright, funny and occasionally brave Dwarf”
Adam Brown will play Ori, “another of the Dwarf Company which sets out to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the infamous dragon, Smaug.”

THE HOBBIT Part 1 opens in December, 2012
THE HOBBIT Part 2 opens in December, 2013.
Jackson will shoot both films with New RED EPIC Digital 3D Cameras. From screenplay by Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo Del Toro
Co-produced by NewLine and MGM with NewLine on production, WB on domestic distribution and MGM with international distribution