"The Hobbit" Shoot Stays in New Zealand

After years of rough seas it finally looks like smooth sailing for the two film adaptation of The Hobbit. The film had been stuck in developement hell for years due to the financial woes of MGM Studios. The picture lost original director Guillermo Del Toro and had started to look like it would never get going. The the project found a new home at Warner Bros. Peter Jackson (director/co-writer of The Lord of the Rings trilogy) stepped up from his producing role to direct the films. The central role of Bilbo Baggins was recently cast with British actor Martin Freeman taking the part. The one issue remaining was where the film would shoot. It seemed natural that the films would be shot in New Zealand, the country which served as the setting for Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings films. However union and labor disputes threatened to keep the blockbuster from returning New Zealand. Even after the disputes had been settled it seemed that the whole ordeal had left Warner Bros with such a bad taste in their mouths that they were prepared to set up filming in England.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that all has been settled and The Hobbit will get to film in the same photogenic country that The Lord of the Rings was shot in. The local unions had initially black listed the production feeling that they deserved better pay than what was being proposed. Eventually an agreement was struck between the unions and the studio. There had still been a danger of the production moving elsewhere due to New Zealand's tax incentives not being as high as in some other countries.

John Key, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, eventually stepped in and guaranteed Warner Bros $15 million in tax breaks and pledged to reimburse $10 million in marketing costs. There was also a promise to adjust legislation to make the country more film friendly overall, though details as the to the exact nature of these changes was not disclosed. Despite the high initial cost to the country Key stands by his actions. The Prime Minister believes that between the jobs that will be created and/or kept in the country as well as the potential boom to tourism that New Zealand came out on the better end of the deal overall. It's certainly true that the previously little known country received a significant tourism boost following the release of The Lord of the Rings films which displayed some truly gorgeous landscape.

All of this is a huge relief to Lord of the Rings fans. Few nations have the same abundance of unspoiled land that the film would require. Also the location of New Zealand had clearly done so much to create the feel of Middle Earth in the previous films. As a native of the country director Peter Jackson will likely be delighted that the production will not be moved to another country. Everything finally seems to be falling into place for the filming of The Hobbit to kick into high gear.