Production for Peter Jackson's film duology of J.R.R. Tolkien's timeless fantasy The Hobbit is becoming so immersive that it's getting hard to tell where reality ends and hyperreality begins.
"What's kind of weird is that you're on the set in the studio, and it looks so real," said actor Adam Brown, who plays the dwarf Ori, in The Hobbit's newest production video, released Thursday and embedded above. "You come out on location and this almost looks fake. You think, 'This can't exist.' It's just weird."
"It's a trick," added actor Jed Brophy, who plays the dwarf Nori. Both are describing New Zealand's breathtaking Piopio, which is pronounced "pew pew."
The ancient, fragile vegetation of New Zealand's active stratovolcano Mount Ruapehu, which necessitated labyrinthine scaffolding for the purposes of shooting, is also featured. It's the favorite location of Martin Freeman, who plays the pivotal Bilbo Baggins in the films.
The phenomenal Andy Serkis, last seen not winning a Best Actor Oscar for his uncanny performance in last year's arresting Rise of the Planet of the Apes, also makes an appearance in the new production video. Not as Gollum, who makes his temporal debut in Tolkien's The Hobbit, but as a second unit director scouting captivating locations and scenery vectors from a chopper with a 3-D spacecam mounted on its nose.
Throw in The Hobbit's scrappy mobile wireless operation (plus 16 kilometers of old-school cable) as well as Sir Ian McKellen's fondness for Jackson's blockbuster catering, and you've got another fine sneak peek behind the most exciting film of this year, and next.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theaters this December.
