Latest from The Hobbit

His heroic archer role in <i>The Hobbit</i> has been the making of Welsh actor Luke Evans, writes Des Sampson.

Peter Jackson has delivered the goods with his second Hobbit film, says one of the first reviews of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Veteran actor Sir Ian McKellen offered to walk away from his role in The Hobbit movies on the first day of shooting.

Stars of the second film in The Hobbit trilogy - The Desolation of Smaug - have spoken about making the movie from the red carpet at its premiere in Los Angeles.

Stars walk the red carpet of 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' premiere in Los Angeles.

As the stars arrived for the red carpet premiere of the second in The Hobbit trilogy - The Desolation of Smaug - Kiwis in Los Angeles who didn't make it to the Dolby theatre gathered at the Beverley Hilton for a party of their own.

Air New Zealand's latest Hobbit themed aircraft touched down in Los Angeles this morning to great anticipation and much fanfare.

Hobbit fans eagerly awaiting the release of Sir Peter Jackson's second instalment of his film trilogy were treated to a few larger-than-life movie moments today.

Hobbit stars have unveiled a giant, NZ-themed pop-up book in Beverly Hills, a dragon has been revealed on an Air NZ plane and giant eagles have descended on Wellington.

Hobbit mania has started once again in the lead up to the 2nd film: 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'.

Sneak Peek from today's livestream from Peter Jackson of the latest trailer from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. courtesy Facebook/The Hobbit.

With just a few weeks until the second <i>Hobbit</i> movie reaches our screens and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra finalising the score, Peter Jackson tells Russell Baillie the latest journey to Middle-earth will be even better than the first.

A day after saying goodbye to Gandalf and Tauriel, it was time to farewell Legolas. What a great day it was, with Orlando battling a serious Orc for all 12 hours of shooting - part of the Battle of the 5 Armies for the third Hobbit movie. When we finally got the day done, we said goodbye to Orlando, had a couple of beers ... and couldn't resist doing this! Courtesy: YouTube/Peter Jackson

Peter Jackson takes you behind the scenes of The Hobbit. In this video blog, he covers additional photography for movies two and three. Courtesy: YouTube/Peter Jackson

Sir Ian McKellen said goodbye to his role as Gandalf - and New Zealand - yesterday, in what some are calling the end of an era for New Zealand film.

Footage of two happy Hobbit fans getting overly excited while watching the latest trailer for Peter Jackson's trilogy has gone viral - and earned them some Hobbit fans of their own. courtesy: Facebook/Peter Jackson

Hobbit fans have finally met the trilogy's main antagonist, the mighty dragon Smaug, as the trailer for the second instalment hit computer screens around the globe. Fans have taken to Twitter, Facebook and online forums to post their first impressions of the next chapter of Sir Peter Jackson's epic trilogy, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Jackson posted the trailer on his own Facebook page, attracting 3000 comments and more than 40,000 likes in three hours following its release online. The trailer is the first time Hobbit fans get a glimpse Smaug - one of the last great dragons of Middle Earth.

New Line Cinemas have revealed the first image of Evangeline Lilly as the elf Tauriel in <i>The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.</i>

Editorial: We are yet to see evidence that Weta has done all it can to employ New Zealanders, and it needs to answer the questions raised by its widespread use of overseas workers.

New Zealanders with "character faces" are being sought as hobbits.

If you dream of playing a character in <i>The Hobbit</i> but missed out, it is not too late.

One of the world's leading anti-smoking campaigners says government funding for the next Hobbit film should be pulled because the first promoted smoking.

A bumper year for the New Zealand film industry saw revenue soar beyond the $3 billion mark in 2012.

Peter Jackson has tackled a series of questions about his upcoming film The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The Oscar-winning director held a Hobbit live event over the weekend and has since released a clip where he answered a number of queries directly from fans. courtesy Warner Bros/PeterJackson/YouTube