The two films are being directed by Peter
Jackson, 49, who made the hit "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and only
last week was released from hospital following emergency surgery for a
perforated ulcer. "Despite some delays we are fully back on track and very
excited to get started," Jackson said in a statement.
Filming will begin
on March 21 and the movies will be shot at Stone Street Studios in Wellington
and on location around New Zealand. The first of the two movies will be
released in December 2012 and the second is expected a year later. The movies
have been beset by a succession of problems, most notably the threat last year
by Time Warner Inc unit Warner Bros. to move production overseas because of
fears unions would impose a boycott to back demands for a collective contract.
