The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Aidan Turner: ‘You take a top off, and then it’s madness’
That topless scene in Poldark turned him into a national heart-throb, but Aidan Turner doesn’t know what all the fuss is about. He talks about lies, laziness, and why his hair has its own Twitter account
Children's books
Why are so many children's fantasy books adapted as films?Fantasy is a genre that has dominated children’s literature over the years, with JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling and Suzanne Collins spearheading the way in the crossover realm of book to film adaptation. So why is cinema recreating their fantastical lands? And what does the future hold?
Andy Serkis and the marvel of ‘performance capture’
As Gollum and King Kong, Andy Serkis showed what could be done with film’s cutting-edge technology. But, as he tells Robert McCrum, we haven’t seen anything yet
Hobbit extended editions hit cinemas: bigger, longer, better?
Peter Jackson’s movies are to return to US multiplexes with extra footage, despite complaints that the original cuts already contained enough padding
Peter Jackson turns home into replica of Bilbo's Hobbit house
A set artist reveals that the Lord of the Rings director has turned the basement of his New Zealand mansion into the home of Tolkien’s protagonist
Film blog
When directors shoot movies back-to-back, who wins?Andrew Lesnie: 'master of light' finely tuned into both nature and people
Will The Hobbit spark social revolution?
Film blog
From gardening week to pie day: the strangest movie tie-ins
Week in geek
Cutting The Hobbit down to size: no dwarf-elf flirting, no albino orcsOne anonymous editor has whittled down Peter Jackson’s nine-hour, three-part unexpurgated journey down to a single four-hour chunk – with the odd casualty
Damien Walter's weird things
Tolkien's myths are a political fantasyRussia scraps plan for Eye of Sauron art installation
The film quiz
Who said it: Hobbit characters or real political leaders? – quizBored of the rings? No more Tolkien, says Peter Jackson – but Ian McKellen suspects otherwise
(Spoiler alert!) People hate spoilers in film trailers
Debunking recent Netflix survey, researchers find that audiences want to be excited and teased about forthcoming films rather than knowing the plot, writes Ben Child
Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy becomes most expensive film production ever
According to financial documents published in New Zealand, the trilogy of films telling Tolkein’s classic fantasy tale have reached a cost of over £460m – with the final few months of spending still not included
Theological JRR Tolkien biopic secures Expendables 2 director
Tolkien & Lewis will focus on relationship between Hobbit author and CS Lewis and is set for Easter 2015 release date to target faith audience, while previously-announced rival film Tolkien sticks to war and academia
Observer New Review Q&A
Martin Freeman interview: 'I had no interest in Fargo just being a TV version of the film'The Hobbit and Sherlock star talks to Andrew Anthony about his new role, the Coen brothers and working with Billy Bob Thornton
Box office analysis: US
2014: age of the US box-office recordJeremy Kay: Transformers: Age of Extinction, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Godzilla are just a few of the films set to drive this year's North American box office over $11bn
Box office analysis: US
The Desolation of Smaug squats atop 2013's record US box-office hoardJeremy Kay: The middle chunk of Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy is sitting pretty, Scorsese's Wolf of Wall Street struggles and Hollywood hopes to break its 2012 record
About 40 results for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 
Children's booksWhy are so many children's fantasy books adapted as films?Fantasy is a genre that has dominated children’s literature over the years, with JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling and Suzanne Collins spearheading the way in the crossover realm of book to film adaptation. So why is cinema recreating their fantastical lands? And what does the future hold?
