The big story
Ian McKellan told interviewers this week that he'd been driven to tears while filming green screen scenes for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson's forthcoming return to Middle Earth.
Speaking to Contactmusic, the actor said: "Pretending you're with 13 other people when you're on your own, it stretches your technical ability to the absolute limits. I cried, actually. I cried. Then I said out loud, 'This is not why I became an actor'. Unfortunately the microphone was on and the whole studio heard."
However, Gandalf's green screen tribulations are far from the most troubling headlines coming out of camp Hobbit this week. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) is planning to protest the film's premieres in New Zealand, the US and the UK in response to claims from whistleblowers that Jackson's production company is responsible for the deaths of up to 27 animals, mainly because the creatures were kept at a farm filled with bluffs, sinkholes and other "death traps".
Jackson responded to Peta's claims with a terse statement: "The producers of The Hobbit take the welfare of all animals very seriously and have always pursued the highest standard of care for animals in their charge. Any incidents that occurred that were brought to their attention as regards to this care were immediately investigated and appropriate action taken. This includes hundreds of thousands of dollars that were spent on upgrading housing and stable facilities in early 2011."
Will his statement deter Peta's protest plans? We'll find out when the film premieres in Wellington on November 28.
In the news
Biopic of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence planned
Skyfall sequel storyline already formulated by Sam Mendes
Writers found for Star Wars: Episodes VIII and IX
Kristen Stewart takes a bite of Snow White sequel
Hollywood Reporter apologises for role in McCarthy-era blacklist
Marfa Girl triumphs at Rome film festival
Skyfall's Daniel Craig drops in on British troops in Afghanistan
On the blog
What films have you been watching?
Reel history: Chaplin – a little tramp through Charlie's love affairs
Michael Haneke's Amour gives love an unsettling closeup
Will the Susan Boyle biopic be the last Britain's Got Talent film?
God Loves Caviar serves up a hero in Greece's hour of need
Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 brings Skyfall's day to a close
Cine-files: Triskel Christchurch, Cork
Watch and listen
Bradley Cooper on Silver Linings Playbook: 'We're not free from the mysticism of life' - video
Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña and David Ayer on End of Watch - video interview
Trailer review: The Mortal Instruments – City of Bones
Trailer review: Will Sam Raimi work his malevolent magic on Oz: The Great and Powerful?
The House I Live In director Eugene Jarecki on the war on drugs: 'Everybody is a victim' - video
Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz on heist movie Gambit – video interview
Further reading
Ralph Fiennes: 'I get angry easily, but I repress it'
How the Beatles' Yellow Submarine gave rise to modern animation
Chris Tucker: 'I got my first big laugh and kept going'
Yugoslavia, paradise on earth, just a shame about the films
In the paper
In tomorrow's G2 Film & Music John Patterson speaks to Amy Adams, Xan Brooks interviews Danish director Thomas Vinterberg, and there's reviews of all this week's main releases. Saturday's Guide features an interview with Alice Lowe, star of Sightseers, while our new 'Saturation point' column looks at played out trends in cinema.
And finally
Jobs: The London Film School is looking for a Development Co-ordinator
