Aussie actor David Wenham delves into a dark side of his country's past.

Peter Jackson has released the first production video from the set of The Hobbit movies now filming in New Zealand.

Key cast members of The Hobbit made their first media appearance today, minus director Peter Jackson.

A US businessman fraudulently billed almost a quarter of a million dollars to film director Sir Peter Jackson's credit card.

Actor Elijah Wood is set to revisit his role as Frodo in Sir Peter Jackson's movies of The Hobbit, despite his character not featuring in the book by JRR Tolkien.

Australian actress Cate Blanchett has been confirmed to reprise her Lord Of The Rings role as Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlorien, in The Hobbit.

NZ taxpayers have spent more than half a billion dollars over the past decade subsidising Hollywood.

Prime Minister John Key, who will meet high-powered executives from Warner Brothers in Wellington in the next two days, thinks there is a "50-50" chance of The Hobbit being filmed in New Zealand.

Losses to the tourism industry would be well into the millions if The Hobbit films are not shot here, an expert has warned.

Hobbiton has put Matamata on the map, but with production of The Hobbit shifting overseas, the town's future as a tourist hub is in jeopardy.

A Canadian actors' union has sided with its Kiwi counterparts in a dispute over employment terms on Peter Jackson's The Hobbit films.

Actor Sam Neill says the dispute between the actors' unions and 'The Hobbit' producers could be resolved with a simple cup of tea.

The Hobbit could be released as early as 2012, according to Hollywood sources.

The furore over The Hobbit is the normal process of a union trying to talk to an employer who is refusing to talk back, says actor and director Ian Mune.

Peter Jackson says his actors receive the "most generous" conditions in NZ, rejecting claims that The Hobbit actors need a union deal.