Empire Magazine always seems to get the best cover photos for their magazine, and here are five of them for their upcoming Hobbit issue. One of the things revealed in the issue is the running time of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and it looks like it will be Peter Jackson's shortest trip to Middle Earth so far. Jackson explained,
It’s looking like it’s going to be about ten minutes shorter than Fellowship was. So it’s going to be officially our shortest Middle-earth yet. I mean, Fellowship was just under three hours and this is about 2 hours 40 minutes at the moment.
Jackson explained that not all of the effects shots have been completed yet so the running time could go up a little once they are all finished and included in the film.
The epic fantasy adventure is set to be released on December 14th. Check out the rest of the magazine covers below!
The movie stars Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Evangeline Lilly, Andy Serkis and more.
Here's the Synopsis:
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever... Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.