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“We’ve decided to have The Hobbit span the two movies, including the White Council and the comings and goings of Gandalf to Dol Guldur,” says Del Toro.
“We decided it would be a mistake to try to cram everything into one movie,” adds Jackson. “The essential brief was to do The Hobbit, and it allows us to make The Hobbit in a little more style, if you like, of the [LOTR] trilogy.”
The second film had previously been suggested as a story that would bridge the 60-year gap between The Hobbit and the start of Fellowship Of The Ring, however this appears not to be the case. Possibly a wise choice as the filmmakers do not appear to own the rights to The Silmarillion, the collection of short tales which fleshed out Tolkien's universe and filled in many of said gaps.
Source - Empire

Best film
Christian Colson, Slumdog Millionaire
Best actress
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Best director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Best foreign language film
Japan, Yojiro Takita, Departures
Best song
Jai Ho, by AR Rahman and Gulzar, Slumdog Millionaire
Best original score
AR Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award
Jerry Lewis
Best film editing
Chris Dickens, Slumdog Millionaire
Best sound mixing
Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty, Slumdog Millionaire
Best sound editing
Richard King, The Dark Knight
Best visual effects
Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best documentary short
Megan Mylan, Smile Pinki
Best documentary feature
James Marsh and Simon Chinn, Man On Wire
Best supporting actor
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best live-action short
Jochen Alexander Freydank, Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Best cinematography
Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire
Best makeup
Greg Cannom, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best costume design
Michael O'Connor, The Duchess
Best art direction
Donald Graham Burt and Victor J Zolfo, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best animated short
Kunio Kato, La Maison en Petits Cubes
Best animated feature
Andrew Stanton, WALL-E
Best adapted screenplay
Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Best original screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Best supporting actress
Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
The Walt Disney Studios Enters Exclusive Long-Term Distribution Agreement With DreamWorks Studios; Steven Spielberg & Stacey Snider Align With Disney to Distribute and Market Their Live-Action Motion Pictures
BURBANK, Calif., Feb. 9 — The Walt Disney Studios has agreed to enter into an exclusive long-term distribution arrangement with filmmaker and DreamWorks Studios co-founder Steven Spielberg, and partner Stacey Snider, chief executive officer of DreamWorks, to distribute all upcoming live-action motion pictures produced by DreamWorks under their partnership with Reliance BIG Entertainment, part of The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, it was announced today by Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.
Under the terms of this arrangement, Disney will handle distribution and marketing for approximately six DreamWorks films each year. The first DreamWorks motion picture to be released under the Touchstone Pictures banner is scheduled to hit theaters in 2010.
DreamWorks principals Spielberg and Snider partnered with Reliance BIG Entertainment last fall to form a new motion picture company. In addition to being a partner in DreamWorks, Reliance will also distribute the new company’s projects in India.
Commenting on the announcement, Cook said, “We’re both thrilled and honored to be marketing and distributing all of DreamWorks’ signature upcoming live-action motion pictures, and to begin a new relationship with such respected colleagues as Steven, Stacey, and their creative team at DreamWorks. Steven has made some of the biggest and most loved films of all-time, and continues to be one of the great icons of our industry. Stacey has an impeccable reputation and a phenomenal track record for making a wide variety of quality films. Their motion pictures will be the perfect complement to the already robust slate of Disney and Touchstone films being made by Oren Aviv and his team.”
Bob Iger, president and CEO, The Walt Disney Company, added, “We are tremendously pleased to join forces with Steven Spielberg, whose artistic vision and commitment to quality filmmaking are legendary. DreamWorks has had a great creative and commercial track record under the leadership of Steven and Stacey Snider and I am delighted they’re now associated with Disney.”
Spielberg said, “Disney is the birthplace of imagination and has always been as close to the worldwide audience as any company ever has. I am so pleased that industry leaders like Bob Iger and Dick Cook reached out to become our distribution partner. This is a major step forward for us and Reliance.”
Stacey Snider added, “Under Bob Iger and Dick Cook’s leadership, The Walt Disney Company represents the highest standard of quality in our industry. Everyone at DreamWorks is thrilled to be embarking upon this new and exciting partnership and we look forward to our future with their great team.”

Best film
Slumdog Millionaire
Director
Slumdog Millionaire - Danny Boyle
Leading Actor
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
Leading Actress
Kate Winslet - The Reader
Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Original Screenplay
In Bruges - Martin McDonagh
Adapted Screenplay
Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy
Academy fellowship
Terry Gilliam
Outstanding British contribution to cinema
Pinewood Studios/ Shepperton Studios
Outstanding British Film
Man on Wire
The Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film
Steve McQueen
Director/Writer – Hunger
Film not in the English language
I've Loved You So Long
Animated Film
WALL•E
Music
Slumdog Millionaire - A. R. Rahman
Cinematography
Slumdog Millionaire - Anthony Dod Mantle
Editing
Slumdog Millionaire - Chris Dickens
Production Design
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Donald Graham Burt / Victor J. Zolfo
Costume Design
The Duchess - Michael O'Conno
Make Up & Hair
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Jean Black / Colleen Callaghan
Sound
Slumdog Millionaire - Glenn Freemantle / Resul Pookutty / Richard Pryke / Tom Sayers / Ian Tapp
Special Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Barba / Craig Barron / Nathan McGuinness / Edson Williams
Short Animation
Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death - Steve Pegram / Nick Park / Bob Baker
Short Film
September - Stewart le Maréchal / Esther May Campbell
The Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)
Noel Clarke
Variety reports that Martin Scorsese will be returning to pet project 'Silence' as his next project Shutter Island. Scorsese has had the rights to the novel for years, writing a draft of the screenplay over a decade ago. The film nearly went into production in 2007.
Casting news aplenty on Steven Spielberg's / Peter Jackson's motion capture Tin Tin trilogy. Spielberg will direct the first of the films and has just announced that Tin Tin will be played by Jamie Bell, of Billy Elliott fame. Bell will be reunited with his King Kong co-star Andy Serkis, who takes on the Captain Haddock role.
Best picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Gus van Sant, Milk
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Best supporting actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Best actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Best supporting actor
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr, Tropic Thunder
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Best actor
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best original screenplay
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Milk
WALL-E
Best adapted screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Best cinematography
Tom Stern, Changeling
Claudio Miranda, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Wally Pfister, The Dark Knight
Chris Menges, Roger Deakins, The Reader
Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire
Achievement in art design
James J Murakami, Gary Fettis, Changeling
Donald Graham Burt, Victor J Zolfo, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando, The Dark Knight
Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway, The Duchess
Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt, Revolutionary Road
Achievement in visual effects
Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin, The Dark Knight
John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick, Shane Mahan, Iron Man
Achievement in editing
Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Lee Smith, The Dark Knight
Mike Hill, Dan Hanley, Frost/Nixon
Elliot Graham, Milk
Chris Dickens, Slumdog Millionaire
Achievement in costume design
Catherine Martin, Australia
Jacqueline West, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Michael O'Connor, The Duchess
Danny Glicker, Milk
Albert Wolsky, Revolutionary Road
Achievement in makeup
Greg Cannom, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Caglione, Jr, Conor O'Sullivan, The Dark Knight
Mike Elizalde, Thom Floutz, Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Best foreign-language film
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)
Best documentary feature
Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath, The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Werner Herzog, Henry Kaiser, Encounters at the End of the World
Scott Hamilton Kennedy, The Garden
James Marsh, Simon Chinn, Man On Wire
Tia Lessin, Carl Deal, Trouble the Water
Best animation
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E
Best original song
Down to Earth, WALL-E
Jai Ho, Slumdog Millionaire
O Saya, Slumdog Millionaire