Gollum Creeps In Two New Images From The Hobbit

Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is easily one of the greatest technological achievements in film that has ever been accomplished. Over a decade ago, Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis and the good people over at Weta Digital created the completely digital character with nothing more than motion capture suits and powerful computer programs, and the results were utterly brilliant. What's more, it has inspired other filmmakers, such as James Cameron and Rupert Wyatt to put the ultra-photorealistic CGI to good use in films like Avatar and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Now, nine years after the release of The Return of the King, Gollum is finally making his way back to the big screen in The Hobbit.

E! has received two new exclusive images from Jackson's latest directorial effort, showing what Gollum looks like before and after the digital process. Check out the stills below and head over there to see them full size.





Gollum is not around nearly as much in J.R.R. Tolkien's first novel, but he is involved in what's probably The Hobbit's most well known scene, riddling with Bilbo Baggins in the dark of his cave. I've actually gotten to see clips from that particular scene twice, once at CinemaCon and once at Comic Con, and I will say that it really is a treat to see the character back on the big screen.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be in theaters on December 14th. For more about the film, including posters, trailers, behind-the-scenes featurettes, stills and more, head over to our Blend Film Database.