Yeah, the fact that this is being shot in 3-d has really dampened my enthusiasm for it. Must everyone jump on the Avatar-3d-gimmick bandwagon? I refused to go see Avatar in 3-d just because I dislike anything faddish. But apparently I was just about the only one who felt that way; after the Avatar hype, I haven't heard of a single major movie on the horizon that isn't being shot in 3-d or, having already been principally shot in 2-d, converted into 3-d prior to premiering. On top of that, old classics like Star Wars and Titanic are being converted into 3-d for another theatre run/mad grab for people's money. Will the 3-d madness never end?

That being said, I do think that Martin Freeman is a superb choice for Bilbo. And I really hope this location situation gets resolved quickly, and filming can commence in New Zealand. It just wouldn't be right if it was shot anywhere else.