From wetanz.com: Today we feature a piece of work by Weta Designer, Daniel Falconer. This piece, titled, 'Tartarusaurus', is a predatory reptile that can walk on all fours...Daniel offers a little insight into the creation of this piece: "Peter [Jackson] threw us a new opportunity to mix it up when he told us he wanted a new predatory reptile that would be a quadruped (walk on all fours). There weren't really any dinosaurs that fit that description so we had fun exploring other reptilian lineages and extrapolating out funky designs." "This guy is a bit dragon-like and has questionable anatomical reality, but, as one of the first designs done, it helped steer us in the right direction, if only by showing one path we didn't want to take. Peter ultimately led us to pursue a design path that was less dragonish and more lizardy, resulting in the character-filled and fun Foetodon that made it in to the final film. It's the critter that chases Ann into a hollow log and ends up a snack for a Rex." "People losing their shoes in situations of great peril for some reason always crack me up, so I threw that in here for whimsy too." [More]

From The Hollywood Reporter: A week after DreamWorks picked up Peter Jackson's "Lovely Bones," Steven Spielberg and Jackson are teaming up again, this time to bring Spielberg's long-gestating pet project "Tintin" to the big screen. Sources said Monday that Jackson and Spielberg would each direct installments of the franchise, which is based on a series of Belgian comic books called "The Adventures of Tintin" by Herge. It is unclear whether other filmmakers would be involved, and no script has been written. The movies would be made using motion-capture technology. In the comics, Tintin is a young Belgian reporter and world traveler who is aided in his adventures by his faithful dog Snowy. He later was joined by such colorful characters as Captain Haddock, Professor Cuthbert Calculus and bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson. The books, hugely popular in Europe, have been translated into 50 languages, with more than 200 million sold. [More]

To celebrate their return to London’s biggest and baddest movie, comic and media convention, Weta Limited are selling 1,200 collectibles from their King Kong range at the bargain price of Ł1! Sounding a little too good to be true? Well, it isn’t! [More]

Take an early look on our 'DVD Tuesday' feature...every Monday! Check out some TV on DVD goodies like 'American Dad!, Vol. 2', 'Er: Complete Seventh Season' & 'Wings-4th Season Complete'. There are a few compilations out tomorrow including; 'Tex Avery's Droopy - The Complete Theatrical Collection' & 'Martin Scorsese Collection, Vol. 2'. The big releases of the week are 'Arthur & the Invisibles', 'The Fountain' & 'Pan's Labyrinth: 2-Disc Special Edition'. Personally I'm interested in 'The Omega Man' & 'Shaolin Family Soccer'! Check out the whole list here! [More]

Be sure to check out our weekly Sideshow Collectibles update! Each week we provide an update on your favorite Sideshow goodies, from busts to premium figures and more! Take a look! [More]

Weta Workshop 's new animated series Jane and the Dragon brings out the playful side of director Richard Taylor. He talks to Grant Smithies. Richard Taylor grins a goofy grin. His eyes shine brightly behind his wire-framed specs. This being New Zealand Music Month, the special-effects whiz and director of Weta Workshop in Wellington is remembering the Kiwi bands that blew his mind as a teenager. The Gordons. Mangaweka Viaduct. The Screaming Meemees. "My favourite Meemees' song had a line that went something like, 'My girl's got pointy ears, oh yeah, shake shake!'," he says, beaming. [More]

STEVEN Spielberg will join forces with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson for the New Zealander's new film. Spielberg's DreamWorks film studio won the right to finance Jackson's film The Lovely Bones after fierce bidding by three other major US studios last week. DreamWorks will put at least $79 million into the film, which is an adaptation of Alice Sebold's best-selling 2002 novel about the murder of a 14-year-old girl and the impact it has on her family. Spielberg, who has reportedly been wanting to work with Jackson for some time, said he had been passionate about securing the film. [More]

The Visual Effects Society has named Peter Jackson's King Kong on their list of the most influential visual effects film of all time! From a select list of 50 titles, King Kong came in at #38. The original 1933 King Kong slots in at #7. Peter Jackson's LOTR Trilogy was also named on the list (FOTR #19, ROTK #33, TTT #36), the original Star Wars comes out on top. Click here for the whole list. [More]

From wetanz.com: Designer Warren Mahy says the Naked Mole Rat was the inspiration for this piece of Kongcept artwork. Warren created it after talking to Peter Jackson about creature possibilities. He explains further: "This is another “Terror from the air” beastie. Peter talked about liking the idea of a simian like creature with wings… hence the addition of the prehensile tail and the “hands” This particular design was also inspired by the world’s most unloved rodent.. The naked mole rat. I reckon it gets a bad rap. Ugly is great design!" [More]

A knight in shining armour, a mythical creature and a medieval court? It all sounds a bit twee for an animated children's series in 2007. But what if the knight was a feisty 12-year-old girl, the creature was a clumsy dragon and their living quarters were designed by the team who gave us Gollum in Lord of the Rings? Weta Workshop's first TV series, Jane and the Dragon, premieres in New Zealand on Saturday. It is hoped the early evening timeslot will entice a family audience to what is being heralded as a massive achievement for the Oscar-winning company. [More]

Weta Workshop 3D Modeller Lucy Cant won the Supreme Award at last night’s Zonta Awards. The event, held at Massey University, celebrates the top female graduates from the Massey School of Design. The awards are sponsored by Zonta, an international club of business women who recognize women who have shown potential in design. Zonta rewards the aspiring designers with a cash prize of $1000 for the four runners up, and a $5000 cash prize for the Supreme Winner. [More]

From Wired: In the wake of Spidey 3's record breaking weekend, Sony Pictures plans to make more Spider-Man movies - - no surprise there. But Sam Raimi, who says he's "exhausted" after seven and a half straight years in the Spidey tunnel, has not yet committed to directing the next one. "The wheels aren't spinning," he told me a few days ago during a conversation about the making of Sandman...Given Peter Jackson's feud with New Line over the fate of a big screen "Hobbit," Raimi, a longtime J.R. R. Tolkien fan, seems a natural heir to the middle earth throne. "I love the book but that's all I can say honestly at this point," Raimi says. "I did speak to (New Line boss) Bob Shay once, but I'm not sure the rights are sorted out yet. It's still Peter Jackson's movie so it wouldn't be appropriate for me to say if I even had intentions. First, an offer would have to be made to me." [More]