Weta Limited will open the ManMelter Raygun for pre-ordering exclusively to their VIP clients this Friday 13 July. The Raygun, officially titled the ManMelter 3600ZX Sub-Atomic Disintegrator Pistol, is the third Raygun to be released for pre-ordering from the ‘Weta Originals’ limited edition series. [More]

From an ape to a genius is quite a leap, but that’s exactly what Andy Serkis, also known for playing Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings,” is doing. It’s a tribute to the actor’s genius that, after supplying the body movements and facial expressions of King Kong, he is playing Albert Einstein in a new film, “Einstein and Eddington.” [More]

New Line had good reason to be nervous in 1999 when entrusting its 11-hour, $281-million "Lord of the Rings" franchise to Peter Jackson. It was 1996's "The Frighteners," a ruder awakening than most for guys like Jackson, who dream of doing blockbusters that people will lose sleep to see early. Transitional splinters are rites of passage for directors with no-budget roots who reach high for Hollywood branches (Bryan Singer had "Apt Pupil," and Sam Raimi had "The Quick and the Dead.") Of course, just like Raimi's "Spider-Man" and Singer's "X-Men," Jackson's "The Fellowship of the Ring" earned more money in a few hours than the smaller titles did in several months. [More]

Hollywood heavyweights Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh have joined the fight to protect a historic Seatoun chapel from demolition. It is understood the film-making pair are even considering buying the Our Lady of the Star of the Sea Chapel, estimated to be worth $10 million, to save it for the community. They have been joined by other Seatoun residents, including Dame Pat Evison, concerned that a large residential development would replace the chapel. [More]

From WetaNZ: We'll it's been a busy couple of weeks since we caught up with you last, so we thought we'd try a new format - basically telling you more with less words ... or short and sweet as they say! Hope you enjoy ... [More]

Take an early look on our 'DVD Tuesday' feature...every Monday! There are not too man DVDs out tomorrow, seems everyone takes the July 4th holiday off these days! Take a look at some TV goodies like; 'Degrassi Season 5' & 'Filmation's Ghostbusters - The Animated Series, Vol. 2'. The Blu ray gurus get 'Blood Diamond' & more while the HD DVD crowd get 'Flatliners', 'The Patriot', 'The Untouchables' & more!. Check out the whole list here! [More]

Helen writes: Have you heard about this exhibition and associated workshops at the New Douse in Lower Hutt, NZ? They are having one-day and weekend workshops with Weta too (woot!). [More]

Ryan Gosling is set to star opposite Rachel Weisz in Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones for DreamWorks, reports Variety. Jackson (King Kong, "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy) will begin filming in October in Pennsylvania and New Zealand. The movie will be distributed worldwide by Paramount. An adaptation of the Alice Sebold best-selling novel, the movie tells the story of Susie Salmon, who is murdered, but continues to observe her family on Earth after her death. Although she is detached from the world she once knew, Susie witnesses the impact of her loss on her loved ones, whilst her killer skillfully covers his tracks and prepares to murder again. In a tone that is both emotionally truthful, and darkly humorous, Susie tries to balance her desire for vengeance against the love she feels for her family and her need to see them heal; and ultimately comes to understand that the concept of family can encompass both the living and the dead. [More]

Take an early look on our 'DVD Tuesday' feature...every Monday! There are a whole slew of amazing DVDs out tomorrow, take a look at some TV goodies like; 'Monk: Season Five' & 'Reno 911!: The Complete Fourth Season Uncensored!'. Some new collection DVDs include 'Cult Camp Classics 1 - 4' & 'Hammer Film Noir Collector's Set 2: 4-7' The big releases of of the week include; 'Shooter' & 'Black Snake Moan'. The Blu ray gurus get 'Hustle and Flow' while the HD DVD crowd get 'Watcher', 'Mystery Men', 'Meet Joe Black' & More!. Check out the whole list here! [More]