Comic-Con crowd goes crazy for ‘Hobbit’ footage as Peter Jackson offers sneak peek of prequel

SAN DIEGO – If reaction to “The Hobbit” footage at Comic-Con is any indication, Peter Jackson has another couple of blockbusters on his hands.

The crowd attending Jackson’s “Hobbit” preview at the fan convention Saturday went wild over a 12-minute reel that the filmmaker and his colleagues screened.

The 3-D epic is broken into two films, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again.” It is Jackson’s prequel to his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, whose finale won 11 Academy Awards, including best picture and director.

Jackson showed footage that included a chillingly comic exchange between Bilbo and Gollum; a tender moment between Ian McKellen’s Gandalf and Cate Blanchett, reprising her role as elf queen Galadriel; and the pivotal moment when Bilbo discovers the ring.