video transcript

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) STORY: Hundreds of hobbits, elves, wizards and even some human fans filed into downtown Tokyo on Saturday (December 1) to see director Peter Jackson and members of the cast of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" walk the red carpet at the premiere in Japan. Jackson, British actor Martin Freeman, who plays the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage and Elijah Wood were an eclectic quintet of designer suits at the frigid outdoor event. Ten years ago Jackson turned the fantastical fairy tale into three Oscar-winning films, and now the question on everyone's lips is whether he's done it again. "It's really something that fans need to answer and people that like going to the movies. I mean I've tried my very best to make an entertaining film, I've loved returning to Middle Earth again, I've made a film that I'm very proud of. So I have to hope that the rest of the world shares my sensibilities," Jackson told Reuters. The award-wining director did some last-minute filming on stage in Tokyo, pulling out his mobile phone to capture his cast's antics in front of Japanese fans. The film opens worldwide on December 14. The second film "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" will be released in December next year, with the third "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" due in mid-July 2014.