It has been announced that Lee Pace will play Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini in the upcoming Terrence McNally play, Golden Age, directed by Tony-winner Walter Bobbie (Chicago). Manhattan Theatre Club will be hosting the limited engagement play at their off-Broadway venue, Stage I, with a December 4th opening night; previews start on November 13th. Others involved in the prestigious casting include Tony Award winner Richard Easton, Dierdre Friel, Coco Monroe, two-time Emmy and two-time Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth, Ethan Phillips, Lorenzo Pisoni, Will Rogers, and Eddie Kaye Thomas. Check out a summary of the show below:

It’s opening night of Vincenzo Bellini’s new opera in Paris, and the Italian composer is determined to win the adulation of not only his audience, but his colleagues and rivals as well. When the curtain falls, will a thunderous ovation cement his prominence? Or has Bellini unwittingly composed his own swan song? Blending 21st century language with the timeless beauty of 19th century bel canto opera, Terrence McNally’s new play, portrays the final act of an artist whose desire for greatness has eclipsed all else.

Tickets go on sale via Telecharge starting October 1st. Who’s planning on going?

Lee Pace made his first public event appearance of the year yesterday, September 24th, when he attended the 2012 Metropolitan Opera season opening night. After so long, it’s great to see his face again — with quite the impressive beard going on. While at the Met, he attended the Italian opera, “L’Elisir D’Amore.” A few pictures from the night have been added to the gallery, with hopefully more to come.

Back in December 2011, a teaser trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was released. Finally, just short of three months until the movie is due to hit cinemas, a theatrical trailer has made its debut. It’s a little longer than the teaser, showing what to expect in merely the first half of the movie trilogy. The film looks to be epic in scope yet retains the lightness of Tolkien’s novel, The Hobbit. I personally cannot wait to see it!

Unfortunately, it looks like Lee Pace isn’t going to make it into An Unexpected Journey. Originally, the movies were to be split just after Mirkwood, which would have introduced Thranduil, but I don’t think that’s the case still. I’ll therefore be making less updates about this film franchise (like new posters and whatnot); however, bigger news – such as trailers – will still be posted to keep fans up-to-date.

DreamWorks has finally unleashed the first Lincoln trailer to the public — and it looks incredible. Focusing on the last four months of President Abraham Lincoln’s life, the film explores the life of a man making hard but important decisions for the United States of America. For those curious, Lee Pace (playing Fernando Wood, mayor of New York) is briefly featured in the trailer. Remember: Lincoln will have a limited release on November 9th before rolling out to more theaters in the weeks following.

A new trailer for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part II) has debuted online, featuring even more Lee Pace from the previously released teaser. He’s shown several times throughout, but fans may be interested to see him drop a line of dialogue as the character Garrett. Breaking Dawn hits theaters November 16th.

Thanks to TheOneRing.net, we have our very first look at Lee Pace – in costume – as Thranduil from The Hobbit trilogy. An image can be seen above, showing off a distinctive crown of twigs and leaves for the Elvenking and confirming that Lee’s trademark eyebrows are remaining as prominent as ever. An additional picture can be seen here. What do you think of Peter Jackson’s take on Thranduil?

DreamWorks has released the very first poster for the Steven Spielberg-directed film starring Daniel Day-Lewis (and Lee Pace as Fernando Wood), which is hopefully a sign of more promo to come. I have to say, I quite like the simplicity of this poster and how visually striking it is; DDL’s profile bears an uncanny resemblance to President Lincoln. Remember, Lincoln will have a limited release on November 9th before a wider release the following week, opening officially on November 16th.

30 Beats will be available on DVD and Digital Download on October 9th, according to a press release by Lionsgate. Artwork for the DVD release can be seen above. You can currently pre-order the film via Amazon. According to the statement, 30 Beats is rated R for “content, nudity and language” and is 89 minutes long.

Rumors on The Hobbit splitting into three movies – instead of the announced two – can now be put to rest. Peter Jackson confirmed on his official Facebook that the action-adventure film will become even more epic by expanding into a trilogy. Check out his blog post on the matter:

It is only at the end of a shoot that you finally get the chance to sit down and have a look at the film you have made. Recently Fran, Phil and I did just this when we watched for the first time an early cut of the first movie – and a large chunk of the second. We were really pleased with the way the story was coming together, in particular, the strength of the characters and the cast who have brought them to life. All of which gave rise to a simple question: do we take this chance to tell more of the tale? And the answer from our perspective as the filmmakers, and as fans, was an unreserved ‘yes.’

We know how much of the story of Bilbo Baggins, the Wizard Gandalf, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur will remain untold if we do not take this chance. The richness of the story of The Hobbit, as well as some of the related material in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, allows us to tell the full story of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and the part he played in the sometimes dangerous, but at all times exciting, history of Middle-earth.

So, without further ado and on behalf of New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wingnut Films, and the entire cast and crew of The Hobbit films, I’d like to announce that two films will become three.

It has been an unexpected journey indeed, and in the words of Professor Tolkien himself, “a tale that grew in the telling.”

Cheers,

Peter J

It looks like the demand to see him was finally heard, because the eighth Hobbit production video does feature Lee Pace! There’s a brief segment where Lee talks about getting in character as Thranduil, which includes some great action shots of him preparing for the role. (It takes a lot of practice just to move like an elf.) The rest of the video is great, too, giving viewers more insight on the various sets. Lots of cast and crew are featured, saying their goodbyes, as the production videos featuring principle photography comes to a close. I’ll be adding this one to the video archive later today (as well as caps, hopefully), but enjoy this in the meantime.