The future of New Zealand hangs in the balance because The Hobbit may not film there, apparently

Although Peter Jackson seems to have already made up his mind that he will spare New Zealand from whatever further disasters will greet his production of The Hobbit, the nation’s masochistic populace gathered by the thousands over the weekend to rally in support of keeping the films that have supplied half their able bodies with jobs and made their trees internationally famous, especially now that Flight Of The Conchords isn’t coming back. The connection between Middle Earth and New Zealand is so crucial to the country’s economy and self-image, apparently, that even Prime Minister John Key is involved, issuing statements to the press weighing the chances of the production going forward there as “50-50.” Meanwhile, fans gathered in Wellington—many of them dressed in Hobbit costumes and holding signs that read things like, “New Zealand Is Middle Earth”—in order to convince visiting Warner Bros. executives that their will is strong and that they intend to fight. And if that sounds a tad melodramatic, here’s the trailer they made.