Peter Jackson has again refuted accusations animals were subject to cruelty during the making of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
During a news conference in Wellington prior to the film’s world premiere, the director said, “absolutely none; no mistreatment, no abuse.”
Jackson came under fire when five animal wranglers working on the project claimed up to 27 animals had died at the New Zealand farm where they were kept.
It was further alleged the animals died from a range of causes; from worms to falling off cliffs.
Jackson has previously denied the allegations in a statement, saying. “The producers completely reject the accusations that twenty seven animals died due to mistreatment during the making of the films … Extraordinary measures were taken to make sure that animals were not used during action sequences or any other sequence that might create undue stress for the animals involved.”
Jackson again addressed the subject again on Wednesday and said the accusations did not mar the film’s release.
At the end of the day we’ve made a movie we’re extremely proud of. So many people have worked for so long, it will take a bit more than that to spoil the event”.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released in Australia on Boxing Day.
To see the latest trailer, click here: https://if.com.au/2012/09/20/article/The-Hobbit-trailer-2-the-latest-footage-from-Peter-Jackson/EGCLAJKDXO.html