Thousands of pro-Hobbit New Zealanders flood the streets to keep Bilbo a Kiwi

3000-or-so protestors took the streets in Wellington to prevent production of The Hobbit from leaving New Zealand. Labor disputes between The N.Z. Actors Equity and Warner Brothers have been resolved, but the possibility of producers going overseas stand at 50-50.

Protests were also reported in cities like Christchurch and Auckland. In a letter from Jackson to the Tolkien faithful, the director said, "This is where Middle Earth was born and this is where it will stay." Even though local actors' guilds have stopped boycotting the film, the producers are nonetheless looking at overseas filming locations.

[Via The Guardian. Photograph: Marty Melville/Getty Images.]