We’ll be covering as much of the San Diego Comic Con news as we can across our many blogs, so stick with the Starstore blogs for a unique British perspective on the latest developments from SDCC 2009!

We swear one day we’ll make it there and report to you live from the event itself, but until then, we’ll be scouring the net for the best news and announcements so that you don’t have to!

This year’s event runs from the 23rd to the 26th of July, with a preview night on the 22nd before the shenanigans commence for real. There are some suitably awesome panels, previews and product unveilings going on this year, and we’ll cover as many of the big ones as we can.

There are some fantastic workshops and signings right across the event, but the big ones for many fans will be the TV previews, movie previews and merchandise previews. We’re personally really looking forward to finding out what Sideshow Collectibles have on offer this year in the way of new products.

Other panels and stuff of note throughout the SDCC weekend? Summit’s Astro Boy preview, the reveal of details on the next Tetsuo movie, a preview of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, a look at the groundbreaking new James Cameron science fiction epic Avatar, the next developments in the Halo franchise, a presentation of material from Terry Gilliam’s Imaginarium of Dr Parnassuss, a Doctor Who panel with Russell T Davies and David Tennant, a panel on the Kick Ass movie, a talk with fantasy legend Terry Brooks, the premier of the animated Green Lantern movie, The Guild, Farscape’s 10th Anniversary, a look at the new version of The Prisoner, Star Wars Day, Sideshow Collectibles‘ panel, Dr. Horrible The Totally Rad Show Live, Ray Bradbury… gah, so much!!!

We’ll be covering as much as we can right here! It may not be as cool as actually being there, but we’ll be bringing you as much of the AWESOME as we can.

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Have a look and see some sneak previews of the greatest movie collectibles from Sideshow - Visit now!

Today sees the release of The Hunt For Gollum, a 40-minute fan movie based on The Lord of The Rings. The trailers have been doing the rounds online for a while now, and have had Lord of the Rings fans debating the project in depth. While many fan films aren’t worth the bandwidth they are streamed on, this one does actually look rather good. While it is far from official, the project is tolerated by New Line (as many fan films are) as long as it doesn’t make any money.

This is cool, as the film has been made by fans, for fans of the Lord of the Rings movies and the legendary books, for the simple reason that they wanted to show their appreciation in a very unique way.

So how does it look? While it is clearly made on a shoestring budget, you have to be impressed by the spine of the people responsible for it. The action sequences look well choreographed, the CG looks good considering the budget, and the editing is almost professional in its skill. While it will be odd for fans to see their favourite characters played by unknown actors, there is much to enjoy here.

The filmmakers have gone out of their way to recreate the film of peter Jackson’s epic adaptations, and have achieved a great deal with the look and the visual nods to those three monumental films. If nothing else, it should help pass the time a little until Guilermo Del Toro brings us the first of the two Hobbit films. The film is based on the Appendices to The Lord of The Rings, and thus it is clear to see that these fans mean business, as they have done their utmost to be as close to the source material as possible.

Fan films are a great part of geek culture that have been around for a very long time. Yes, some are terrible, but others can be a breeding ground for new talent to emerge in the acting, filmmaking and special effects fields.

Check out the trailer:

Sideshow Collectibles have unveiled the latest addition to their much-loved Lord of the Rings merchandise line. Fans of the well-manicured elf Legolas are in for a treat. A brand new Legolas Premium Format Figure is on the way from the respected manufacturers. This awesome 1:4 scale piece is museum-quality and is sure to bring back fiond memories of the groundbreaking movie adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s masterpiece. Hand finished and hand painted, the figure is clad in a very authentic costume replica and comes on a numbered and themed base. Due to ship early in 2010, the Legolas Premium Format Figure looks set to become an instant classic with fans of Lord of the Rings merchandise and its characters.

As previously announced, these two new Hobbit films are breaking the rules of the Tolkien adaptations so far- only one is based on the Hobbit book itself. The second film is to be based on various notes and ideas of Tolkien’s, which will link the films with that earlier trilogy (that, of course, takes place after these Hobbit films). It is not known yet whether or not any other cast members from the Lord of the Rings films will also return. To be directed by Pan’s Labyrinth/Hellboy helmer Benicio Del Toro and filmed on location in New Zealand, the films are set to kick off the Tolkien mania once again, and complete the story that was begun with the initial trilogy of blockbuster feature films. The two films are set to be released in 2010 and 2011 respectively.