You've already seen the Hobbit** cover of the latest issue of Empire, but here's a sneak peek at two of the images inside the magazine, showing Bilbo and Gandalf in all their Martin Freeman-y, Sir Ian McKellen-y glory. And inside the magazine is a lengthy and exclusive report from the film's New Zealand set, which our Ian Nathan visited recently. The good news? Peter Jackson is relaxed, happy and hitting his stride.
“I’m exactly the same filmmaker as I was ten years ago,” says Jackson. “I’m trying to nail the same thing that I did before. I’m just telling the story.” The only difference is that this time he has a bunch of snarky dwarves to corral. "“They don’t know what to make of Gandalf, they think Bilbo is a wuss, and Elrond a prissy headmaster type,” laughs Jackson.
](http://www.empireonline.com/magazine?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Click here to buy the issue online now.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will hit screens on December 14, 2012.
The new Empire is out on Thursday 30 June. If you can't get to a shop, fear not, you can order your Hobbit issue online now{