First, its studio – the one that owns the rights to the film’s vital underlying property – fell into financial difficulty and couldn’t find a buyer. Then, the director quit. Then there were other finance setbacks, Then there were the union wrangles. Now, it seems someone has walked in front of yet another black cat because, within minutes of being greenlit, Peter Jackson‘s two-part feature ‘The Hobbit’ is under seige due to an unexplained blaze. The Wellington studio, where the design and modeling work for the sequel/prequels to Jackson’s huge trilogy ‘Lord of the Rings’, is being investigated by fire officials to see what caused the conflagration.

Reportedly, it took three hours for fire crews to extinguish the fire at Jackson’s Rongotai Road warehouse as well as the workshop/shooting stage called Portsmouth Miniatures Studio. Last year, the building was valued at $3.2m.

Fire officials did not suspect foul play… not yet…. but…