Jackson looking forward to 'proud' premiere

ROBERT KITCHIN/The Dominion Post

UNIVERSAL MAN: Peter Jackson, creator of The Lovely Bones.

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Movie fans will again have stars in their eyes when The Lovely Bones gets the red carpet treatment at the Embassy Theatre.

Two of the film's biggest names – Oscar winner Susan Sarandon and nominee Saoirse Ronan – will attend the Kiwi premiere on December 14.

New Zealand stars Rose McIver and Carolyn Dando are also expected to attend, along with Peter Jackson, who co-wrote, produced and directed the film.

Fans will have the opportunity to collect autographs on the red carpet.

The last major Hollywood film to have a Wellington premiere was Jackson's King Kong in 2005, when thousands lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the stars.

Jackson said yesterday he was looking forward to December when The Lovely Bones would be celebrated in the city where it was made.

"I love the way Wellington crowds are proud of films we make here. We get nothing like that overseas. Wellington premieres have a more party-like vibe about them."

Jackson said he had to shoot new footage for The Lovely Bones after audiences at test screenings complained that a death scene was not violent enough.

"The demise of the villain [played by Stanley Tucci] originally happened off-screen but that wasn't satisfying enough for many people we showed the film to ... so we made his death a little more visual."

The $104 million movie is based on a novel by Alice Sebold in which a murdered 14-year-old girl watches from heaven as her grieving family attempt to catch her killer.

The black nature of the film will not affect the premiere, Jackson said. "The movie's very positive and in many respects a celebration of love."

Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast was "sure plenty of people will turn out not just to see the stars involved but to show their appreciation to Peter [Jackson] and the team behind the movie".

The international coverage for the premiere would reinforce the city as being both beautiful and full of intelligent people.

The council will work with police to develop a traffic management plan, which is likely to include road closures for Courtenay Place, Kent and Cambridge terraces, and other smaller streets in the area. Buses will be diverted and taxi stands relocated.

Inspector Simon Perry of Wellington Police said premiere crowds were generally well behaved. "They are quite enjoyable events for us to police because of the mood of the people – and no alcohol is involved."

The film's other big stars – Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Tucci – are unable to attend the Wellington premiere because of filming commitments.

The Lovely Bones opens in the US on December 11 and in New Zealand on Boxing Day.

The Lovely Bones:

Based on a 2002 novel by Alice Sebold.

Stars Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci.

The story of a 14-year-old girl, played by Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, who is raped and murdered in rural Pennsylvania in the 1970s.

The teenager views events from a stylised heaven. Shot by Peter Jackson in Pennsylvania and Wellington.

Jackson created and shot "heaven" at his Miramar studio.