News that The Hobbit films will include locations near Dunedin has been greeted with enthusiasm by Dunedin and Middlemarch interests.
The films also seem set to revisit The Lord of the Rings locations in the Mackenzie Country and around Queenstown.
While exact locations remain a mystery, film and tourism industry people say wherever they are around Dunedin is great news for the city.
A 10-minute video update that Sir Peter posted online on Saturday shows scenes from a reconnaissance trip in June, and includes sites that appear to be in the Strath Taieri.
In the video, the second Sir Peter has released and virtually the only publicity around the production of the two-film series, supervising location manager Jared Connon said shooting would be in the Mackenzie Country, below Mt Cook, south of Queenstown and around Dunedin, where there was "more beautiful stone, rock, wild country, and that's quite exciting because it's an area of Middle Earth we haven't visited before".
Shooting begins in early September and will take in about 30 South Island locations.
Film Otago Southland executive manager Kevin Jennings said he was "really pleased" to hear about Dunedin.
"It is great news for the region, not only for the crew who will work on the productions, but also because of the ongoing tourism benefits."
Tourism Dunedin chief executive Hamish Saxton said the filming could only be positive for Dunedin.
Tourism experienced a significant boost in the wake of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and resulted in the development of multiple tourism businesses, including a large number of guided tours, and that sort of positive outcome would also be welcome in Dunedin.
Ian Brodie, former Wanaka resident and writer of a The Lord of the Rings location guidebook which has sold more than 500,000 copies, has previously said because The Hobbit was even more widely read than The Lord of the Rings trilogy, it had the potential to bring much more to Otago's economy and tourism than, for example, the Rugby World Cup.
Yesterday, he said what Dunedin would gain would depend on the location of the filming, whether it was on private land and how accessible the sites were.
The films were "opening up" many places in New Zealand that possibly people were unaware of, for example Poolburn and the Mavora Lakes.
There was no doubt Dunedin would see a "huge" increase in film location tourism as a result of The Hobbit films.
A spokeswoman for Southern Lakes Helicopters, which ferried 17 people in five helicopters on the South Island reconnaissance mission, said the company had signed a confidentiality agreement so could not comment on the locations visited.
When asked if any applications for permits to film had been lodged, a spokeswoman for the Department of Conservation's Otago Conservancy said she could not comment because of a confidentiality agreement.
Doc's only conservation park near Dunedin, Te Papanui, is on the Lammerlaw and Lammermoor ranges, west of the city, near Middlemarch.
Strath Taieri Community Board chairman Barry Williams, said "some very familiar areas" were in the clip.
Helicopters flying in formation were seen over the area in the past fortnight, but no-one knew Jackson was scouting locations.
He said there were possible marketing opportunities if Middlemarch featured as part of Middle Earth.
"It can only be good for Dunedin and Otago ... and Middlemarch number one."
