AceShowbiz - Director Peter Jackson was forced to miss out on the press launch of his troubled "The Hobbit" movie after he was put under "medical house arrest" following his recent surgery. The moviemaker was admitted to hospital last month to undergo an operation to treat a perforated ulcer. He was released after several days in hospital and production on the already stalled "Lord of the Rings" prequel had to be put back by a month to March to allow for the moviemaker to recover.

The movie's cast attended a press conference in Wellington, New Zealand on Friday, February 11, but Jackson was forced to pull out on strict orders from his doctor. He says in a statement, "I am under a form of medical house arrest to prevent me from overdoing it. I'm feeling these movies are going to be something very special."

During the launch, "The Hobbit"'s lead actor Martin Freeman joked about the film's continuing setbacks, telling reporters, "There are some bits of bad luck associated with it (but) we're ready to go - just as soon as 2015 comes around."