Peter Jackson is back on Hobbit project

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Director Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc said on Tuesday they have agreed to make two movies based on the book "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien, ending months of legal wrangling.
Jackson, the director of the smash hit "Lord of the Rings" movies, and producer Fran Walsh will executive produce both a "Hobbit" movie and a sequel, but no decision has been made about who will direct the films, Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, co-chairmen and co-CEOs of New Line told Reuters.
MGM Chairman Harry Sloan, who was credited by all parties for bringing about the deal, said Jackson found it "impossible" to direct the film and meet proposed release dates in 2010 and 2011 due to other projects on which he is now working.
"He can't get it scheduled and he doesn't want the fans to have to wait for the next two movies," Sloan said. He said the studios might postpone the films if Jackson changed his mind.
Jackson's representative could not be reached for comment.
Jackson, Walsh and the studios share approval "on all major creative elements" and will start considering screenwriters and directors in January, Shaye said.
The movies will be made simultaneously in New Zealand, starting in 2009. Industry experts estimated the films would each cost $150 million to $200 million to make, based in part on the $400 million cost of the first three and inflation.
The studios will likely have to negotiate more expensive deals with "Rings" cast members, such as Ian McKellen as Gandalf the wizard, if any of them return for "The Hobbit." But they could save money on special effects that were designed and built for the "Rings" films and could be reused.

Master of ‘Rings’ to Tackle ‘Hobbit'

By DAVID M. HALBFINGER
Published: December 19, 2007

LOS ANGELES — Goblins, trolls and dragons were a breeze compared with the caustic clash of egos that kept “The Hobbit” in Hollywood limbo for years. But a settlement announced on Tuesday between Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema holds the promise that peace will break out in Middle Earth and that fans could see the first of two resulting movies by December 2010.





The pact, which two people involved said was worth nearly $40 million to Mr. Jackson, ends years of litigation and acrimonious auditing over his share of the profits from the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Those movies grossed $2.9 billion worldwide, made Mr. Jackson’s reputation and vastly enhanced New Line’s stature among the major movie studios.
Though Sam Raimi has stated his interest, it is unclear who will direct the two Hobbit movies, but Mr. Jackson will not. Mr. Jackson and his producing and writing partners, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, are committed to making “The Lovely Bones” through 2008 and then he is directing “Tintin,” based on the Belgian comic strip, for Steven Spielberg.
But Mr. Jackson and his wife, Ms. Walsh, will be executive producers of the Hobbit films, and they will share with New Line the right to approve all creative elements: director, screenwriter, script, cast, filming location, even the visual-effects company used (as if there were any doubt that his Weta Digital would be chosen). “They can assure that the films will be made with the same level of quality as if they were writing and directing,” Mr. Jackson’s manager, Ken Kamins, said.
Settlement of the litigation freed New Line, which held the rights to make a “Hobbit” movie, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which has distribution rights, to cut a 50-50 financing deal: New Line will make the two films and distribute them domestically, and MGM will distribute them overseas. The untitled sequel is described as bridging the 60-year gap between the end of J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Hobbit” and the beginning of the “Rings” trilogy.
Despite the treasure involved — or perhaps because of it — the Jackson-New Line marriage grew testy by 2003, when Mr. Jackson began complaining about his share of the profits. New Line paid added bonuses, but Mr. Jackson nonetheless began an audit, which was said to particularly antagonize Bob Shaye, the studio’s co-chairman with Michael Lynne.
Warfare broke into the open in February 2005, when Mr. Jackson sued New Line over his audit, saying the studio was stonewalling his accountants. After Mr. Jackson told fans in a Web posting late last year that New Line had formally dropped him from “The Hobbit,” Mr. Shaye exploded on the Web, “He thinks that we owe him something after we’ve paid him over a quarter of a billion dollars.”
A thaw began some weeks later, Mr. Kamins said, when Mr. Jackson dined at the home of Harry Sloan, the chairman of MGM. It held distribution rights to “The Hobbit” and Mr. Sloan was desperate to get the franchise moving. By May, during the Cannes Film Festival, Mr. Jackson and Mr. Shaye joined a multiparty conference call; it was the first time they had spoken in about two years, Mr. Kamins said. “That call created a tone that really lasted into the fall,” he said.
If Mr. Sloan was motivated to spur a deal — he said the “halo effect” alone from “The Hobbit” could help attract talent and financing to MGM — Messrs. Shaye and Lynne of New Line were said to be facing a deadline of their own: their contracts as studio bosses expire in 2008, and the public combat with Mr. Jackson was a cause for frequent criticism. (Mr. Jackson at one point offered his “Lovely Bones” project to every major studio except New Line.)
The studio, meanwhile, has had a run of two years with only two hits, “Rush Hour 3” and “Hairspray.” Its costly “Golden Compass” opened to a disappointing $25.8 million gross in its first weekend.
In an interview on Tuesday, Mr. Shaye admitted that he had taken some aspects of the dispute with Mr. Jackson quite personally, but he and Mr. Lynne insisted they had faced no pressure from above to cut a deal.
Mr. Lynne said, “No one told us we had to resolve it one way or another.”

Ugh. Here we go again. Stupid midget bastard movies, sick of them.

Like I car about some lame dwarf named Dildo playing with some ring.

-HECK!

Nay, nay, nay, them Hobbit movies was cool.

I tried to watch them once and kept falling asleep.

Yeah they were cool. If by cool you mean lame sauce.

My head about exploded that the 3 hour snoozer movies had extended versions with hours of more footage. Is there anything they didn't shoot. 30 hours to show midgets walking to drop a ring in a volcano.

-HECK!

I'm kind of excited, but I'm wondering what the sequel to the Hobbit will be. Was there a sequel other than LOTR? I'm not a pro on this...

Probably that book I can't pronounce or spell, the simerillian.

Don't they still have the sets and stuff from LOTR in New Zealand? I think I remember they do tours and stuff of Hobbiton ...?
Would the same guy play Bilbo?

They are taking The Hobbit, the book, and making it into two movies. Stretching that story for every nerdy penny they can earn.

-HECK!

Lame

You can hear the executives now, wishing they'd split Lord of the Rings into 6 movies.

Aparently they wanted Daniel Radcliffe to play the Hobbit, he has said no, as it's too similar to the Potter movies, with wizards and what-not. But I can't really see him as a Hobbit anyway, wouldn't have been my first choice.

I wish I had four hands, so I can give this movie idea four thumbs down.

Fuck the hobbit. Fuck every hobbit. I did not like any of those faggy hobbit movies. THEY SUCKED.

Seriously, after "taking the ring to the volcano" tell me what the stupid ass movies were about? And use more than 25 words.

Exactly.

-HECK!

1. long
2. ass
3. story
4. about
5. some
6. stupid
7. little
8. people
9. who
10. go
11. on
12. an
13. epic
14. drawn-out
15. journey
16. which
17. the
18. old
19. gay
20. wizard
21. could
22. have
23. done
24. in
25. five
26. minutes

That took 26 words I'm afraid

And we needed 3 movies lasting over 2 hours each? No.

I hate them so much.

-HECK!

gaboman wrote:

That took 26 words I'm afraid

He said use MORE than 25 words.

So he did.

I did mean under 25 words though.

Did I mention I don't like the hobbit films?

Doesn't this flick seem like a cash grab though?

-HECK!

From www.bbc.co.uk:

The Hobbit to begin filming in February next year

Filming on The Hobbit is set to begin in February after it was finally given the go-ahead by film studio bosses.

Warner Bros also announced that Peter Jackson, who directed the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, would helm the two-part prequel.

The films, based on JRR Tolkien's book, had been delayed for months due to MGM Studios' - which owns half the project - ongoing financial woes.

No release dates for the movies have been given.

According to industry paper Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros and MGM reached a deal allowing MGM to cover its half of the production, estimated to cost a total of $500m (£313m).

Jackson, who co-wrote the screenplays and is also producing the films, originally hired Mexican-born Guillermo Del Toro to direct, but he pulled out in June citing almost two years of delays.

Last month, the project was threatened further after Jackson warned production could cease or be moved from its location in New Zealand over a pay wrangle with acting unions.

The two movies will be shot back to back using digital 3D cameras.

In a statement, Jackson said: "Exploring Tolkien's Middle-earth goes way beyond a normal film-making experience.

"It's an all-immersive journey into a very special place of imagination, beauty and drama. We're looking forward to re-entering this wondrous world with Gandalf and Bilbo."

The Lord of the Rings trilogy grossed nearly $3bn (£1.88bn) at box offices worldwide and in 2003 the final chapter, Return of the King, dominated the Oscars, winning in all of the 11 categories in which it was nominated, including best film.[u]

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On a side note, has it really been that long since the Return of the King came out?

2003 sounds right to me. It's not one of those things that feels like just yesterday to me though.

I can see this making mad money if Peter Jackson directs. But I mean the dude lost 200 pounds or whatever filming the last set of movies, there'll be nothing left if he does both of these flicks.

HECK! wrote:

And we needed 3 movies lasting over 2 hours each? No.

I hate them so much.

-HECK!

Heck, remind me to kick you in the nuts. (grumbles in old person way about youngin's hating LOTR)

Anyway, I can't wait. The only thing that makes me sad is that there is no Viggo in the film. If only there was a way to insert Aragorn into the film.

I've got a plan. Cast Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown who steals away to the end of Return of the King to take Aragorn back to the events of the Hobbit. Insert scene where Aragorn makes out with his mum.

I can't believe nobody ever thought of that before.

Martin Freeman is to play Bilbo according to BBC.co.uk:

The Office actor Martin Freeman will play Bilbo Baggins in two-part Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit, director Peter Jackson has announced.

He said in a statement there had "only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us".

Freeman, 39, was "intelligent, funny, surprising and brave - exactly like Bilbo", Jackson added.

Meanwhile, Jackson's wife Fran Walsh has reportedly told a radio station filming could move to the UK because of an industrial dispute in New Zealand.

Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner, Rob Kazinsky and Graham McTavish will all appear in The Hobbit

"There are a few times in your career when you come across an actor who you know was born to play a role, but that was the case as soon as I met Martin," Jackson said.

Spooks actor Richard Armitage, 39 - who has a role in the forthcoming film Captain America: The First Avenger - will play Thorin Oakenshield - leader of the dwarves.

Former EastEnders actor Rob Kazinsky, Sean Slater in the soap, will also play a dwarf.

He will appear alongside Irish actor Aidan Turner, who has appeared in BBC Three's Being Human, and British actor Graham McTavish, who has appeared on TV shows including Red Dwarf.

Other dwarves will be played by John Callen, Stephen Hunter, Mark Hadlow and Peter Hambleton.

The films are due to be released in December 2012 and December 2013.

As with the Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, the film had been due to be made in Jackson's native New Zealand.

But on Thursday, film studio Warner Bros said the ongoing pay wrangle with acting unions had "forced us to consider other filming locations for the first time".

Jackson's wife and creative partner Fran Walsh, meanwhile, reportedly told Radio New Zealand that film producers "had people in the UK taking location photographs".

"They've got a huge studio there that Harry Potter has vacated, the ex-Rolls Royce factory, that they say would be perfect for us."

Unions representing actors and other workers urged a boycott against the $500m (£319m) production because of the dispute over contracts.

They are trying to force Jackson's production company, Wingnut Films, and Warner Bros to enter negotiations with them over the contracts deadlock.

While major unions including America's Screen Actors Guild and New Zealand Actors' Equity have retreated, smaller unions in New Zealand and Australia are continuing their boycott.

Meanwhile, non-union film workers have hit the streets in New Zealand to demand that filming stays there.

Earlier this month, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said he would be "greatly concerned" if production on Jackson's film was lost.

Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy won 17 Oscars and earned billions of dollars at box offices worldwide.