Pj To Produce The Hobbit!

[MatthewM]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071218/...ilm_the_hobbit

Check this out! An agreement has been reached!

[Sauron the White]

The fact that Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh are the executive producers of these two films means a great deal. But what it means above all else for them is one thing - power. They will be in charge. They will be the boss. They will have the last word. No running to anyone else for approval. No hiding from studio executives who want to poke around on set. No arguement about final cut or anything else. Jackson and Walsh will be gods on this film

I would guess that they will get the best possible financial deal that anyone has ever recieved for a film.

In the movie business, the studios will sooner part with money than with power. To get this deal done they had to part with both.

And as a side note, this probably puts the final two nails into the coffin of any sequels to GOLDEN COMPASS. New Line is going to marshall their economic and production forces behind these Middle-earth films and are not going to waste resources on something which has proven to be a loser.

The next year will be extremely interesting as we get the announcement of director (in all probablity Jackson), cast members, and other talent. It will be a very interesting year.

Let the speculation begin.

[The Might]

One question...

What is the sequel?
How can you make a sequel to the Hobbit, when you've already done it...it's LotR!

[Thenamir]

TM: Hobbit in two parts, not a literal "sequel".

1. Two movies? Hmmm...where is the likely split point, I wonder? What will the cliffhanger be in Hobbit I? Caught by spiders? Imprisoned be Elves? A barrel ride down the forest river?
2. Casting -- Gotta have Ian McKellan back as Gandalf?
3. Legolas could potentially be hangin' with Dad in Thranduil's fortress so ya gotta have Orlando Bloom?
4. And what about Ian Holm? Too old to play Bilbo, now? Who would take his estimable place, or perhaps he could be a younger Ian with the help of CGI, a la Beowulf?
5. Christopher Lloyd as Thranduil?
6. The voice of Smaug?
7. What elements will have to be CGI, and what should not?

Just a starter list, for conversation.

[The Might]

No, I think I know what it's about Thenamir.
If I remember correctly, I read an article some time ago where they were planning the Hobbit and another movie about other events that took place before LotR. Maybe stuff like the Dwarves losing Moria, Rohan coming to Gondor's help or the Wise attacking Dol Guldur.
Problem is I can't really see how you can combine these different storylines...
Then again, I might be wrong about that. What I could imagine is a series of animated minifilms (something like the Animatrix or the Clone Wars) that would deal with these separate events...

On the other hand, I can't really believe that they would make the Hobbit in two parts.
I mean RotK was one movie and that's one large novel, with three books in it. TH is much smaller and simply there isn't enough going on to make that possible.

[Thenamir]

Hmmm. That actually makes more sense, TM. And I would salivate rather embarassingly at the idea of a series of independently-produced minifilms in the same vein as The Animatrix.

[THE Ka]

Originally Posted by The Might

I mean RotK was one movie and that's one large novel, with three books in it. TH is much smaller and simply there isn't enough going on to make that possible.

I really, really hope they don't split it up. I am glad there is a balance of 'knowledgable' authority and money into this at the moment, (because golden compass was simply ruined and elements of mutliple books being missmatched was disastrous), but I've seen what happens when they take shorter works and try to split them. It's not pretty, and you go home with an ill feeling in your stomach and mind.

If they do split it, question is ultimately, where? There really isn't an ultimate cut off point in the book, simply if you think hard enough, because Tolkien didn't intend The Hobbit to be a series. At first he wasn't even sure of having LoTR connected, but thankfully that worked out . What makes it different is this, LoTR has points in between works, because of it's sheer size and effect. It's something that fits wonderfully well with such a work, with TH? No, not really.

I kindof understand adding some material at the end, to give the audience (those who haven't read LoTR yet, or are fuzzy) an indication as to how the two are related. With films, it is pretty much standard practice (as is seen at the beginning of FoTR).

The good thing I am happy about now is, if and when it comes out, I can take my mum and not have to explain it, since she's read TH and remembers it quite well. (Sorry, I am very happy at least about this... ).
Hopefully this is true with the general audience that sees The Hobbit, that they have read TH in their childhood, or taken a taste of it at least once, to get the warm and fuzzy feeling (or inevitably, the sore ear and jaw from having to explain it, thus leading to tiresome but enjoyable conversations... ) of seeing some form of respect towards it.

I dunno though, The Hobbit is absolutely one of my favourites, something I really cherish, I just hope that it is given more consideration in the time coming.

[Meneltarmacil]

Regarding casting choices, I think Alan Rickman would probably be a good choice for one of two possible roles, though there are problems with each:

-Thranduil, though he'd need a blond wig. I've tested one of Thranduil's lines (where he's sending the Dwarves off to their cells) by saying it in the best imitation of Rickman I could do, and I think it's pretty good. He could definitely pull off the personality aspect, but it's the visual part that needs work.

-The voice of Smaug. I believe he can do sarcasm quite well, and he's quite good at playing "arrogant bad guy" roles. Smaug would be right up his alley, though I'm not sure his voice carries the same kind of strength that a dragon would need.

[Mister Underhill]

Interesting developments! My read: the exec producer credit is usually taken by someone who oversees or owns some stake in a project, but isn't deeply involved in day-to-day production. In other words, that credit suggests strongly that Jackson won't direct.

All the information coming out right now -- and for the next few months -- should probably be taken with a grain of salt, but according to this Entertainment Weekly article, Jackson's manager is saying he definitely will not direct.

I'll bet you'll be able to get a good gauge of how hands-on Jackson will be by the director they ultimately select. I can't imagine some of the bigger name directors whose names are being slung about being willing to just come on as a workman to execute Jackson's vision. There'll be more of a partnership there if you hire, say, Sam Raimi, mark my words. A lesser-known protege, like Neill Blomkamp, the guy who was supposed to helm Halo, might indicate a more hands-on approach by Jackson.

The article implies that Jackson's writing team won't be directly involved either, which is good or bad depending on your point of view.

As far as content, I can't imagine they'll come up with a complete film from whole cloth of the time between TH and LotR, as some reports suggest. What is there to do? Show Bilbo using the ring to hide from neighbors?

I expect a beefed up Hobbit in two parts, with every off-screen action or backstory element you can imagine dramatized -- Smaug's original attack on Lonely Mountain as a prologue, maybe Gandalf retrieving the map and key from Thrain in the Necromancer's dungeons as a flashback somewhere, and so on. And of course battle sequences drawn out for maximum effect. There's plenty of material there for a couple of two hour films, I daresay, though I haven't read through The Hobbit in a while. This is a good excuse for a re-read!

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

And as a side note, this probably puts the final two nails into the coffin of any sequels to GOLDEN COMPASS. New Line is going to marshall their economic and production forces behind these Middle-earth films and are not going to waste resources on something which has proven to be a loser.

Wouldn't bank on it being a loss maker. I was watching 'movie' news on Sky today and they were saying it's doing well outside the USA (it's not the whole of the film-going world you know ), and it hasn't even opened yet in every territory. It will turn a profit, sorry to disappoint you. If it does lose money then it's more likely part of an ongoing trend as films aren't taking in as much money in the USA right now due to the economy and the net result of that will be that less money is available for The Hobbit - so in the long run it will be a Very Good Thing if Golden Compass does alright.

Originally Posted by The Might

On the other hand, I can't really believe that they would make the Hobbit in two parts.

I can. It's called twice as many ££££££s.

Oh, such a cynic. I just hope they chuck enough money at it to hire a proper scriptwriter and to take on Alan Lee and John Howe again.

[Meriadoc1961]

I don't know anything, so I am just guessing, but it would seem to me that they would have to have the first movie based upon events in The Silmarillion, and then follow the story line of The Hobbit. But I suppose the two books could be spliced together to make two movies.

Merry

[Farael]

I can't remember WHERE I read it, but from what I understood at the time, PJ meant to add material such as the White Council and the "defeat" of the Necromancer/Sauron. That should give enough extra material for two movies methinks.

What I'm scared about is how they'd deal with things that Tolkien never really wrote on... I REFUSE to see Gandalf shooting fireballs Saruman-style while Elrond commands the forces of nature to attack an army of goblin and Galadriel wields a HUGE sword, slaying Sauron's biggest warrior.

[Gothbogg the Ripper]

Wow! Great news! Absolutely stunning. Now comes the simple matter of casting the voice of Smaug. I vote for Timothy Dalton!

[Nogrod]

So two films it will be. I'm looking forwards to it even if I don't hope for too much...

I'd like the scenario where we would get a lot of Silmarillion stuff and other general background with all the visual mastery those guys have in their hands. Also getting deeper into those persons involved in the story, how their relations and beliefs are tested and how they cope and change etc. Maybe some interesting viewpoints to Gollum as well - and a long scene with the riddles in the dark - and the eccentric Beorn as a fabulous creation of modern digi-tech with his message of being one with nature! The disturbing role of the elves as the self-presumed master-race and all the moral problems it will wake up, the questions of history and ownership, bonds and loyalty, greed and friendship, letting go and forgiving vs. standing bravely and with honour etc... There would be so much to say in that film!

Then maybe something of an adventure story just enough to give it enough marketing credibility.

Sadly it will not be so as the Silm-stuff or the harder themes of the book are not for the box office... And cash is what they are going for anyways.

So what could it be then in reality?

Let me guess...

So we will have a nice and partly humorous adventure-story as film one in which Bilbo and the dwarves reach the Lake Town. The people who know the story or are familiar with the LotR-movies are given some hints to the gravity of situations with fex. musical themes reminding that of the Ring's theme or with other gadgets like that in the scenes where Bilbo gets the ring. But those will be just small things. It will be a nice fantasy adventure with some stunning effects and suitable for all the family without any previous knowledge of Tolkien's world.

Then with the second movie they will say that it has "darker tones" in it. They will try to make Smaug "the next Gollum" and it will gain a lot of screentime. All this will then lead to the massive battle of the five armies which will surpass the battle at the Pelennor fields in RotK with it's magnitude as the technology has advanced since the LotR - and will take half of the film... And in the end some green-grey slime will just wipe the battlefield clean...

Nice box office stuff indeed.

A bad filmatisation of the Hobbit though...

.....
EDIT:

Originally Posted by Farael

I REFUSE to see Gandalf shooting fireballs Saruman-style while Elrond commands the forces of nature to attack an army of goblin and Galadriel wields a HUGE sword, slaying Sauron's biggest warrior.

Sorry Farael, you'll need to either close your eyes or just leave the film... that's what they will do.

Well depicted, though...

[Nazgûl-king]

It's great that we finally have some news on The Hobbit film (Or films I should say), as for who should voice Smaug, I always imaged Smaug sounding like James Earl Jones (who voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars). As for them splitting it into two parts, this should mean that they should be able to put just about everything (if not everything) from the book in, as well as putting in some extra stuff, like the White Council's attack on Dol Guldur. What do you think they are going to name the second one?

[Oddwen]

Originally Posted by kingy

What do you think they are going to name the second one?

It'll probably be something like "The Hobbit: There..." and "The Hobbit part II: ...and back again." Or just "There and Back Again".

[Sauron the White]

here is an update from Entertainment Weekly which contains some authoritative information
---------------------------------------------

MGM CEO Harry Sloan talks 'Hobbit'
Dec 18, 2007, 03:13 PM | by Vanessa Juarez

Categories: Movie Biz, The Hobbit

This morning, New Line and MGM announced that the Hobbit debacle was over and the first of two planned pics would finally be going into pre-production with Peter Jackson as executive producer. The Hobbit is scheduled for a 2010 release, and the sequel is expected the following year -- the latter having the better chance of being directed by the Lord of the Rings mastermind himself. Shortly after the announcement, Hollywood Insider spoke with MGM CEO Harry Sloan about the details.

EW: You must be delighted that this project is finally moving forward.
HARRY SLOAN: Ecstatic. It’s a great day for MGM and New Line, and to have two Hobbit movies with Peter Jackson, really, I couldn’t imagine anything better happening around Christmastime this year.

Can you talk about how this came together? Did this just happen overnight or the last few days?
Well, you know, nothing happens overnight. MGM has always said, and taken a firm position, that we want Peter to be involved, and we have to compliment and be very gratified that [New Line’s Bob Shaye and Michael Lyne] and Peter were able to put their differences aside for the good of these movies. We saw that take place over the last six months. I wouldn’t say it was instant by any means.

It’s seems that for the last year or so MGM has tried to stay out of the fray because this was a disagreement between New Line and Peter Jackson over the lawsuit. So when did you come into the picture, and how persuasive did you have to be?
It was very much in MGM’s interest that we get this property up and running. When I took over the studio, one of our first goals was to develop franchises, and this is the first one we have under the new management, and I also think between The Hobbits and James Bond, we now have two of the best-known franchises in the world, so it’s a really great day for MGM.

Have Peter Jackson and New Line resolved the lawsuit?
Yes, they have. That was part of it, because it wouldn’t have been a good atmosphere.

Peter Jackson did say all along that he didn’t want to go into a new deal without having settled the lawsuit.
And, of course, it added a level of complexity to putting the whole deal together. But I think the most important thing was for the participants, for Peter and Bob and Michael, to first get talking and start focusing on what great work they had accomplished together. That began to build a bridge toward cooperation on resolving the lawsuit and, of course, making a deal for Peter to oversee these two movies out of the Hobbit property.

Can you tease us with who might be in line to direct? Guillermo Del Toro, Sam Raimi...
Well, those are the names that have been mentioned and they’re both top directors, excellent directors. It’s Peter’s project. Peter and Bob Shaye are going to oversee it creatively but in the end ... our choice had always been Peter. But if after he and Fran [Walsh, Jackson's wife] and whoever they work with develop the script, if Peter feels comfortable and Bob feels comfortable with another director, then there will be another director.

Is there any chance that Peter could direct the Hobbit sequel?
Well, he could direct either of them.

He’s been busy with The Lovely Bones, so has it been a scheduling thing?
Well, he’s got Lovely Bones, he’s got Tin Tin, he’s got two or three projects, but it is the right time for him to devote his intentions to developing the property and the script with himself and Fran and maybe other writers as well. And once the property is developed and there’s a picture that’s ready to go, he may consider directing it -- although the second film might be more likely due to scheduling.

Does Peter have the right to refuse a director for this one, or script approval?
Neither us nor New Line would want to hire a director that Peter was not completely comfortable with. Remember it’s Peter’s project, he’s overseeing it. So I don’t want to tell you what’s legally in the contract.... But we wouldn’t do that.

This must be a good time for New Line to land this project, given that Golden Compass hasn’t done well. Did that play any sort of a role in getting this to come through at this point in time?
They can speak for themselves. But from my point of view, I’d say no because I think we were well on our way to having The Hobbit set to be developed and go into production long before Golden Compass opened.

Well, I’m sure they’re happy now. It’s good timing.
Look, any time perhaps the world’s greatest franchise has the opportunity to live on is good timing. That’s how we feel. We’re blessed every time we get another James Bond movie up and running.

With those two franchises, how challenging is it going to be with the writers' strike, if it continues to go on into the New Year, and there’s also the SAG negotiations next year.
We start shooting the new James Bond movie Jan. 7, and we’ll be done before [a potential] actors' strike, so it won’t affect James Bond. As far as The Hobbit, yes, it’s going to have an affect because we need the strike to get settled. We’ve got Peter Jackson, which is the biggest point here, but now Peter and the other writers who will be involved can’t write. So we’ve got to get this strike settled.

Any word on who would star in The Hobbit, or any expectations? I know a lot of the previous LOTR actors who would be able to have a role in The Hobbit have said that they would only be on board if Peter Jackson was.
Yeah, I think Peter stayed in touch. I think Peter’s been in touch over time with the other actors and is close with them and they’re close with him, so I think we’d be hopeful that some would reappear.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Sorry, folks, there's not going to be any Silmarillion material.

[Sauron the White]

See, there you go. Making authoritave statements when there clearly is a difference of opinion about what even constitutes "SIlmarillion material". I would remind you that the word Silmarallion was used by JRRT in the Appendicies to LOTR where he described many events of the First and Second Ages. That material from LOTR is owned as film rights by Saul Zaentz and New Line Cinema.

And yet some people think there is nothing to work out? Please.