Inching closer to The Hobbit film

[Galendor]

Originally Posted by Thenamir

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions as to where you might split the story in two? My money is on having the final scene of Hobbit I be a medium-shot of 13 barrels, Bilbo astride the last, drifting out of the dark of Mirkwood into the daylight on Long Lake...fade to black...roll credits.

And right as the fade to black occurs, a loud apple-scented belch is heard coming from one or more of the barrels...Sigh, I hope not!

[Thenamir]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hickli

How about Ray Winstone?

I AM RIPPER! SLASHER! TEARER! SLAYER! I...AM....BILBO!!!

More like "I AM RING-WINNER! LUCK-WEARER! BARREL-RIDER! I...AM...BILBOWULF!!

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Oi! David Tennant could play anything and he'd be good

Now we can't leave out Catherine Tate if we're going to have David. She'd be a smashing Galadriel, simply smashing. I bet she could do Arwen too; we'd see Arwen with an attitude like no one had ever imagined.

There will be Arwen and Galadriel, right, in a TH two parter? Have I got that right?

[Galendor]

Originally posted by davem
Which one would I post my comments about flatulent Dwarves & shield-surfing Elves in?

davem, I think the Legolas shield riding incident in the movie was actually supposed to be a reference to skateboarding, not surfing. Just be thankful PJ didn't include a half-pipe at the bottom of the ramp so we didn't have to see Legolas do any "lip tricks" with the shield. It was a dreadful possibility.

[davem]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Now we can't leave out Catherine Tate if we're going to have David. She'd be a smashing Galadriel, simply smashing. I bet she could do Arwen too; we'd see Arwen with an attitude like no one had ever imagined.

There will be Arwen and Galadriel, right, in a TH two parter? Have I got that right?

Matt Lucas in Vicky Pollard mode as Gollum?

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=clKfwrVPJfc

[Thenamir]

Now we can't leave out Catherine Tate if we're going to have David. She'd be a smashing Galadriel, simply smashing.

Naaah. Now Billie Piper as Galadriel, THAT would be something.

[Sauron the White]

Gee kiddies - I hate to be the wet blanket and stop the fun and jovial merriment of sarcasim and poking fun at something you don't like... but this thread is about progress of THE HOBBIT.

So pardon me for some factual information. This hot off the press from Entertainment Weekly magazine.

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.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

the latter having the better chance of being directed by the Lord of the Rings mastermind himself.

So they're resurrecting Tolkien for the occasion... I don't think he's qualified as a film director is he?

[davem]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

Gee kiddies - I hate to be the wet blanket and stop the fun and jovial merriment of sarcasim and poking fun at something you don't like... but this thread is about progress of THE HOBBIT.

Ah but for some of us its about the regress of The Hobbit

[Sauron the White]

The powers you must have to pass judgement upon something that is not even started to take shape are truly amazing.

[davem]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

The powers you must have to pass judgement upon something that is not even started to take shape are truly amazing.

Thank you.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Why is it 'amazing powers' to predict future performance based on past performance? There's every reason to expect PJ will bring to the Hobbit the same Merdas Touch he brought to the LR.

[Sauron the White]

Aha! So you are predicting a billion dollar box office, lots of ancillary income, nearly unanimous critical praise from the professional film critics, and a boat load of awards from the film community?

I am sure the Tolkien Estate thinks so too. Sales of the books were four or five times what they were in the previous five non-film years. I am sure they would welcome a big boost in those profit sharing checks. Win-win situation.

[Sauron the White]

This from yahoonews

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.

[Sauron the White]

The New York Times names a dollar figure for Jackson to settle with New LIne over the previous films and money he felt was owed to him.

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.

Sorry this is "news" and not swarmy sarcastic casting jokes, but I thought it fit here.

[Sauron the White]

This from Entertainment weekly.com - The Hollywood Insider may be the best account released so far today

'The Hobbit' is a go with Peter Jackson
Dec 18, 2007, 08:11 PM | by Nicole Sperling

Categories: Movie Biz, The Hobbit

It's back to Middle Earth for Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and the boys from New Line. Finally, the years of disputes have ended, and the partners (including co-producer and co-distributor MGM) are gearing up for two new Hobbit movies. EW investigated, talking to the parties behind the negotiations to uncover how everything got resolved, and to get an idea of what viewers can expect of these adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's original literary masterpiece. Here's the lowdown:

Jackson and his life/creative partner Walsh have always envisioned the big-screen adaptation of The Hobbit as two movies. The first would deal with the 80-year old novel. The second, imagined entirely by Jackson and Walsh, would link the conclusion of The Hobbit to the start of the first Lord of the Rings book, The Fellowship of the Rings. New Line and Jackson will develop the properties over the next year with hopes of entering into pre-production by 2009 for a 2010 and 2011 release. No writers, including Jackson, Walsh, and their longtime partner Philippa Boyens, have been commissioned. (None can be, because of the strike.)

New Line has already decided that both films will be produced at the same time, in similar fashion to how the LOTR trilogy was put together, and no budgets have been assigned the films yet. According to New Line's co-chair Robert Shaye, "You can't budget an idea."

While MGM and New Line want to keep Jackson's involvement in the film as broad as possible, hinting that he may take up both writing and directing responsibilities, Jackson's manager Ken Kamins told Hollywood Insider that Jackson won't be directing the films. "Peter won't be directing because he felt the fans have waited long enough for The Hobbit. It will take the better part of every day of the next four years to writer, direct and produce two Hobbit films. Given his current obligations to both The Lovely Bones and Tintin, waiting for Peter, Fran, and Phillippa to write, direct and produce The Hobbit would require the fans wait even longer."

Directors Sam Raimi (Spider-Man), Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth), and Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men) are still the names that come up as alternate possiblities, but no official creative decision has been made. "There is obviously a small but significant number of directors who could handle two films of this magnitude, but we have no commitment to anybody," Shaye said. "Now that Peter is an integral part of the decision-making process, we all have to see eye-to-eye on any candidate we try to enlist."

Those creative pow-wows are set to begin in early 2008 when New Line plans to sit down with Jackson to hash out critical details. (Jackson will be filming Lovely Bones through February.)

Neither Jackson’s rep nor New Line will explain how the nasty battle between the two parties got resolved. The fight hit a low point in November 2006 when New Line actually "fired" Jackson from The Hobbit and Jackson took the battle to his website, TheOneRing.net, telling fans that “New Line would no longer be requiring our services on The Hobbit.” New Line’s Shaye now calls it, “a misunderstanding that wound up becoming a mini-war.” The two parties began negotiating this June, but it seems MGM’s Harry Sloan served a significant role as a mediator between the two sides.

According to New Line's co-chair Michael Lynne, "Harry served in a mediating function and at a certain sensitive moment he was very helpful." The New Line co-chairs do attest that once Sloan got involved, the studio was already well down the path of negotiating with Jackson. But Jackson's rep Kamins adds, "Harry, acting in the appropriate self-interest for MGM, used the fact that he owned a piece of the rights to be helpful to both sides in this converstaion. I really credit Harry greatly."

Shaye and company regret how acrimonious things became with Jackson. (In January, Shaye told Sci-Fi Wire website, "I don't care about Peter Jackson anymore. He thinks we owe him something after we've paid him over a quarter of a billion dollars!")

"From my side, I just regret that it happened," said Shaye. "It was a total misunderstanding about what anybody had to gain or lose. I'm extremely glad that the bad blood was just a little infection and not really a disabling malady."

New Line is quick to point out that The Hobbit resolution is in no way a reaction to disappointing domestic box office numbers for their most recent release, The Golden Compass, which they had hoped would launch a new franchise. "Absolutely not," said Lynne. "This has been in the works for a while now. Golden Compass, by the way, overseas, is performing spectacularly. Obviously, we have been disappointed with its performance here, but I think overall it will do quite well."

Regardless of Compass' performance, the studio now has a new, sure-fire hit to get underway. And even though the lawsuits are settled and the fences are mended, there are still numerous hurdles between this announcement and fans sitting in the theater watching Bilbo Baggins help 13 dwarves reclaim their treasure. First, there is the nasty writer's strike that trudges on; and second, a visionary writer/director/producer with a lot of other projects on his plate. Surely, though this triumph deserves a little celebration. Will Jackson be planning a bender back in New Zealand?

According to Kamins, not even close. "I haven't even talked to Peter," he said, laughing. "He just got home from Pennsylvania, (where Lovely Bones is filming) last night."

-- Additional writing and reporting by Missy Schwartz and Vanessa Juarez

[Galendor]

Jackson and his life/creative partner Walsh have always envisioned the big-screen adaptation of The Hobbit as two movies. The first would deal with the 80-year old novel. The second, imagined entirely by Jackson and Walsh, would link the conclusion of The Hobbit to the start of the first Lord of the Rings book, The Fellowship of the Rings.

Thanks for the news posts, STW.
I wonder what's this 2nd movie would be about?

[Galendor]

Never mind, I see from another thread: the next sixty years until Bilbo's farewell party. It is the "imagined entirely by Jackson and Walsh" that seems peculiar. I would think they couldn't actually do that considering copyrights, but perhaps it is it just an exaggeration of the news-writer anyways.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Hookbill the Goomba

So they're resurrecting Tolkien for the occasion... I don't think he's qualified as a film director is he?

Amen.

Funny how quickly the one who created all of this has been sidelined, eh?

[Sauron the White]

Mean old Death has a way of sidelining all of us.

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Thenamir

Naaah. Now Billie Piper as Galadriel, THAT would be something.

I certainly have to agree with you there; that it would be something, Thena. I've never imagined any elf much less Galadriel as having very rich, very full, very bountiful lips. I think that was my difficulty with movie-Arwen. Although I do think Billie Piper's lipstick is a more suitable colour for elves than Liv Tyler's.

But hmmmm . . . . Perhaps that was what drew Gimli to Galadriel: he saw full lips not covered by a beard for the first time?