The Hobbit in July 2007?

[doug*platypus]

Well, well, so the speculation has ended, and for good or ill we now know that there will be no PJ Hobbit. In spite of my many gripes about Jackson's version of LOTR, I do admit that given his geographical position and passion for the job, the three movies would not have been made without him, and we would have missed out on the visuals and cinematic story which expanded and breathed life into Tolkien's works. So it was with mixed feelings that I heard the breaking news.

Although it could quite easily be argued that PJ was the only man for the LOTR job, I think that The Hobbit could quite successfully be handled by another director. At least the triumvurate of LOTR script writers would not then have their wicked way with any more of Tolkien's material, and we may get a more faithful adaptation (nice dream). I suppose that the tone and narrative style of a non PJ Hobbit would differ from the trilogy, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It would probably mean that the movie could stand on its own and not simply be a prequel. I for one am looking forward to the fresh perspective which another director will bring to The Hobbit.

It would be a shame if McKellen did not return to reprise his role as the grey wizard, and something of a loss if Andy Serkis was not there to perform as Gollum, but as for the other actors I am not too fussed. If Hugo Weaving were to return as Elrond it would do much for consistency between the movies, but on the other hand I would be interested to see whether an actor more suited to the part could be found (I wasn't a big fan of Agent Elrond). As for Galadriel, Legolas and Saruman, well I would prefer if the filmmakers stuck to the story as it is, rather than expanding on it and including scenes of the White Council and Dol Guldur, although I suppose an Orlando Bloom cameo would be good for fangirls/boys.

But whoever ends up directing and starring, I will be there with my popcorn and Coke (nice plug) watching the story unfold on the big screen. I may only watch it once, if it is terrible, but I will be entertained for a few hours at least! At least whoever directs it will have to show us Smaug the Magnificent in all his glory.

BTW, while we're speculating or fantasising about directors, may I suggest Andrew Adamson (do I have his name right?). I thoroughly enjoyed The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. That is, unless he is busy.

[The Saucepan Man]

Well, the report refers to a "reliable source" indicating that Raimi has been "approached". It's not necessailry a done deal. This may turn out to be another gambit in the war of words.

Originally Posted by doug*platypus

At least the triumvurate of LOTR script writers would not then have their wicked way with any more of Tolkien's material, and we may get a more faithful adaptation (nice dream).

This is an important point. It is just as important, if not more so, that a decent screenplay writer is involved. And there are, I am sure, many who would do a good deal worse than the LotR triumvirate ...

[Azaelia of Willowbottom]

Now that it's definite that PJ will not be back on board, I have to admit some skepticism about the whole project.

The movies stayed true to the spirit, if not the letter, of the books...And now that we know the same team won't be around, it makes me even more grateful for what we already had. It could be so much worse, though there is room for some improvement. There were problems and differences, but what they produced was a coherent adaptation of the LOTR book. They worked out of well-meaning passion for the story, and it could be much, much worse. We could wind up with a writer/director team only looking to please mainstream fans (in general, that means not us), and only after the money involved. Such movies would be tired and dull and definitely not up to standard.

I don't mean to be a pessimist about the whole thing, but I just feel like PJ is the man for LOTR...even though I know that many, especially here, will not agree with me. I didn't realize how much I trusted him until I read the news and began worrying: Oh no! What's going to happen now?!

I agree with Rikae's feelings about this movie.

I just don't trust anyone else with Middle-earth. *ducks, runs, hides*

[Aaron]

The Hobbit without Peter Jackson may still work but I have a bad feeling that they'll do something awful.
And now...introducing Charlie Sheen as Gollum!
But seriously, there are plenty of good directors and as long as this doesn't reek of a shameless moneygrabbing scheme I'll be partially satisfied.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Is this what you are fearing?




Should I remove this photo again? I mean it really belongs in Mirth. . . .

[Aaron]

Tom Cruise? Oh man, he already ruined War of The Worlds...
But on subject I beleive that The Hobbit can succeed but I see it as being a very tense movie. The game between Gollum and Bilbo has to have an air of death around it because for me that is the most nerve-wracking part of the story.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Aaron

Tom Cruise? Oh man, he already ruined War of The Worlds...

I suspect that we are safe.

Tom Cruise would never take a role that deliberately made him appear short ...

[Aaron]

Good point.
I really hope that this film can at least get made although I'd prefer it not to if an insufficient job is done as I'm sure we can all agree. But I always knew that Jackson wouldn't do it, he never seemed too enthused about the idea.
But I think it may go well, as long as it isn't given a "happy ever after" ending, I mean, the destruction and death caused by the ring will be so terrible how can the film end on a happy note?

[Rikae]

Caused by the ring? Are you thinking of a different book? I'm confused.

I watched Spiderman 2 last night, and I don't think Raimi has what it takes to capture the spirit of Tolkien, at all, at all. I saw badly blended CGI and too-bright colors; nothing like the beauty of LOTR. Even though Parker clearly was a character one should be able to empathize with, I didn't; it left me cold.
Of course, I hear Raimi's going to be fliming Spiderman movies all next year in any event; but the fact that they offered it to him indicates what direction NL is thinking of going. don't you think?

[Aaron]

Were it not for the ring surviving the carnage within The Lord of The Rings would not have happened. if indeed the Ring has a mind of its own then my statement is valid.

[Rikae]

In "The Hobbit", the ring is not much of a focus; Tolkien himself didn't know what direction he would take the story, if my understanding is correct. It merits only a touch of foreshadowing; it's ominous only to those who know the rest of the story. In itself, The Hobbit does have a (relatively) happy ending, although the death of Thorin does add a sobering note. The carnage in The Hobbit itself is caused by Smaug, the Orcs, and greed - war over Smaug's hoard. It's not primarily a prequel, but a self-contained adventure story that also serves the purpose of a prequel. I would prefer to see it filmed as such, and not turned into a fourth (first) installment in LOTR.

[Mister Underhill]

I'd agree that Raimi is a longshot; but then again if he's a Tolkien fan, you never can tell. I'm trying to think who else would be on New Line's short list.

Gilliam may be on the list, but likely not near the top. I think he's perceived -- rightly, I guess -- as making fairly quirky films that don't necessarily perform all that well at the B.O. Plus he's known for being a maverick who's hard to control creatively.

Gore Verbinski has the B.O./FX/franchise cred to put him on the list. Plus he's just rolling off of Pirates 3 and doesn't have any commitments that have been made public that I know of. Johnny Depp as Elrond with eye shadow!

The Wachowski Brothers are working on Speed Racer, but they're known to be fantasy fans. They were briefly attached to an attempted Conan 3 before Arnold became governor.

Jon Favreau's directing star is riding pretty high these days. He's been attached to a couple of very high profile, big-budget tentpole flicks like the endlessly developed John Carter Mars stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs and, more recently, Iron Man. He's a dark horse who could end up in the chair.

What about a Mel Gibson directed Hobbit, all in native Westron with subtitles?

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Aaron

Tom Cruise? Oh man, he already ruined War of The Worlds...
But on subject I beleive that The Hobbit can succeed but I see it as being a very tense movie. The game between Gollum and Bilbo has to have an air of death around it because for me that is the most nerve-wracking part of the story.

I finally saw War of the Worlds yesterday. I was seriously wary of it because of Cruise being in it, but I had a shock in store - it was a cracking film. War of the Worlds has been a tale I've loved ever since a student teacher read us the HG Wells tale in primary school (I was only eight so you can imagine how frightening it was!), and every recent film I've seen Cruise in he's overacted and been just too intense for his own good (namely Eyes Wide Shut, The Last Samurai, Minority Report, Vanilla Sky), but he was understated and seemed like a real person in WotW.

Anyway, methinks that was a spoof ad anyhow...

I'm not so sure about Sam Raimi directing The Hobbit. Spiderman 2 was good, but I found the first one pretty boring, the Green Goblin was more funny than scary and it all seemed to be an excuse to show Kirsten Dunst in a wet t-shirt. Disappointing after the hype. But really I don't tend to follow directors, I'm not a film buff, I just remember them if they do something notably disappointing or not. Maybe the script writing will be more important, seeing as it was what spoiled the LotR films.

A wag wot I know has suggested they hire Mike Leigh to do The Hobbit...

[Mister Underhill]

Heh -- Leigh regular Timothy Spall isn't a half bad prospect for Bilbo. Speaking of Spall, I found Brad Silberling's take on Lemony Snicket surprisingly entertaining. He wouldn't be a bad addition to the director candidates list.

[Diamond18]

What about a Mel Gibson directed Hobbit, all in native Westron with subtitles?

Hey, I'd watch it....

[Mister Underhill]

Me too.

[Essex]

In reply to some comments on Serkis Gollum a while back, I'd like to take this thread on a short detour if it's OK.

I first was led into the world of Tolkien via the Cartoon Bahski version of LoTR when I was a ten year old. That is where I have picked up the chracters' voices inside my head.

So when I read LOTR for the first time I had some of the Bashki character voices in my head. Especially Gollum. Peter Woodthorpe did an excellent job as Gollum - his voice being, for me, the definitive version. Also, he replayed his role in the BBC Radio version. Alas, I believe he has now passed on so could not reprise his role.

Also, and I realise this now as I'm reading LOTR to my 8 year old son every night, in that I've also picked up Sam's strong West Country accent from the Cartoon version too. And when I read Strider's words for at least the first few readings I had John Hurt's melodious tones in my head.

So I think it's what version you first heard or saw, be it the Cartoon, radio of Film adaptation, is where you have your 'definitive' version from. So for Gollum's voice to change if Serkis does not reprise his role would not be a great loss to me, even though he did an excellent job in PJ's lotr.

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Mister Underhill

Heh -- Leigh regular Timothy Spall isn't a half bad prospect for Bilbo. Speaking of Spall, I found Brad Silberling's take on Lemony Snicket surprisingly entertaining. He wouldn't be a bad addition to the director candidates list.

Hee hee. A Baudelaireised version of The Hobbit.

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Mister Underhill

What about a Mel Gibson directed Hobbit, all in native Westron with subtitles?

Wo pokupist menya dem tickets?

[Rikae]

Originally Posted by Essex

So I think it's what version you first heard or saw, be it the Cartoon, radio of Film adaptation, is where you have your 'definitive' version from. So for Gollum's voice to change if Serkis does not reprise his role would not be a great loss to me, even though he did an excellent job in PJ's lotr.

Well, not true in my case. I saw the cartoon version at 4 or 5, before even reading the book, saw it several more times later on, & always disliked that Gollum. I was expecting to hate the one in PJ's version as well, but instead I thought he was better than I could have imagined.

[Aaron]

What about Martin Scorsese? The best director in the world!

[Gil-Galad]

Originally Posted by Aaron

What about Martin Scorsese? The best director in the world!

i can just imagine a shoot-em-up version of the hobbit...

[Mister Underhill]

Leo DiCaprio as Bilbo. Nicholson as Gandalf. Bobby DeNiro as Elrond. Maybe Harvey Keitel as Thorin.

[mark12_30]

*shudder*

:P

I think I would pay NOT to see it.

[goldfinger]

Have all not heared the news? Saul Zaentz is not giving up on PJ, and hopes to have him do the Hobbit.

[Bêthberry]

Anyone who has demonstrated fondness for Bilbo's song deserves to be considered. Leonard Nimoy. He's even got the credentials to get the ears right.

[Mattius]

On the subject of Raimi, and forgive me if this has been mentioned before, he is going to be filming the mini series of the fantasy book Wizard's First Rule in New Zealand. Info can be found here: http://www.prophets-inc.com/forums/s...ead.php?t=3828

My point (and question) is that along with perhaps Spiderman 4 and Wizard's First Rule will Raimi have time in the next 3, 4 or even 5 years to work on The Hobbit?

Also (and I literally will fall to my knees and beg for forgiveness if this has been mentioned) there was a press release from Saul Zaentz, the man who owns the production rights to Tolkien Enterprises, stating that he only wants Jackson to direct the movie and that in about a year Zaentz will regain full control of the project- where he will ask Jackson to take the project.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Originally Posted by goldfinger

Have all not heared the news? Saul Zaentz is not giving up on PJ, and hopes to have him do the Hobbit.

There was an article about that in The Sun today, but how trustworthy is it? I guess we have to wait and see.

LORD OF THE RINGS director PETER JACKSON WILL direct the highly-anticipated prequel, The Hobbit.

There was uproar last week when New Line Cinema bosses told the King Kong director he was "no longer needed" in the making of The Hobbit and another unnamed Lord Of The Rings prequel.

Jackson - originally given the boot due to legal disputes over royalties - now has the thumbs up thanks to film producer SAUL ZAENTZ (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest).

Zaentz, who owns the screen rights to Tolkien Enterprises, said: “(The Hobbit) will definitely be shot by Peter Jackson.

“Next year, The Hobbit rights will fall back to my company.

“I suppose that Peter will wait because he knows that he will make the best deal with us. And he is fed up with the studios.

“To get his profit share on the Rings trilogy, he had to sue New Line. With us, he knows that he will be paid fairly and artistically supported without reservation.”

(The Sun)

As to other directors, The Wachowski Brothers' take on the Hobbit could be interesting although I'm not sure how well it could reach the spirit of the Hobbit. If the job was given to Tim Burton, at least we'd be sure to get a fairytale.

[Brinniel]

It'll be interesting to see how all this plays out. Fans will give a long, hard fight for PJ until a director is chosen. Even so, I seriously have my doubts whether PJ will end up as director- even if he does end up able to direct it, would he actually choose to? I'm not sure that is how PJ would want to become director of The Hobbit. Besides, while everyone is fighting for him, he'll be moving on and doing other projects. If PJ ever did end up as director, it would be years before a film is made.

I've noticed The Hobbit has popped up on IMDB, just underneath the 1977 version. Unfortunately, I can't access anything further, since I'm not an IMDBPro member and am not willing to pay. The film is listed to be released in 2009...of course that's only projected, but it gives an idea of what New Line's goals are.

If the job was given to Tim Burton, at least we'd be sure to get a fairytale.

Indeed. I've seen many of his films (Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride) and loved them all. When I think about it, he could really pull off a decent Hobbit film. It would be in much contrast to PJ's films, though. An unfortunate thing for PJ fans, but I think in the end it could be a good thing. Good news: I checked on IMDB, and from what I see, he only has one project currently on his schedule.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Originally Posted by Brinniel

When I think about it, he could really pull off a decent Hobbit film. It would be in much contrast to PJ's films, though. An unfortunate thing for PJ fans, but I think in the end it could be a good thing.

And Mister Underhill just might end up watching Johnny Depp reading moon runes in Rivendell.

[Mister Underhill]

Johnny Delrond: "These are moon-letters, savvy?"

The latest news:

Jackson Kicked Off 'The Hobbit' In Fit of Pique, Says Report

New Line Cinema notified Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson that he would not be involved in the production of The Hobbit and another LOTR prequel after Jackson declined to contribute a video salute to the studio for its 40th anniversary celebration next year, the New York Times reported today (Wednesday), citing two people familiar with the matter. Jackson and New Line are locked in a legal dispute over profits from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The Times said that Jackson's camp has accused the studio of dropping him from the prequels "in a fit of pique." Meanwhile, a spokesman for MGM which owns distribution rights to The Hobbit, told the Times. "We support Peter Jackson as a filmmaker, and believe that when the dust settles, he'll be making the movie. We can't imagine any other result."

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by dancing spawn of ungoliant

And Mister Underhill just might end up watching Johnny Depp reading moon runes in Rivendell.

I'd rather have him as Elrond than as Bilbo in the film...

[Beanamir of Gondor]

This might have been mentioned in another thread someplace (one of the other PJ-Hobbit threads) but I couldn't find it, so here's the blurb I found perusing a magazine today.

Newsweek, December 4th, 2006, p. 75
"Breaking the Hobbit"
It should've been a slam dunk. Peter Jackson, mastermind of the "Lord of the Rings" franchise, was all set to reteam with studio partner New Line on a film version of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Rings" prequel, "The Hobbit". Then a funny thing happened: New Line fired him. No one's using that word, natch, but in a letter posted on the fan site theonering.net, Jackson claims that the studio told him it "would no longer be requiring our services on 'The Hobbit' ". (New Line declined to comment; Jackson could not be reached.) Why the breakup? Fallout from Jackson's decision to audit New Line's accounting on "Rings". The studio wanted him to settle the matter before handing him "The Hobbit". He refused; that was that. It'll be tough to fill Jackson's shoes. For one thing, he doesn't wear any.
--Devin Gordon

And here's some OFFICIAL news on it from theonering.net. Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen tossed in their opinions, too.
http://www.mymovies.net/news/news_li...=5975&sec=news

Any thoughts or feelings? (complaints? huzzahs?) I'm not sure yet if I'm glad for Gloin the dwarf-tossed, or sad for Bilbo the Ring-Finder.

[Elladan and Elrohir]

No matter what anyone says, this ain't over yet. Saul Zaentz and MGM have both said multiple times that they want PJ making The Hobbit. I don't know that fan pressure is overwhelming, but I can assure you it's present. I predict New Line waits about six months so as not to appear quite as weak as they otherwise would, and then caves in, settles the suit, and offers the job to PJ. Hello, New Line! Who directed the three highest-grossing films in your history and brought home a truckload of Oscars in the process? Oh yeah, that fat guy from New Zealand. If he directs, TH is guaranteed to be one of the top grossing films of the year.

Honestly, if I knew another director would give TH the same treatment that PJ has given LOTR (i.e., the quality of costumes, sets, weapons, props, casting, score, little details for the fans), I might be OK with a director change. But it's not just PJ that we're losing here. We're losing Fran and Philippa as screenwriters. We're losing Andrew Lesnie as cinematographer. Despite what Richard Taylor says, we're probably losing the brilliance of WETA in weapons, props and visual effects. We're losing the brilliance of another Howard Shore score. We're almost certainly losing Gandalf, oops, I mean Ian McKellen, as well as the greatest Gollum to ever grace the earth, Andy Serkis.

Sure, these people can be replaced (except maybe the latter three). There are other competent people out there, particularly in the areas of writing and cinematography. But are they going to give TH the same TLC that we got with LOTR?

I would be far more willing to put this book in the hands of Peter Jackson and get a violent, epic, LOTR-style PG-13 Hobbit, than put it in the hands of another director, having absolutely no idea what I'm going to get.

Wow, sorry to rant about all this. It's something I feel strongly about. Which is probably why I have to convince myself that when the dust settles, PJ will be directing and everything will be okay. If I'm in heavy denial, I apologize.

[Brinniel]

Who directed the three highest-grossing films in your history and brought home a truckload of Oscars in the process? Oh yeah, that fat guy from New Zealand.

Except you can't call PJ the "fat guy" anymore...

I mentioned before that it looks like New Line is aiming for 2009, but I seriously doubt that will happen. It took years to get LotR going, and with this ongoing battle, it'll take even longer to even get The Hobbit started.

As far as we know, the director and screenwriters (indeed, two very important parts) won't be the same, but I'm not going to guess on everyone else. I don't think most of the other crew member wouldn't participate in The Hobbit just because PJ isn't involved- if they don't participate, it'll be for other reasons. New Line would just be stupid not to bring back a single crew or cast member into the project. I feel confident that some will return. For one thing, there is no other team except WETA who can portray Gollum the same. And they can't animate Gollum without Andy Serkis (Gollum may be CGI, but his looks and personality come from Serkis). Gollum is an important character of The Hobbit, and if he doesn't come close to what he was in LotR, this movie will be a disaster for sure. New Line kicked PJ and Fran off the project, but no one else. I won't believe for a second that no one else in the cast and crew would return to work on The Hobbit until someone shows me some actual evidence.

[Kuruharan]

It is funny, but after the original movies came out (even though I had mixed feelings about them at the time) I wanted The Hobbit movie to be made.

Now that this news has broken…I’m not so sure. I have to admit that I’ve come to have a more negative opinion about the original movies as time has passed so I don’t really want to see Jackson do The Hobbit. Unfortunately, none of the other names mentioned interest me and some are rather repulsive as far as I’m concerned (please, Eru, no…not the the Wachowski Brothers, and after seeing that silly Pirates 2 I don’t want Verbinski anywhere near Tolkien…although, on the other hand, at least we wouldn’t have sequels to worry about him messing up the characters. He’d only have to worry about getting it right once. )

[Lush]

I adore PJ, but if it's not meant to be, then...

Alfonso Cuarón is a great director. He did a magnificent Harry Potter 3, rescuing the saga from the clutches of Chris Columbus' bumbling mediocrity. He has an eye for the whimsical, and his films are gorgeous. He has also grown incredibly since "Great Expectations."

Mike Newell did a great job with the latest Harry Potter. I think humour is his greatest strength, and I think that he would make an awesome candidate, particularly when you look at the material he would be dealing with. And visually, the film was awesome as well.

And Guillermo del Toro! I loved "Hellboy," and I am hearing good things about "El Laberinto del Fauno" (Pan's Labyrinth) - it looks stunning. Ok, so he also did "Mimic," but then again, PJ was responsible for "The Frighteners" - so that doesn't mean anything. Del Toro has a brilliant, twisted imagination. He might make "The Hobbit" slightly darker - even in terms of something as simple as colour and the attention to detail. I think that could really work.

Then there is Julie Taymor - director of "Frida," which was so magical and vivid that I have little doubt that she could do great things with The Hobbit.

Luc Besson is also someone that I would look at closely for this. His commercials alone show what he is capable of.

Hungarian director Nimród Antal did a beautiful underground fairy tale called "Kontroll." I could not believe that this was his first feature film. He would be right for this story.

Then there's Kasi Lemmons - of "Eve's Bayou" and "The Caveman's Valentine." Also absolutely magical, imho.

I believe that someone like Sofia Coppola may do a surprisingly great job. She could probably do a departure from her usual subject matter - and do it well, and the way she films nature is amazing. I think Coppola could do great things with the Shire, the Misty Mountains, etc. - as long as the budget is decent. And she would handle the humour really well. People don't think that she could ever do a movie with a lot of outward scope, but I think she has it in her.

And, of course, people have already mentioned Tim Burton,

[Child of the 7th Age]

Interesting stuff! An editorial appeared yesterday in the Boston Globe and was then reprinted in the Toronto Star urging New Line to have PJ make The Hobbit. See here for the edited version.

And I can remember a time in the early sixties when mentioning Lord of the Rings or Tolkien would often get you blank stares!

[Brinniel]

Throwing out some names:

Michael Gondry - directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the Science of Sleep

Robert Zemeckis - directed Forrest Gump, Back to the Future trilogy, Cast Away, The Polar Express, and Beowulf (coming out next year)

Brian Singer - directed X-Men, X2, and Superman Returns

I'm interested in seeing how Stefen Fangmeier does with Eragon. This is his first movie as director. He's mainly a computer graphics/visual effects supervisor with films like Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, Hook, Twister, Saving Private Ryan, The Perfect Storm, Bourne Identity, Signs, Master and Commander, and Lemony Snicket. If I were to suggest him, at least he'd do a good job in finding a decent visual team and would pay close attention to the visual effects.

Then, of course, there's always Quentin Tarantino...

[Mänwe]

Brinniel, now a Tarantino film would be interesting. I bet on the Battle of the Five Armies scene morphing into black and white with katana wielding elves neatly taking off hands and feet of unfortunate orcs and goblins.

But it seems people are worried about the script and "feel" of the film. Which are obviously two highly important aspects of a film. Perhaps 'The Hobbit' without PJ will lack the same emotional quality, but would bring another script team. Can you see PJ working with anyone else other than Fran Walsh? So yes, perhaps a film without PJ would bring something new and better to the script. Although the obvious downside is, we won't know what it will be like until it came out. (If the film goes ahead.) Whereas we know what to expect if the "LoTR" script team also writes 'The Hobbit'.

Yet despite all the positives and negatives of not having PJ as director for 'The Hobbit' and all the contested points on his "LoTR", I would still be disappointed if he were not the director.

And seeing as we are suggesting directors, why not approach Christopher Tolkien?