Hobbit News, very interesting

[Corwin]

Seems MGM want to go the Two Film Route.

https://www.darkhorizons.com/news06/061026h.php

The way the above is worded suggests that MGM are (still?) trying to talk New Line into selling them the rights.

The initial announcement from MGM called it a MGM New Line Production but New Line have still not made any announcement on the matter.

Maybe it's just the idea of Two films they are trying to get New Line to agree to.

 

[endor1]

Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but I found this interview linked off the SSC main Lord of the Rings page:
https://www.aintitcool.com/node/30085

QUINT: I saw in Variety that THE HOBBIT came up. The MGM thing. Did you see this?


PETER JACKSON: Where the guy who runs MGM was announcing their tentpoles and saying they were doing TERMINATOR 4 and they want me to make 2 HOBBIT films? I was reading that this morning on the net. It's a rather strange thing to wake to. I'm up for it, but somebody should phone me because I'm getting a bit booked out at the moment!


Everybody asks me about THE HOBBIT, you know? But the reality is I've never had a conversation with anybody about it. Not one person has ever made a phone call to me. I don't know. The irony is that we're acquiring our own projects now and we're buying the rights to books. The reality is, to be quite honest with you, we're getting ourselves now nice and busy, in a good way, for the next 4 years. So, people have not (spoken to us) about THE HOBBIT and it's making it more and more impossible for us to be involved.

Interesting interview.....

 

[Batty]

Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but I found this interview linked off the SSC main Lord of the Rings page:

"Not one person has ever made a phone call to me."

Somebody needs to call PJ. Anyone have his number? I'll ask him.

 

[gdb]

Somebody needs to call PJ. Anyone have his number? I'll ask him.

You're a Samaritan, Batty.

 

[Batty]

You're a Samaritan, Batty.

Hey, I'll do what I can to get the ball rolling.

 

[KAOSINLA]

PJ's people have been contacted....The article is somewhere in another thread.

 

[goliath]

PJ's people have been contacted....The article is somewhere in another thread.

Yes, here. Read post # 91 and the following.

 

[endor1]

So I guess that interview is old news, as it's been mentioned in the other thread.

Anyways, I couldn't believe that as of last month they had never even talk to PJ about it.

 

[DavAnthony]

Doesn't surpirse me. Hollywood is only a business in the worst sense of the word. They tend to be un-organized, immature and out of touch.
I wouldn't be surprised if MGM either doesn't want Jackson (cause they think he will be too expensive and figure fans will go to see it either way) or it is a power struggle where they want him to go to them so they can low-ball him on a price.
It's a typical and old Hollywood ploy. If someone ways they are really interested in doing a project or want a part they are more likely to NOT get it. It's as soon as the producers, casting directors, etc know you want something they back off.

 

[tomandshell]

Now that Halo has been cancelled and indefinitely postponed, maybe he will think about slipping The Hobbit into his schedule. I'm just worried he won't want to commit to another multiple film shoot if the studio wants to do two movies.

 

[spaceman]

Sounds like he was actually interested in the split idea, not turned off. Besides LOTR is PJ's baby now - I don't think (hope!) he'll let anyone else touch it. I can't imagine this being anywhere near the production scale of the 3 LOTR films, and having been through triplets, twins should be cake . Plus, Weta is 'grown up' now thanks to the first series, and doesn't have to build itself by the bootstraps just to get the job done. Here's to Hoping!

 

[pitchin]

https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117953908.html?categoryid=19&cs=1

Even so, Sloan remains optimistic. He said the first "Hobbit" pic would be a direct adaptation of "The Hobbit," and the second would be drawn from footnotes and source material connecting "The Hobbit" with "The Lord of the Rings."

 

[Memnoch]

Hm... I don't know about that second film. Sounds like a cash grab to me, but I will wait until things unfold before I make any firm judgements.

 

[noelleon69]

i'm happy with any news that states any sign of progress towards the making of the movie. :chew

pj and new line settle the law suit quickly!

 

[Lembas Eater]

There IS enough material for two movies. Where to make the cut is a harder question - although a serious cliffhanger for non-readers would be Bilbo waking up in the dark, in Gollum's cave, totally (well almost) alone and completely lost.

The idea of the second film (as mentioned in the Variety story) IS kinda sketchy. The idea of the White Council scenes are interesting, since that IS going on behind the scenes in the book; the problem to me is that there is no text or dialogue to follow.

 

[The Josh]

PJ has to do them though otherwise they just won't fill in as well with the LOTR movies.