222 replies to this topic

[Hyborian Frog]

http://www.redorbit....bbit/index.html

[terryallenuk]

Follow up to that which possibly sounds more promising.

http://www.icv2.com/.../news/9688.html

Terry

[Kortoso]

A hobbit's gotta have his billions, I guess.

[vikingwarrior]

I can understand him being pissed about not getting paid what he is owed. Especially if it really is 100 million.

This whole thing really illustrates how hollywood only cares about money, and doesnt really care about putting out good movies. New Line Cinema is willing to have another director do The Hobbit just to show Peter Jackson who's boss? The film will do well regardless, just because of the LOTR craze, but it wont be the same feel as the LOTR, so people will be disappointed. But New Line doesnt care about that, because they know people will pay to see the movie no matter what.

So, bottom line, peole will pay to see a movie that isnt as good as it could be, Peter Jackson gets nothing, and New Line makes millions. Lame.

Hopefully it works out and Peter Jackson does end up doing The Hobbit for another production company.

[shoggoth666]

CROM!Halo scrapped too! damn I was more excited about Jackson and weta doing halo than the hobbit!

[monolith]

All is not lost.....
Jackson to direct The Hobbit

[shoggoth666]

All is not lost.....
Jackson to direct The Hobbit

and there was much rejoicing

[deuce]

Al Harron busts out some news regarding the new Hobbit movie here:


http://www.thecimmerian.com/?p=8096

[Ningauble]

Al Harron busts out some news regarding the new Hobbit movie here:


http://www.thecimmerian.com/?p=8096

I agree with the worries of you and Al, but I think I read somewhere that the Hobbit movies will also bring in the stuff that happens elsewhere in the same time frame, i.e. the White Council's attack on Sauron's stronghold in Dol Guldur which Gandalf only refers to in passing in the novel. I suppose that could leave room for some heroic elven lassie or something. So yes, while the news IS worrying, it need not be QUITE as bad as all that. "I sincerely hope", he added, desperation in his voice.

[Taranaich]

I agree with the worries of you and Al, but I think I read somewhere that the Hobbit movies will also bring in the stuff that happens elsewhere in the same time frame, i.e. the White Council's attack on Sauron's stronghold in Dol Guldur which Gandalf only refers to in passing in the novel. I suppose that could leave room for some heroic elven lassie or something. So yes, while the news IS worrying, it need not be QUITE as bad as all that. "I sincerely hope", he added, desperation in his voice.

That is what I heard too. While I'd love to see some of those elements - the White Council, the siege of Dol Guldur, more on the dwarves - it does mean mucking about with Tolkien's narrative. This was already done in the trilogy, and while I understand the reasoning behind it, I think The Hobbit's narrative is traditionally cinematic enough.

I still don't know why they're doing two films, though. There isn't even an appropriate "splitting" point like the books in LotR. The only reason I can see is so they can explicitly strip-mine elements of Lost Tales, Appendix B, and other aspects of the Legendarium to justify a two-parter.

[drush9999]

What I hope is the tone of film is changed compared to the LOTR movies, from being serious to more humorous like the book is. Don't see the point of showing Gandalf going off to fight the "Necromancer". Much more fun seeing him come and go as he pleases

Edited by drush9999, 07 December 2009 - 09:56 PM.

[Taranaich]

What I hope is the tone of film is changed compared to the LOTR movies, from being serious to more humorous like the book is. Don't see the point of showing Gandalf going off to fight the "Necromancer". Much more fun seeing him come and go as he pleases

Tolkien certainly thought so, and The Hobbit's done alright since.

[deuce]

Al Harron does a write up on the latest casting news for The Hobbit here:

http://www.thecimmerian.com/?p=9656

[Axerules]

The Hobbit movie has been greenlit. Filming will start next February. Source: http://sf-fantasy.su...mics, and Games)

[monolith]

The Hobbit movie has been greenlit. Filming will start next February. Source: http://sf-fantasy.su...mics, and Games)

We have a Hobbit and several Dwarves!!!

Hobbit cast

From Empire online: "Peter Jackson and company might still be planning to shift the Shire after all the union problems with The Hobbit, but now we know who will be playing the lead. And it?s someone who has been rumoured, discounted due to scheduling, talked to us about it and then finally found space in his busy working life to head off to Middle-earth. Ladies and gentlemen, your new Bilbo Baggins is? Martin Freeman. You may start with the ?told you so? at your leisure.

New Line and Warner Bros. made the big announcement early today, and it would appear that Freeman has had Jackson?s seal of approval almost from the start. "Despite the various rumours and speculation surround this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us," the director says as part of the official statement. "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. He is intelligent, funny, surprising and brave ? exactly like Bilbo and I feel incredibly proud to be able to announce that he is our Hobbit."

But that?s not all? There are other characters in the story after all, and the statement was loaded down with other casting news. Spooks/Robin Hood?s Richard Armitage appears to be on a hot streak, as he?s in Captain America and will also play Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the Company of Dwarves who are on a quest to wrest the Lonely Mountain from Smaug. "Richard is one of the most exciting and dynamic actors working on screen today and we know he is going to make an amazing Thorin Oakenshield. We cannot wait to start this adventure with him and feel very lucky that one of the most beloved characters in Middle-earth is in such good hands,? says Jackson of the decision.

And then there?s Being Human?s Aidan Turner, who is Kili and EastEnders? Rob Kazinsky, who has signed on as Fili. ?Rob is an extremely talented young actor with a huge career in front of him. I'm thrilled that he has agreed to take on the role of Fili. Besides his talent as an actor, Rob is also a champion sword fighter and I'm looking forward to seeing the damage he can do to a horde of marauding Goblins," is how Jackson sums him up. And Turner? "Aidan is a wonderfully gifted young actor who hails from Ireland. I'm sure he will bring enormous heart and humour to the role of Kili."

The last of the confirmed castings include Graham McTavish as Dwalin, John Callen as Oin, Stephen Hunter as Bombur, King Kong veteran Mark Hadlow as Dori and Peter Hambleton as Gloin.

Deadline also reports that Stephen Fry, Saoirse Ronan and Bill Nighy are also in the running for roles (with Nighy on the list as a possible Smaug voice), though none of them are set yet. And though we?re all expecting Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Andy Serkis as Gollum, they?ve yet to make deals. But can anyone else really be the wizard? And we?re pretty certain Serkis would resist someone trying to get into his performance capture suit."

Good casting! I am sure one of those Dwarves was in Rambo!?

[Arcadian]

At this point, seeing the movie will be believing it's been made.

I thought that last observation about Serkis understated the point. Serkis received a lot of accolades for his role in the LOTR, but I think most of us are still unsure where technology begins and ends with that sort of part. If someone else comes in and does a relatively good job, Serkis' reputation might be (unfairly) hurt.

Would like to see McKellen back, though I always thought perhaps he would have been a better Sarauman and Lee a better Gandalf.

[jak]

Looking forward to this. Does anyone have the details on what exactly the beef is by the New Zealand union w/ Peter Jackson? He didn't give enough credit to them is the little I've gleaned by casual surfing. If that's the only thing then I'm dismayed. Here the man brings jobs and movie credit to New Zealand and still gets trashed?

btw, for me it McKellan in the role of my favorite character in all of Tolkien's works (Lee is always a bad guy). Wish JRR had had more time to do a Gandalf novel.

[jak]

Found the answer today: New Zealand acting unions threatened strike of Hobbit filming


... New Zealand after acting unions threatened to strike over wages and working conditions.

If production of the two-part movie moved abroad, the country could lose an estimated $1.5 billion in revenue -- about three times the film's budget -- Cameron Bagrie, chief economist with the ANZ bank, told Stuff.co.nz. The loss of "The Hobbit" would shake international confidence in the tiny country's booming film industry (which generated $2.1 billion in revenue in 2009), he said, and cause a fall in "Lord of the Rings"-related tourism.

The unions dropped their demands last week, and Helen Kelly, the president of New Zealand's Council of Trade Unions, pledged that there would be no disruption to the filming of "The Hobbit." "I sincerely hope Warners accept that assurance," she told The New Zealand Herald.

However, industry analysts now believe that Warner Brothers will use the crisis to extract extra financial incentives from Prime Minister John Key, who is scheduled to meet Tuesday with senior studio executives. Key told reporters that he believed there was a "50-50" chance "The Hobbit" would be filmed in New Zealand.

[deuce]

Our own Brian Murphy blogs about a couple of different items relating to the upcoming Hobbit film:

http://thesilverkey....ng-dwarves.html

[Arcadian]

It makes me worried just to think of the possibility there wouldn't be singing dwarves.

Now, singing elves, if they could get it right, would be fantastic, but I fear getting Tolkien elves right is quite difficult. I imagine they would all sing like Enya.