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The ending of the 3rd film was the longest 17 hours of my life!
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Thread starter Mike Olbinski
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Del Toro in Talks to Direct Hobbit Films
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
January 28, 2008
Guillermo del Toro is in talks to direct back-to-back installments of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, which is being co-financed by New Line and MGM, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Few filmmakers have the cachet that del Toro has, as well as a deep love for the source material, an assured grasp of fantasy filmmaking and an understanding and command of geek culture as well as its respect. Del Toro has built that goodwill through such films as the Oscar-nominated Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Blade 2 (which was made by New Line) and The Devil's Backbone.
Because of other commitments that included The Lovely Bones and Tintin, "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy director Peter Jackson could not take on writing and directing roles, opting instead to become an executive producer with approval over creative elements of the pair of films.
Because of the strike, no writer has been hired to adapt Tolkien's children's classic, though that process will be fast-tracked once it's resolved. Del Toro and Jackson will oversee the two films' writing.
Principal photography for the films, which will be shot simultaneously, is tentatively set for 2009. The production budget is estimated at $150 million per film. The release of the first film is slated for 2010 and the second in 2011.
The Hobbit is centered on Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf who go on a quest to find the treasure of a dragon named Smaug. Tolkien went on to write "The Lord of the Rings" 17 years later.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
January 28, 2008
Guillermo del Toro is in talks to direct back-to-back installments of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, which is being co-financed by New Line and MGM, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Few filmmakers have the cachet that del Toro has, as well as a deep love for the source material, an assured grasp of fantasy filmmaking and an understanding and command of geek culture as well as its respect. Del Toro has built that goodwill through such films as the Oscar-nominated Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Blade 2 (which was made by New Line) and The Devil's Backbone.
Because of other commitments that included The Lovely Bones and Tintin, "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy director Peter Jackson could not take on writing and directing roles, opting instead to become an executive producer with approval over creative elements of the pair of films.
Because of the strike, no writer has been hired to adapt Tolkien's children's classic, though that process will be fast-tracked once it's resolved. Del Toro and Jackson will oversee the two films' writing.
Principal photography for the films, which will be shot simultaneously, is tentatively set for 2009. The production budget is estimated at $150 million per film. The release of the first film is slated for 2010 and the second in 2011.
The Hobbit is centered on Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf who go on a quest to find the treasure of a dragon named Smaug. Tolkien went on to write "The Lord of the Rings" 17 years later.
Hobbit films in trouble
Tolkien Estate Sues New Line
Source: ComingSoon.net, The Tolkien Trust
February 12, 2008
The estate of "Lord of the Rings" creator J.R.R. Tolkien is suing New Line Cinema, claiming the company failed to pay a cut of gross profits for the blockbuster films. Here is today's statement from The Tolkien Trust:
The trustees of The Tolkien Trust, a British charity, have filed an action against New Line Cinema for its failure to pay a contractually required gross profit participation in the three films based on the world-famous Lord of the Rings trilogy. The trustees of the estate of JRR Tolkien and HarperCollins Publishers are co-plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The suit was filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The Lord of the Rings films produced by New Line are among the most financially successful films ever created by Hollywood and were released in 2001, 2002 and 2003 respectively. The cumulative worldwide gross receipts to date total nearly $6 billion. Notwithstanding the overwhelming financial success of the films, and the fact that the plaintiffs have a gross participation in each of the films, New Line has failed to pay the plaintiffs any portion of the gross profit participation at all.
The trustees' UK lawyer, Steven Maier, of Manches LLP, said: "The Tolkien trustees do not file lawsuits lightly, and have tried unsuccessfully to resolve their claims out of court. But in this case, New Line has left them no option at all. New Line has not paid the plaintiffs even one penny of its contractual share of gross receipts despite the billions of dollars of gross revenue generated by these wildly successful motion pictures. To make matters worse, to date New Line has even prevented the plaintiffs from auditing the last two films of the series. The trustees are very aggrieved by New Line's arrogance."
The complaint seeks, among other things, in excess of $150 million in compensatory damages, as well as punitive damages, and a declaration from the Court that the plaintiffs have a right to terminate any further rights New Line may have to the Tolkien works under the agreements, including The Hobbit, due to the serious and material nature of the breach of the agreements.
Bonnie Eskenazi, the trustees' US counsel who filed the complaint, said, "New Line has brought new meaning to the phrase 'creative accounting.' I cannot imagine how on earth New Line will argue to a jury that these films could gross literally billions of dollars, and yet the creator's heirs, who are entitled to a share of gross receipts, don't get a penny."
JRR Tolkien is the world-renowned author of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit." The Tolkien Trust is a UK registered charity that has made grants to charitable causes all over the world totaling over $8 million in the last five years alone.
Tolkien Estate Sues New Line
Source: ComingSoon.net, The Tolkien Trust
February 12, 2008
The estate of "Lord of the Rings" creator J.R.R. Tolkien is suing New Line Cinema, claiming the company failed to pay a cut of gross profits for the blockbuster films. Here is today's statement from The Tolkien Trust:
The trustees of The Tolkien Trust, a British charity, have filed an action against New Line Cinema for its failure to pay a contractually required gross profit participation in the three films based on the world-famous Lord of the Rings trilogy. The trustees of the estate of JRR Tolkien and HarperCollins Publishers are co-plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The suit was filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The Lord of the Rings films produced by New Line are among the most financially successful films ever created by Hollywood and were released in 2001, 2002 and 2003 respectively. The cumulative worldwide gross receipts to date total nearly $6 billion. Notwithstanding the overwhelming financial success of the films, and the fact that the plaintiffs have a gross participation in each of the films, New Line has failed to pay the plaintiffs any portion of the gross profit participation at all.
The trustees' UK lawyer, Steven Maier, of Manches LLP, said: "The Tolkien trustees do not file lawsuits lightly, and have tried unsuccessfully to resolve their claims out of court. But in this case, New Line has left them no option at all. New Line has not paid the plaintiffs even one penny of its contractual share of gross receipts despite the billions of dollars of gross revenue generated by these wildly successful motion pictures. To make matters worse, to date New Line has even prevented the plaintiffs from auditing the last two films of the series. The trustees are very aggrieved by New Line's arrogance."
The complaint seeks, among other things, in excess of $150 million in compensatory damages, as well as punitive damages, and a declaration from the Court that the plaintiffs have a right to terminate any further rights New Line may have to the Tolkien works under the agreements, including The Hobbit, due to the serious and material nature of the breach of the agreements.
Bonnie Eskenazi, the trustees' US counsel who filed the complaint, said, "New Line has brought new meaning to the phrase 'creative accounting.' I cannot imagine how on earth New Line will argue to a jury that these films could gross literally billions of dollars, and yet the creator's heirs, who are entitled to a share of gross receipts, don't get a penny."
JRR Tolkien is the world-renowned author of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit." The Tolkien Trust is a UK registered charity that has made grants to charitable causes all over the world totaling over $8 million in the last five years alone.
Variety is reporting that Guillermo del Toro has officially signed on to direct The Hobbit and its sequel.
Stout
Hold onto the ball, Murray!
First Hobbit star confirmed...
And thank all that is holy that he IS going to be doing it. I cannot imagine another actor taking on Gandalf. Like, you know, Michael Gambon is so-so to okay, but even if he was great, he would never live up to Richard Harris, just like no one would live up to Ian McKellan as Gandalf.
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20080430/120959376000.html
And thank all that is holy that he IS going to be doing it. I cannot imagine another actor taking on Gandalf. Like, you know, Michael Gambon is so-so to okay, but even if he was great, he would never live up to Richard Harris, just like no one would live up to Ian McKellan as Gandalf.
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20080430/120959376000.html
arthurracoon
The Cardinal Smiles
awesome - glad to see mckellan back as gandalf
And you are spot on - Gambon is not dumbledore, harris is - gambon is waaay to aggressive
Empire talked to director Guillermo del Toro and executive producer Peter Jackson about The Hobbit and its sequel. The second film will not serve as a bridge the the 60-year gap between "The Hobbit" and the start of "Fellowship of the Ring," as was previously believed.
"We've decided to have 'The Hobbit' span the two movies, including the White Council and the comings and goings of Gandalf to Dol Guldur," says Del Toro.
"We've decided to have 'The Hobbit' span the two movies, including the White Council and the comings and goings of Gandalf to Dol Guldur," says Del Toro.
TBaslim
Planet Orange
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Wow. New Line ought to be ashamed if this is true. I mean, New Line gets credit for taking the risk to make the films, which many thought were unfilmable, but still should be ashamed.
Hope they pony up the $$ to the trust and get on with making the Hobbit. Assuming it's Peter Jackson at the helm, and gets made in the next 10 years, it will make mint for everyone involved.
The Tolkien Trust (a UK registered charity), New Line Cinema, and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. have resolved the lawsuit relating to the "Lord of the Rings" films.
The claim was filed in February of last year. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. and the trustees of the JRR Tolkien Estate were co-plaintiffs in the claim, which concerned plaintiffs' participation interest in the "Lord of the Rings" films released between 2001 and 2003. The precise terms of the settlement are confidential.
Commenting on the settlement, Christopher Tolkien said: "The Trustees regret that legal action was necessary, but are glad that this dispute has been settled on satisfactory terms that will allow the Tolkien Trust properly to pursue its charitable objectives. The Trustees acknowledge that New Line may now proceed with its proposed films of 'The Hobbit.'"
Warner Bros.' President & Chief Operating Officer Alan Horn said: "We deeply value the contributions of the Tolkien novels to the success of our films and are pleased to have put this litigation behind us. We all look forward to a mutually productive and beneficial relationship in the future."
The "Lord of the Rings" films produced by New Line are among the most successful films ever created and were released in 2001, 2002 and 2003, respectively.
JRR Tolkien is the world-renowned author of works including "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit." The Tolkien Trust is a UK registered charity that has made grants to charitable causes all over the world totaling over $8 million in the last five years alone.
New Line became a unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment in March 2008
The claim was filed in February of last year. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. and the trustees of the JRR Tolkien Estate were co-plaintiffs in the claim, which concerned plaintiffs' participation interest in the "Lord of the Rings" films released between 2001 and 2003. The precise terms of the settlement are confidential.
Commenting on the settlement, Christopher Tolkien said: "The Trustees regret that legal action was necessary, but are glad that this dispute has been settled on satisfactory terms that will allow the Tolkien Trust properly to pursue its charitable objectives. The Trustees acknowledge that New Line may now proceed with its proposed films of 'The Hobbit.'"
Warner Bros.' President & Chief Operating Officer Alan Horn said: "We deeply value the contributions of the Tolkien novels to the success of our films and are pleased to have put this litigation behind us. We all look forward to a mutually productive and beneficial relationship in the future."
The "Lord of the Rings" films produced by New Line are among the most successful films ever created and were released in 2001, 2002 and 2003, respectively.
JRR Tolkien is the world-renowned author of works including "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit." The Tolkien Trust is a UK registered charity that has made grants to charitable causes all over the world totaling over $8 million in the last five years alone.
New Line became a unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment in March 2008
Guillermo Del Toro is no longer going to be directing The Hobbit.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/05/30/36920-guillermo-del-toro-departs-the-hobbit/#more-36920
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/05/30/36920-guillermo-del-toro-departs-the-hobbit/#more-36920
I hope they find a role for Talia Shire.
Renz
An Army of One
Wow. Now I hope Del Toro will make Hellboy III.
Evil Ash
Henchman Supreme
He's still planning on it and originally wanted to do the 3rd one (which is evidently the last one) after he finished the Hobbit movies. This will speed things up a bit. He even seems to have gone a did a bit of casting himself as he wants Bruce Campbell to play Lobster Johnson in the 3rd one
Still a shame though as I would've loved to see Del Toro's vision of Middle Earth
azsportsfan01
Registered
Peter Jackson has been given the greenlight to direct two Hobbit movies. They will go into production in February and are expected to come out in 2012 and 2013. I'd say this is the best news we could hope for.
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-...r-jackson-directing-two-greenlit-hobbit-films
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-...r-jackson-directing-two-greenlit-hobbit-films
OP
OP
Yay!
I think I will just reread the book (or watch the cartoon).
But I am sure I will still see the movies (
)
But I am sure I will still see the movies (
)azsportsfan01
Registered
Bilbo has been cast. It will be Martin Freeman. The link has many more cast members.
http://www.hitfix.com/articles/confirmed-martin-freeman-will-play-bilbo-baggins-in-the-hobbit
http://www.hitfix.com/articles/confirmed-martin-freeman-will-play-bilbo-baggins-in-the-hobbit
Renz
An Army of One
Never heard of any of those guys.
Stout
Hold onto the ball, Murray!
Martin Freeman's an excellent actor, so I can see him playing Bilbo. Richard Armitage is an excellent actor as well.
Oh, that Martin Freeman. Yeah, he will do.
OP
OP
Yeah, I like him...this is good news.
Tis.
I think Morgan Freeman is way too old to play Bilbo. Gandalf, maybe. Bilbo, no.
azsportsfan01
Registered
If anyone wants to see Martin Freeman in action he will be playing Watson in PBS' Masterpiece Mystery starting this Sunday.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/index.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/index.html
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i think that's the way it should be. I hated seeing Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman and Ewen McGregor in Star Wars... it just didn't feel like I was meeting new characters. Jackson cast LOTR perfectly with people who who most had never heard of at the time (sans Elija Wood, Ian McKellan and maybe Viggo) or had completely forgotten about (Christopher Lee).
these movies should be awesome. I mean, if EVER there was a movie that should be in 3D, it would be this series.
