What about Peter Jackson?
He's my new favourite director. All of his films are great and fascinating.
Okay, maybe "Bad Taste" and especially "Braindead" are a little bit (?!) sick, but very funny and entertaining.
And "The Frighteners" was great. A perfect mixture of comedy and horror.
Have I to say anything about "The Lord of the Rings"? :)
Any opinions on Peter Jackson?
Spike
http://xixax.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=30
I love Jackson's early stuff. Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles and Dead Alive all hold a special place in my heart. I hated The Frighteners and LotR, though. I gotta see Heavenly Creatures and Forgotten Silver.
I LOVED "The Frighteners"! Really! And "LotR" is fantastic!
I LOVE all his films! "Heavenly Creatures" is wonderful!
Spike
Yeah, I still think LOTR is something pretty special. But Dead Alive (Braindead) will always be my favorite.
Dead Alive is a dreamboat
i have tried so hard to get into LOTR -- the books were childhood favorites of mine -- elijah wood ruins the movie for me -- the bastard just annoys me soo much. its a shame.
Quote from: cowboykurtisi have tried so hard to get into LOTR -- the books were childhood favorites of mine -- elijah wood ruins the movie for me -- the bastard just annoys me soo much. its a shame.
As much as I love LOTR, I cant help but imagine how great it would have been to discover these movies as a kid.
What I like about Peter Jackson is that he's doing something he's wanted to do since he was young and hes totally committed to it.
Quote from: redlumWhat I like about Peter Jackson is that he's doing something he's wanted to do since he was young and hes totally committed to it.
Grow a beard ?
He was born with that beard.
Love the avatar, M.
gotta love peter jackson. he's done the impossible in bringing LoTR to the screen. i mean just think about the amount of work that went into this dang thing. you gotta atleast acknowledge and respect that, even if you didn't care for the finished product, although i don't see how you wouldn't. its got everything you want in a movie.
Quote from: MNo, Jackson stole Kubrick's beard.
yes, that is correct. after spielberg murdered our beloved kubrick, he sold the beard to jackson
Quote from: cecil b. dementedQuote from: MNo, Jackson stole Kubrick's beard.
yes, that is correct. after spielberg murdered our beloved kubrick, he sold the beard to jackson
:-D :-D :-D
Those bastards...
Besides, I have to say that I didn't like LotR very much, though I recognize and respect Jackson's commitment to his project.
For example, the intro of the first movie is not really a good example for great filmmaking. What is the meaning of this awful off-commentary? It is completely superfluous, for it only comments what we are already watching on the screen.
The rest of the film was for me nothing more than naive landscape aestheticism and some Star Wars-like battle scenes against the evil, faceless army of some monsters.
Jackson did the (imo wonderful) off-commentary for those, who haven't read the books. If you would watch the beginning without the commentary it wouldn't have any sense. Try it!
that introduction was done with respect to the people who didn't read the book. The first 100 pages or so of the fellowship to the ring is really just a lot of exposition. jackson on the DVD describes the difficulty in adapting this part of the book. The introduction was really the only way to do it.
I know that, of course. But still, I think it is a rather amateur-like solution for such an obvious problem. If a director insists on an off-commentary, it is absolutely tabu to let the off-voice describe what's happening on the screen. I strongly agree with Billy Wilder on this point, cf. his interview with Cameron Crowe.
Lester Burnhams off-commentary is also often describing what he's doing at the moment in "American Beauty" and it was a very high acclaimed movie. Stanley Kubrick had often off-commentarys in his films and he's still on the biggest genius' of the last century.
Spike
Quote from: chriskelvinit is a rather amateur-like solution for such an obvious problem. If a director insists on an off-commentary, it is absolutely tabu to let the off-voice describe what's happening on the screen. /quote]
Well, yeah...he could have left off the narration there, but then he would have had to hang name tags on all the characters, listing who they are, where they come from and what side they're fighting for since you don't see most of them the rest of the film and I think putting name tags on all the characters would be a tad more tabu.
Quote from: cecil b. dementedQuote from: MNo, Jackson stole Kubrick's beard.
yes, that is correct. after spielberg murdered our beloved kubrick, he sold the beard to jackson
Okay, that's my favorite thing anybody on this board has ever said. Cecil, you mind if I put that as my signature quote?
I can't stand his first three splatter comedies (especially 'Feebles', oh how I loathe...). I think 'Heavenly Creatures' is twisted yet beautiful (the ending FREAKED me out), and I LOVE 'The Frighteners' (damn that flick is under-rated). As for 'LOTR', got nuttin' but love for them. I'm not a freak or hardcore geek fan, I just think they're damn brilliant movies. It vexes me as to how good they are.
And personally, I think Jackson is going to nail 'King Kong'.
Quote from: SpikeLester Burnhams off-commentary is also often describing what he's doing at the moment in "American Beauty" and it was a very high acclaimed movie. Stanley Kubrick had often off-commentarys in his films and he's still on the biggest genius' of the last century.
Spike
Well, first, I don't think that American Beauty deserves its acclaim either, but that is another story. (Though I agree it is a good film). Second, Lester Burnham's off-commentary is more ironic than narrative. Concerning Kubrick, whose films I simply adore, he never ever used an off-voice like Jackson did in LotR. His off-voices always helped developing a character (inner monologue, cf. A Clockwork Orange) or the story itself (cf. Full Metal Jacket, Barry Lyndon).
I'm totally aware of the fact that the majority of the audience didn't know the story of LotR in advance. But it is possible to establish the characters without an off-commentary or "name tags", with a well-structured screenplay and a story less based on fighting scenes, nice shots of nice digitally manipulated landscapes and less characters of minor importance played by actors with even less importance, but with a lot of make-up and a lot of popularity.
I'm sorry, but that's filmmaking à la George Lucas. And I just don't want to watch an empty, soulless, even before the release fully merchandized, test-audience approved McMovie.
As everyone knows, I really hated Lord of the Rings and don't give any respect to Jackson for just adapting the book into a movie whether or not the finished product is of any standards. If it was, then it would be a different story. It is like saying someone who wrote the dumbest book, but made it the longest book in history should be given admiration for doing that. Its useless and just hides the quality of the bad work. The book could have been adapted into some good movies, but personally, I would have hacked 90% of the book right off and added a lot of things. Not saying I wouldn't try to honor the book. I still would. I would just aim for understanding of the purpose of the book instead of trying to lift its narrative directly.
~rougerum
gold trumpet -- do you have a desire to make films or are you more interested in theory?
Yeah, but, c'mon... if you make major changes to LOTR... well, somebody would probably shoot you. And justifiably so.
They're not the greatest movies, but they look damn good, they stick pretty well to a wonderful novel, and for big budget / popular type movies, it's as close as I'm gonna get to agreeing with the masses.
Right now, theory. Later, who knows.
I think Lord of the Rings is capturing the narrative feel of the book, but only that. It is really missing out on some great themes and with the last one, has identified itself it is more interested in the action scenes that are possible from the book. My problem with the first one is that when the story started to get rolling, it became a video game and just repeated itself to death with fighting some weird creatures one after the other til it ended on the finale fight scene, that fittingly enough, wasn't even much of a finale, but just a little longer and against, yes, different creatures. Why not just have one battle sequence to exist for all those? They are the same anyways and focus on something more important and interesting for the rest of the movie. The second one was a narrative for the excuse of the last 20 minute battle. At least somewhat of a finale though. My main point is that a novel is getting butchered off its fruits here in order for the big sell. Fans of the book flock because they are seeing their fav characters here but it is butchery of the book.
I really wish that Princess Mononoke was in this position of hype and love instead of Lord of the Rings.
And to look into theory more, the whole purpose of adapting a previous work is to make it new. Just remaking it directly holds no identity for the person making the new work and just says only for the old. If you try to make it new and different, you aren't taking away but looking at it a new way. The old will still always exist but never should the remake exist just for the purpose of the old. If thats the case, you always go the old and forget the new anyways.
~rougerum
Quote from: SoNowThenQuote from: cecil b. dementedQuote from: MNo, Jackson stole Kubrick's beard.
yes, that is correct. after spielberg murdered our beloved kubrick, he sold the beard to jackson
Okay, that's my favorite thing anybody on this board has ever said. Cecil, you mind if I put that as my signature quote?
not at all. its an extention of my kubrick/spielberg theory found here (scroll down to my post). http://xixax.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=387&start=0
i think peter jackson and lord of the rings films r both entirely overrated, i dont see anything even particularly special about his "artistry," his films just annoy me and make u want to get out of the theater so i can go watch a PTA film and resurect some brain cells.
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetThe book could have been adapted into some good movies, but personally, I would have hacked 90% of the book right off and added a lot of things. Not saying I wouldn't try to honor the book. I still would. I would just aim for understanding of the purpose of the book instead of trying to lift its narrative directly.
Wow. This makes staggeringly little sense w/r/t The Lord of the Rings. How could a film that was 10% faithful to the novels have succeeded in any way, shape, or form. Everything that happens has to happen and much of what is said must be said as well.
Quote from: abbey roadi think peter jackson and lord of the rings films r both entirely overrated, i dont see anything even particularly special about his "artistry,"...
Oh my shit.
Jackson's (and his team's) attention to detail and his filmmaking acumen are both off the chart awesome. If any valid criticism can be leveled at the LOTR movies, it's that the characters are hastily drawn and at once asked to fill huge emotional "shoes." (Even that can be argued; he's only got so much running time for these things, you know...)
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetWhy not just have one battle sequence to exist for all those? They are the same anyways and focus on something more important and interesting for the rest of the movie.
Now, what now, about "one battle sequence"? How would that make any sense at all?
LOTR, both movies, do an excellent job of giving the battle scenes a purpose, dwelling on subtler narrative detail when possible and appropriate, and balancing the two elements (both of which are essential to any big adventure film's success).
And don't anyone start dissin' on Gollum. You will be promptly smacked down.
i like watching movies, not a video od dongeons and dragons.
I don't understand, GT...from what I understand, the movies are actually very different from the books, especially the Two Towers. I've only read bits and pieces of the trilogy, but I know plenty of people who are Tolkien authorities, and they told me that Jackson has really reshaped them for the cinema, while remaining true in some respect to the essence.
But since I haven't actually read the whole trilogy, feel free to take this with a grain of salt.
If the film only used 10% of the novel, it would be even more likely to be faithful to the novel than the version out now. When I say take out 90% of the novel, I mean the physical narrative novel. Its impossible to bring over or even attempt to bring over all the narrative from the book to the movie. And considering the large size of Lord of The Rings in novel form, you are forced to cut away a lot of characters and situations but if you do this, you can have a deeper focus on the themes that drive the story. Its just realizing how much you can put into a movie and into a book and how fucking staggerily different they are.
I'm not sure if one battle sequence is the answer, but yes because all the first one really made up to be was an endless cycle of them visiting different places and fighting different creatures. Its not very interesting nor important. This can be cut down dramatically. I don't believe at all the movie is dedicated to the purpose of showing the themes of these books at all, but really just taking parts of its narrative and making the best action film. Actually, this is most understandable considering how much money was put into making this film and all the risks involved. Jobs were likely on the line so Hollywood just did what Hollywood does and tried to make it as much for entertainment as they could. Their decision but I didn't care for it. I gurantee when the third is released and the scope of the action in the series is pushed so high up this will be more identifiable.
~rougerum
heavently cretures has two sides for me. the psycho drama is wonderful, great story, beautiful kate winslet but what about the plastillin moster whatever things in dreamland? i really didn´t understand it. i watched it when i was 10 years old or whatever, maybe i was too young and should watch it again. ...i better shut my mouth
I have really grown to love LOTR, even though the FOTR was a letdown when I first saw it, I loved TT instantly. Funnily enough, it's on my top 3 list for books as well, and yet I didn't get upset at any of the blatant changes or the fact that it slipped into an action movie from time to time. And here's why: I honestly believe that in this case it was made with the fans of the novel in mind, but that you have to read the film a certain way. If you go in expecting the book, purely transposed, well, that's impossible. Could never be done, so why demand that? But if you go in expecting some new viewpoint, I mean, that's bullshit as well, because it's a universally loved and respected work, you can't go around and make it your own work. So what Jackson did, he made a visual and kinetic representation of the book. You take what you know, all the history, and details and subplots that were left out, and you fill in the cracks of the movie, and you get a wonderful experience. Not as a substitute to the book, but as an accessory. Purely producing it as an escapist entertainment version of the story is the smartest thing to do, because of the medium they're using, it what it's strongest point is. External conflict, which the book has in droves. That history, and the internal, and all the stuff that can only be described in print, well, as active viewers we must bring that to the table ourselves (from what we've read), and if we do, I believe we will definitely enjoy this trilogy.
Rings Trio Get Big Payday for King Kong!
Source: Variety
Universal Pictures will pay "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy director Peter Jackson $20 million against 20% of the gross from the new King Kong movie, marking one of the largest deals ever made with a director.
Jackson will share that fee with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, the duo with whom he wrote "The Lord of the Rings" films. The trio shares writing duties on King Kong. And part of the compensation goes to Walsh for producing the film with him.
The $20 million advance puts Jackson in the same territory as stars like Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson. There will be no other gross players on the film, which has been greenlit and is slotted for Christmas 2005.
Jackson's payday is tied to bringing in the film at an agreed-upon budget. The compensation doesn't include funds Universal will invest to shoot the film in New Zealand.
Peter Jackson Eyeing Naomi Watts for King Kong!
Source: Variety
Director Peter Jackson is eyeing Naomi Watts to follow in the footsteps of Fay Wray and become the obsession of the giant ape in King Kong. Jackson has offered the lead role to Watts for Universal's Christmas 2005 film which will shoot in New Zealand.
The star of The Ring would play Ann Darrow, an American actress who makes a living performing in Broadway song and dance shows in Depression-era New York.
Jackson has written the script with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, his co-scripters on "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The director will expand on the chapters of the tale that take place in the mysterious and dangerous jungles of Skull Island, and his Kong promises to be a unique and breathtaking creation.
Quote from: abbey roadi think peter jackson and lord of the rings films r both entirely overrated, i dont see anything even particularly special about his "artistry," his films just annoy me and make u want to get out of the theater so i can go watch a PTA film and resurect some brain cells.
Love the name...
I also believe Peter Jackson is overrated. Few people knew his name, and now that he's doing one of the most famous fiction series he's a household name. That's cool, and more power to him, but why not someone...better?
Am I the only one who thinks the guy on the new Survivor is a dead ringer for Peter Jackson without the glasses?
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.survivorfever.net%2Fimages7%2Fs7cast%2Frupert_tribe1.jpg&hash=2fce279f99ed94d206c7ccd87f1068c8ff117e88)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imdb.com%2FPhotos%2FSs%2F0167260%2Flotr3_73095.jpg&hash=44c63de2cdc49588f013476da73fe76b7a48582f)
Quote from: MacGuffinAm I the only one who thinks the guy on the new Survivor is a dead ringer for Peter Jackson without the glasses?
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.survivorfever.net%2Fimages7%2Fs7cast%2Frupert_tribe1.jpg&hash=2fce279f99ed94d206c7ccd87f1068c8ff117e88)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imdb.com%2FPhotos%2FSs%2F0167260%2Flotr3_73095.jpg&hash=44c63de2cdc49588f013476da73fe76b7a48582f)
yeah i noticed that too
Twenty million? That's a lot.
No, no, Peter Jackson looks way more cleaner.
http://www.davisdvd.com/news/daily_news.html
Just announced from Anchor Bay Entertainment is director Peter Jackson's Forgotten Silver. The 1995 mockumentary unravels the astonishing legacy of Colin McKenzie - the greatest unknown cinema genius of all time - including his inventions of the steampowered projector, movie sound, color film and pornography, as well as the monumental discovery and restoration of the massive biblical epic that would ultimately destroy him. The disc arrives on October 26th with a 1.66 anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital Stereo. Extras include an audio commentary with co-director Costa Botes, deleted scenes and the new documentary "Behind The Bull: Forgotten Silver." Retail is $19.98.
Jackson sues New Line over 'Rings' profits
Director Peter Jackson's production company Monday sued New Line Cinema on claims it has been shortchanged profits from part one of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Wingnut Films claims in a federal lawsuit filed in Los Angeles that New Line and subsidiary Katja Motion Pictures failed to properly calculate revenue, including revenue from DVD sales, from the 2001 "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." The suit does not specific an amount sought in damages but claims the film grossed more than $314 million in box office receipts in the United States and more than $556 million overseas, plus revenue from video and merchandise sales. A phone call to a New Line spokesman, Richard Socarides, was not immediately returned late Monday. The suit accuses the studio of giving affiliates favorable licensing deals. It seeks a court injunction against New Line from reaching deals related to the film with affiliates "without first seeking the most competitive and beneficial deals from unaffiliated third parties in a free and open market."
Universal has just announced for 11/29 The Frighteners: Director's Cut (SRP $26.98 - 123 minutes, unrated, anamorphic widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 audio).
We'll post additional details on The Frightners: Director's Cut as soon as we can (all we know now is what we've posted, and that it's a single-disc release). No doubt it's an attempt to capitalize on Peter Jackson's visibility with his forthcoming King Kong remake, due in theaters on 12/14 (also from Universal).
Single disc, huh. Gee, that's too bad, since the Signature Collection LD had a 4 1/2 hour documentary.
http://www.horrordvds.com/reviews/a-m/frighteners-ld/
how much longer is that than the regular release? and i wonder if this was really jackson dying to put back in some scenes or the studio going, 'hey pete, add 30 seconds back in so we can say 'directors cut' and make everyone re-buy it!' cause i dont remember any deleted scenes he was dying to have kept. and its not really the type of movie where you need tons more gore or something.
Quote from: themodernage02how much longer is that than the regular release? and i wonder if this was really jackson dying to put back in some scenes or the studio going, 'hey pete, add 30 seconds back in so we can say 'directors cut' and make everyone re-buy it!'
imdb has the theatrical cut at 110 min and the director's cut at 122.
And considering that the director's cut was only ever available on laserdisc before now, I'm guessing that it's Jackson's preferred cut. Universal knows better ways to make money than to push a then-unknown director to allow an extended edition of a movie of his that didn't do well and release it only on a format that not a lot of people had.
But then again, maybe the marketing peeps at Universal were just visionaries.
oh okay, cool. i didnt realize the dc was on laserdisc already.
Quote from: Ravi on August 06, 2005, 01:45:09 AM
Single disc, huh. Gee, that's too bad, since the Signature Collection LD had a 4 1/2 hour documentary.
http://www.horrordvds.com/reviews/a-m/frighteners-ld/
The DVD has it all. It's a single disc, but it's two-sided, so the doc is on side B.
4 1/2 hours?!? HOLY AWESOME. :shock: an upgrade is imminent!
Quote from: modage on December 03, 2005, 04:31:08 PM
4 1/2 hours?!? HOLY AWESOME. :shock: an upgrade is imminent!
It also comes with a free ticket to King Kong.
now the dilemma begins: to wait till christmas for it or buy it for myself now to get the free ticket in time for kong?
Peter Jackson to spoon Geller novel?
Source: The Guardian
Peter Jackson is reportedly pursuing the film rights to Uri Geller's novel Ella. The Israeli psychic with a penchant for bending cutlery met Jackson to discuss the deal last month, according to FemaleFirst's website. Ella is hardly a stretch for Geller, centering as it does on a youth who discovers she possesses psychic powers. Jackson is currently working on an adaptation of Alice Sebold's drama The Lovely Bones.
Does anyone know if he has plans for a "Hobbit" film? I thought I remembered him saying he wanted a break from the LOTR franchise to work on other stuff. I just thought after Kong, we might hear some more rumors.
Quote from: Myxo on June 13, 2006, 01:43:30 AM
Does anyone know if he has plans for a "Hobbit" film? I thought I remembered him saying he wanted a break from the LOTR franchise to work on other stuff. I just thought after Kong, we might hear some more rumors.
http://xixax.com/index.php?topic=615.msg212797#msg212797
Denzel Wants Jackson to Work on Movie
Denzel Washington says he wants Peter Jackson to provide the special effects for a film he plans to direct, a newspaper reported Friday.
The Oscar-winning actor told the Dominion-Post he had discussed the project with Jackson during a four-day visit to Wellington this week. He declined to provide other details.
Washington said the movie would likely be released in two years.
Jackson's Weta Workshop and Weta Digital provide special effects services for major movies.
Jackson, who won an Oscar for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" is working on a movie version of Alice Sebold's best-selling novel "The Lovely Bones." Jackson, 44, is also expected to be the executive producer of a film based on the popular video game Halo.
Washington, 51, won Oscars for his roles in "Glory" and "Training Day."
The Jackie Chan / Jet Li Project to Be Directed by Peter Jackson?
Source: MonkeyPeaches.com
According to Beijing-based Star Daily, Peter Jackson's name is mentioned as the choice of the director for the untitled Jackie Chan / Jet Li (The J&J Project). This means either Jackson has already agreed to get involved or the producers have tried talked him into it. Star Daily claims it got the news from an anonymous insider. The paper also reports Jet Li has been offered with US$9 million to play the main villain in the movie.
Peter Jackson IS Remaking Dam Busters After All
Source: Cinematical
Though he stridently denied his interest in a remake just a few months ago, Peter Jackson has a long-standing love for 1954's The Dam Busters, a British film about a real-life secret squadron created to to destroy three crucial German dams during World War II. And, according to an exclusive interview he gave Screen Daily yesterday, Jackson is, in fact, producing that non-existent remake. He actually inquired about the rights to the film years ago, before work on the The Lord of the Rings series had even begun. At that time he was told the rights were held by Icon, and that Mel Gibson was considering a remake, but they recently became available again, and Jackson snatched them up.
The film -- retitled Dambusters for our slick, streamlined times -- will be directed by long-time Jackson collaborator Christian Rivers, and the pair have already done extensive research for the project, including trips to England to interview the squadron's surviving pilots, and Germany to visit the rebuilt dams. Though Jackson told Screen Daily that he hopes to begin shooting by the middle of next year with a budget between $30 and $40 million, he and Rivers have yet to hire a screenwriter.
Lord of fantasy: Jackson eyeing 'Temeraire'
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Peter Jackson is eyeing his next fantasy series. The filmmaker has dipped into his discretionary fund to option "Temeraire," a historical fantasy series by first-time novelist Naomi Novik, as he puts the pieces together for his career post-"King Kong."
The "Temeraire" saga reimagines the world of the Napoleonic Wars with the addition of an air force of dragons and valiant aviators. It centers on British naval Capt. Will Laurence, who captures a French ship, where he discovers an unhatched dragon egg in the hold -- a gift from the Emperor of China intended for Napoleon. When the egg hatches, he is forced to give up his naval career to become captain of the dragon he names Temeraire.
" 'Temeraire' is a terrific meld of two genres that I particularly love -- fantasy and historical epic," Jackson said. "I can't wait to see Napoleonic battles fought with a squadron of dragons. That's what I go to the movies for."
Jackson also is looking to take the books into the realm of interactive entertainment.
Novik was a computer programmer who did design work on a video game titled "Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide." She wrote the first "Temeraire" book in 2004. When Del Rey saw it, the publisher asked for two more books. The series was launched in the spring.
Jackson got involved when producer Lucas Foster read galleys in January and sent them to Jackson's manger, Ken Kamins at Key Creatives. When Jackson read it, he was hooked.
"As I was reading these books, I could see them coming to life in my mind's eye," Jackson said. "These are beautifully written novels, not only fresh, original and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart."
Foster and Kamins will serve as executive producers of the movie.
Novik learned that Jackson was one of the parties interested in her fledgling series in February but was skeptical anything would happen.
"I was warned that whatever happens in Hollywood, you should assume it's 10 degrees below reality," Novik said. "So if they say Peter Jackson has it, it really means Peter Jackson's assistant's personal trainer has it. I never took it seriously until (IPG's Justin Manask) called myself and (literary agent Cynthia Manson) and said, 'Peter wants the book.' There was lot of screaming in my household when I first got the call."
To Novik, who first read J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" at age 6, having her creation in the hands of the man who brought those books to the screen is immensely reassuring.
"Those movies meant so much to me," Novik said. Jackson has not yet decided whether he will make one movie or three or if the books can be introduced by other media first. He is using his own funds to option material before approaching any studios with his plans.
In that vein, Jackson has optioned Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones" and is writing the adaptation with partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens on spec with the intent of speaking to distributors after the script is done. He plans to direct the movie in second-half 2007.
Jackson to Film `Lovely Bones' in U.S.
Peter Jackson recreated 1930s downtown New York on a back lot in New Zealand, but says northeast Pennsylvania is too distinctive to replicate for his new movie, "The Lovely Bones."
Jackson told the film Web site aintitcool.com that a visit to Norristown, near Philadelphia, where the book "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold is set, made him feel "very strongly" that some of the movie should be shot on location there.
"It's a very distinctive area," the 44-year-old filmmaker said.
"The Lovely Bones" is a story narrated by a 14-year-old girl who speaks from heaven about her rape and murder and tells of how her loved ones cope with the crime.
"I did think about doing a New Zealand shoot and faking that part of the world, but it's really very different than what we have in New Zealand and it's very distinctive and it is an integral part of the book," he said.
Jackson transformed a back lot near New Zealand's capital, Wellington, into 1930s New York for his remake of "King Kong" and New Zealand's countryside into Middle Earth for the trilogy "Lord of the Rings."
Studio shooting will be done in New Zealand, Jackson said.
He has yet to choose a lead actress but said that issue would not be considered until filming was much closer.
"There are some very good young actresses out there now and in some respects we haven't thought too much about it because we've been uncertain about exactly when we'd shoot," Jackson said.
"I think we're going to wait a little bit longer until we have a definitive start date because it is an age where people are growing up very fast," he told the Web site. "We are dealing with that 14-year-old age group."
Action Jackson
The ''Lord of the Rings'' impresario talks about his many upcoming projects... including ''The Hobbit''?
Just as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg morphed into moguls in the late 1970s, New Zealand native Peter Jackson is following the same career path. He's acting as a guiding light on multiple movies he won't actually direct, in hopes of expanding his Wellington-based movie studio into a Down Under powerhouse. Entertainment Weekly has already reported on the news that Jackson might helm a new version of The Hobbit; here's an extended Q&A that fills out the details on everything he's currently up to.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You and your life partner, Fran Walsh, who's also one of your chief collaborators (along with screenwriter Philippa Boyens), disappeared for a while after King Kong opened.
PETER JACKSON: We came out of Kong having finished close to 10 years of a relatively stressful lifestyle. Any film is stressful, but Lord of the Rings and Kong were especially big, difficult movies. We wanted to wind things down a little bit.
Are you and Fran capable of vacationing?
We're compulsive filmmakers in the sense that once you start doing it, the next idea comes along and you get excited and can't stop yourself. But that's one of the reasons we're producing a number of things now rather than directing. Producing is fun and it's not as all-consuming. It allows us to enjoy the projects without getting beaten up by them quite so badly.
Did you get to travel or unwind at all after Kong?
Back in May, we did a sort of location trip for The Dam Busters [a new version of the 1954 film about English pilots destroying key German targets in WWII]. The story has been an interest of mine ever since I saw the movie as a kid. We flew to England and visited some Royal Air Force bases and spoke to some of the old pilots. Then we went to Germany and visited the dams they attacked, which are still there. They're repaired now, obviously. We also went to Pennsylvania to have a look around the potential area that The Lovely Bones would take place in, around Norristown. It's great to work on [the script of] a movie and then go visit places the movie takes place in, because you feel like you're stepping into the film, to some degree.
You said a few years back that you had no idea how anyone could make a film out of Lovely Bones, and that's what made you want to tackle it as a director. What solutions have you, Fran, and Philippa come up with in terms of your approach to the script?
It's still happening. We've just finished what you could describe as a draft, although it's taken us all year to write. We've banged at the doors of the book, and some doors have opened and some doors haven't. We've circled around it, doing outlines and treatments for various bits. For a while, we didn't have it all joined together. It's been a great process, and a process that's only been possible because we've had the luxury of time.
Is that a conscious strategy, to slow things down a bit in your life?
We're not imposing any deadlines on ourselves with all these projects. They'll take as long as they need to until we're happy with them.
You dealt very seriously with two young girls involved in a murder in Heavenly Creatures, and handled the afterlife comedically in The Frighteners. What will the tone be like in Lovely Bones, which involves a 14-year-old girl being murdered, then looking down from heaven?
The act of brutality in the book is shocking, but it's brief and momentary. It's obviously not something we're going to dwell on or make explicit. That's just the catalyst. What's great about the book is that so much of it is the reaction, the aftermath. Susie, the victim, doesn't have self-pity. It certainly wouldn't make for an entertaining movie if she felt sorry for herself. This girl has been murdered, but she looks back on it with a degree of irony.
So will some of it actually be funny?
I don't think that because you die and move on to somewhere else that you lose your sense of humor. I'm sure humor continues, and that's part of the spirit of the book. It's not a comedy or a black comedy, but it certainly has ironic, humorous observations about death.
Is Dakota Fanning an actress you'd consider to play Susie?
We're fans of hers, but we haven't given a great deal of thought to casting. Partly that's because we have to wait until we know the exact [shooting] schedule of the movie. When you're dealing with that age group — kids who are 12, 13, 14 — they grow up so quickly. Dakota is terrific — boy, she can act.
Let's switch gears to The Hobbit. If you signed on to direct it, you'd be working with New Line again, as well as MGM, yet you're still in the process of suing New Line over profit issues on Lord of the Rings. Doesn't that affect your relationship with New Line overall?
No no no, I'd love to make another film for New Line. And certainly The Hobbit isn't involved in the lawsuit. Bilbo Baggins doesn't work for the accounting department of New Line, and I certainly don't hold him to blame for any of our disputes.
Did you actually do any preproduction for a potential Hobbit film during LOTR, or would you have to start nearly from scratch?
There would be a reasonable amount [still] to do. There are a couple of locations in The Hobbit that are shared with Lord of the Rings. Hobbiton and Bilbo Baggins' house obviously appear, and Rivendell, where the elves were in Fellowship of the Ring, also plays a part. We've still kept the miniatures of Rivendell in storage, and the set of Bag End, Bilbo Baggins' house, has also been saved.
The larger version of the Bag End set — the one big enough to make Elijah Wood look hobbit-size — is on your own property now, isn't it?
Oh yeah, it's great. It's the guest house. I guess if we needed it for the movie, we could just go and film in it and it'd be fine.
Are your wheels turning about how you might approach adapting The Hobbit even though the prospect has only just come up?
Reading about it on the Net, what interested me is the fact that [MGM is] talking about doing two Hobbit movies, which I thought was a much smarter idea than one. Not just for obvious financial reasons for the studios, but from a storytelling point of view, because one of the drawbacks of The Hobbit is it's relatively lightweight compared to LOTR. I mean, LOTR has this epic, rather complex quality to it, and The Hobbit, which was written some 10 or 12 years earlier by Tolkien as a children's book, is much more juvenile and simplistic. If they're seriously thinking about doing two, it makes it more interesting, because it allows you to expand The Hobbit. There's a lot of sections in which a character like Gandalf disappears for a while. From memory — I mean, I haven't read it for a while now — but I think he references going off to meet with the White Council, who are actually characters like Galadriel and Saruman and people that we see in Lord of the Rings. He mysteriously vanishes for a while and then comes back, but we don't really know what goes on. There's clearly lots of interesting politics happening concurrently with [Bilbo's] story, and doing two movies would allow you to explore a lot of those dark areas. You could make it feel more epic and more politically complicated.
Given how many other projects you've got cooking, how realistic is it for MGM to say they'd love to have you on board — especially since they haven't even actually asked you yet?
Dunno. That's what's kind of weird. Nobody's ever spoken to us about The Hobbit, so we've gotten on with things. We've made Kong. We've been buying the rights to different books. And we've been buying the rights with our own money. We haven't had a studio buy them for us, so we've obviously got an investment in that. Plus the fact that, artistically, they're all projects that really interest us. I don't know, it's weird. I mean, the longer [MGM and New Line] leave talking to us, the harder it's going to get to figure out how to do it. We'd obviously try to figure out a way, I guess, but, y'know, there's not much you can do with the sound of silence. The thing with being a filmmaker is that you have to get excited and fall in love with the projects you're working on. Otherwise, you shouldn't be doing them. So we've spent the last three years becoming very invested in the projects that we have on our slate now. We're not invested in The Hobbit in that way because we haven't been given the opportunity. So I don't know, really.
You're in talks to have Weta, your effects company, work on James Cameron's Avatar, a sci-fi epic about an estranged veteran set on another planet. Is it a 3-D movie?
As I understand it, it'll be 3-D. Jim is a huge 3-D fan, as am I. I think the new digital 3-D is superb. The depth of field is really nice. And I'm a strong believer in the future of 3-D, in a way that goes way beyond what we've seen today.
And what's up with Temeraire? What's the appeal of that series of books to you?
Dragons are fun! I also think fantasy always works better if you can put a lot of reality into it. Even through LOTR, that's what we tried to do. We tried to make that world feel as historical as possible. This project is great, because it's set during the Napoleonic wars. So we can mine all the great possibilities, the politics and the characters and the visuals of that period. The fantasy is just the icing on the cake. I love doing something that's historical, but you kick it 10 degrees sideways and add a fanastical element. It's a sort of alternate-historical story: What would the Napoleonic wars have been like if there was an air force of dragons? Great stuff. There was an actual British army and navy, but here you've also got the Royal Flying Corps, who fly the dragons. The books are full of strong characters, and there's great conflict because the aviators, the guys that ride on the dragons and control them, are looked down upon. There's this whole class system that goes on. If you're the son of a gent, you go in the navy, but it's much lower-class people that end up being in aviation. The characters in Temeraire have much more to think about than just battles and dragons. All that dressing, that emotional stuff, is what I really like in these stories.
Plus it'd be a great warm-up to figuring out how to do Smaug, the dragon in The Hobbit. Do you think MGM or New Line will now actually call you with a concrete plan or offer?
I don't know. I'm not that concerned about it, because if they couldn't wait for us and somebody else was going to make The Hobbit, I'd still queue up and see it. Obviously, once a studio decides to make a movie, they're not necessarily going to wait around for a particular director to become free. So I guess I'm either going to get involved making it or I get to go and enjoy the film when it's released. We'll see.
What if you just signed on as an executive producer?
Well, that's a possibility. That actually hadn't occurred to me. See, you're thinking of things I haven't even thought of.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5381654.stm
Director Jackson signs Xbox deal
By Darren Waters
Technology editor, BBC News website, Barcelona
King Kong director Peter Jackson has agreed a deal with Microsoft to create what he describes as a "new form of interactive entertainment".
The Oscar-winning film-maker said he would be creating a series based on the Halo video game franchise.
"Technology is at a point where we can blend a lot of film storytelling with interactive entertainment," he said.
The series will appear on the Xbox 360 games console and Xbox Live, the machine's online service.
Mr Jackson, who is also producing a movie based on Halo, said the series would not be for hard core gamers.
The surprise announcement was made at the X06 event in Barcelona, at which Microsoft unveiled its line-up of games for the coming 12 months.
Xbox boss Peter Moore also unveiled a HD-DVD, high definition player, for the console, which will be released in Europe in mid November, costing 199 euros (£129).
"We are right on the threshold of a new way of telling stories," said Mr Jackson.
But he admitted his team was at the start of the process and still had to "work out how to do it".
Mr Jackson, who also directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy, will set up an interactive arm of his firm, Wingnut, and will work with Halo creators Bungie Studios to develop the series.
Microsoft also unveiled a further Halo spin-off, called Halo Wars, a real time strategy game based on the popular franchise to be made by Ensemble Studios.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.apn.co.nz%2Fwebcontent%2Fimage%2Fjpg%2Fcrossing_line_screengrab.jpg&hash=fed92da6a88e0dde55603b03ab7bd72ca3181b3f)
Peter Jackson's mini masterpiece
Source: NZ Herald
For years speculation has raged that director Peter Jackson was making a World War I movie.
Then secretly, in April this year, he did.
The film, Crossing the Line, features biplane dogfights, bayonet charges and 30 cast and crew. It was filmed in Jackson's second home-town of Masterton - home to his palatial mansion and estate - and has had rave reviews at audience screenings.
It's length? Fifteen minutes. Time taken to shoot? Just a few days.
But for those who've seen Crossing the Line - including Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg - it's yet another Jackson masterpiece.
"Did Peter really shoot this in two days?" Spielberg reportedly asked after viewing the film at a US National Association of Broadcasters' conference in April, just weeks after it was shot.
While clips from the film are now available online, Crossing the Line was created to show off a prototype film camera which is set to revolutionise film-making.
The Red One cameras - the brainchild of United States inventor Jim Jannard - are now in production and expected to go on sale next month. They boast an advanced sensor chip, for around $25,000 each, called Mysterium which is said to produce quality that is "better than film".
Jackson had offered to field-test the cameras after seeing early tests in Los Angeles. Jannard, needing a project to showcase the chips, took him up on the offer.
What followed was a film-making session which has astonished industry greats. Jannard flew to Wellington at the same time Jackson began thinking about what to shoot. By the time the inventor touched down, Jackson and partner Fran Walsh had put together a storyline - and a World War I battlefield, troops, weapons and biplanes.
Jackson told OnFilm magazine: "I was bringing my partner Fran Walsh up to speed with the plans, telling her about how cool this battle scene would be, with 30 extras, three aircraft, two field guns and a tank. She looked me in the eye and said, 'Haven't you forgotten the most important thing?' I kind of blinked with confusion, and she said, 'A script'."
Jackson cobbled a storyline together and when Jannard arrived, he told OnFilm: "In the time it takes to fly from Orange County to Wellington, Peter built a story in his head and pulled together his small army and was ready to shoot a mini-movie."
A spokesman for Jackson told the Herald on Sunday that professional actors and a crew from Wellington spent a few days in Masterton working on Crossing the Line, with studio work in Wellington the week.
"Peter is a World War I enthusiast. It was an opportunity to put that into play."
Crossing The Line has created a huge industry buzz around the Red One cameras, which will sell for less than the standard cameras used for Hollywood-quality movies.
The appeal of the project to Jackson harks back to his independent film-making roots. He told OnFilm: "If the cost of these films can be reduced in any way it will, hopefully, allow the studios to relax a little and let some more creative risk-taking sneak back into the genre."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngywd4x1LTU
he's a genius really. but more than that, he's not lazy. i am. something takes over and i sit here doing nothing for hours.
dude made a fucking 15min revolution in the time it takes me to write a useless essay about the dynamics of language shift. he did more in a weekend than most ppl do in their whole lives. i think future historians, after they're done looking through ono's post history, will look at these extraordinary people as evolutionary precursors to themselves.. a new species that gets things done.
i am not worthy to share a hemisphere with one of them. ............ eh, the camera will be outdated in two years anyway.
Peter Jackson gears up for 'District'
Blomkamp makes feature directing debut
Source: Variety
While their plan to team on "Halo" remains on hold, Peter Jackson and director Neill Blomkamp are going forward this spring on "District 9," a live-action sci-fier that will mark Blomkamp's feature directing debut.
Jackson will produce through his WingNut Films production banner. Blomkamp wrote the script with partner Terri Tatchell.
QED Intl. has committed to fully finance the film through its credit facility with Comerica Bank and Aramid Entertainment Fund, and it will handle worldwide sales. QED Intl. production begins this spring in South Africa, and Jackson's WETA Workshop facility is standing by to provide the visual effects.
CEO Bill Block said that some of the plot particulars will be unveiled for distributors today at AFM.
"We jumped at the opportunity to greenlight this movie with our facility, and we hope to engage selected distributors to be our partners on this," said Block.
Ken Kamins of Key Creatives will exec produce with Block.
Aside from offshore distributors, the surprise project will likely draw interest from studios looking to fill out release schedules with event films beyond the homegrown projects they readied before an expected writers strike.
Neither Block nor Kamins would comment on the budget, but Jackson's sci-fi projects are generally ambitious.
The project grew out of a kinship that developed between Jackson and Blomkamp in New Zealand as they prepped a movie adaptation of the Microsoft game "Halo." Even though that process halted when co-financiers Universal and Fox balked at going forward (Daily Variety, Oct. 20, 2006), Blomkamp never left. Rather, he and Jackson continued to bat around ideas until they agreed on "District 9."
"For the last year, my team and I have had the pleasure of working very closely with Neill," Jackson said. "He has a passion and a command of the language of cinema that will result in 'District 9' fascinating people all over the world."
Blomkamp is best known for directing commercials and short films, and Microsoft recently engaged him to shoot three commercials for the product launch of "Halo 3." Though he grew up in Vancouver, Blomkamp was born in South Africa and will be returning to his homeland to shoot "District 9."
Jackson is now in Pennsylvania, where he just began production on an adaptation of "The Lovely Bones," but Kamins said Jackson will be very active as a producer on Blomkamp's film.
full length trailer for Crossing the Line:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpTHFVBlm_A
links to high quality download of same trailer (300MB) available in the info section.
still best short of the year (so far), chevaliwho?
Quote from: Pubrick on November 02, 2007, 09:44:39 AM
full length trailer for Crossing the Line:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpTHFVBlm_A
links to high quality download of same trailer (300MB) available in the info section.
still best short of the year (so far), chevaliwho?
Didn't know a thing about this. Where did it come from???
Quote from: ElPandaRoyal on November 02, 2007, 07:54:31 PM
Didn't know a thing about this. Where did it come from???
refer to 4 posts above your own.
Peter Jackson to adapt sci-fi series
Source: The Dominion Post
Relevant offers Peter Jackson is secretly working to adapt the Mortal Engines fantasy novels for the screen.
The hush-hush project is understood to be in early development, with work on the first of the four books under way, industry sources say.
Weta Workshops is also believed to be working on designs for the science fiction series, which features giant mobile cities.
A spokesman for Jackson did not deny the project was on the books yesterday, but said "any comment should come from Peter".
Jackson, who is understood to have had the rights to the books for some time, was unavailable for comment.
The books, by Philip Reeve, are set in a post-apocalyptic world where cities have become giant vehicles and must consume each other to survive. Mortal Engines is the first book in the series, and has won a Nestle Smarties Book Prize and was shortlisted for the 2002 Whitbread Award.
The fantasy books are the latest in a series of adaptation projects Jackson has taken on.
His film adaptation of The Lovely Bones premiered in Wellington last week, and he is producing The Hobbit – the prequel to his highly successful Lord of the Rings trilogy – and Steven Spielberg's version of the Belgian comic The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.
Jackson has also optioned the rights to the historic-fantasy Temeraire novels, which tell an alternative version of the Napoleonic Wars where tame dragons are used for aerial attacks.
World War II film Dambusters, which he produced and Kiwi film-maker Christian Rivers directed, is due for release next year.
Peter Jackson made a knight — for real
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - "Lord of the Rings" filmmaker Peter Jackson has been made a knight — a real one — accepting the honor Wednesday in his native New Zealand on behalf of the thousands of people who helped make his movies.
"I feel incredibly humbled," Jackson said at an investiture ceremony in the capital, Wellington, where New Zealand's head of state, Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand, did the honors in lieu of Queen Elizabeth II. His knighthood was for services to the arts in New Zealand.
"The truth is, making movies is not a solo effort — it involves hundreds of people, thousands of people — so I feel as though I'm accepting it on behalf of the industry," he said.
Jackson has risen from a maker of small-budget schlock-horror films to the heights of Hollywood. His crowning achievement remains the three-movie adaptation of "Lord of the Rings," which transformed the rugged landscape of New Zealand into the Middle Earth of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic — spurring a real-life tourism industry along the way.
The final movie in the trilogy won 11 Academy Awards. Jackson has gone on to remake "King Kong," and his latest film is "The Lovely Bones."
In 2003 he opened Park Road Post Production movie center in Wellington. It includes special effects and animation companies Weta Digital and Weta Workshop.
The facilities have established New Zealand as a major film production location. Much of James Cameron's blockbuster "Avatar" was filmed and produced there.
Spielberg confirms Jackson will direct sequel to Tintin - he's set to go straight into 21-31 days of motion capture as soon as principal photography on the Hobbit is complete. Spielberg made a point of declining to state which book would form the basis for the second movie. Presumably this means that although the end of the first movie strongly implied the follow-up would be based on Red Rackham's Treasure, this means that that book is only going to be part of the story? The shark submarine would look cool. BUT WE GOTTA GO TO THE FUCKING MOON FOR THE THIRD ONE.
Article on this here. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/feb/14/peter-jackson-direct-tintin-spielberg)