The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

[MacGuffin]

Jackson Could Still Direct Hobbit
Zaentz wants LOTR helmer.

Just a few days, the news broke that New Line wouldn't hire Peter Jackson to film their movie version of The Hobbit. Jackson himself explained the situation, confirming a lack of involvement due to a lawsuit between his company and New Line, and not due to a lack of enthusiasm for the film.

But what if it's not New Line that gets to make The Hobbit? That could, in fact, turn out to be the case. According to Germany fantasy news site Ebenwald.de, film producer Saul Zaentz expects that New Line's rights to the film will expire and revert back to him next year, at which time he will partner with MGM to bring J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings prequel to life.

The tussle between studios is almost certainly not over, but if Zaentz and MGM end up producing The Hobbit, Jackson is their pick for the job.

"It will definitely be shot by Peter Jackson," said Zaentz. "The question is only when. He wants to shoot another movie first. Next year the rights to The Hobbit 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 in contrast he knows that he will be paid fairly and artistically supported without reservation." (translation from TheOneRing.net)

It seems clear from Zaentz's statement that Jackson has not actually agreed to any terms yet. As for a timetable, the producer stated he expects production to begin in 2008 or 2009. The Hobbit could also end up as a two-part film, which is a sensible idea considering the winding storyline of the novel.

Variety has an additional comment from MGM on the matter; the studio, which was originally planning to partner with New Line on the Hobbit film, dispute the certainty of Jackson's dismissal by New Line and say the issue is far from closed. Could they be anticipating a Hobbit without Jackson? Will New Line try to rush out a film before their contract to make it expires?

[Gold Trumpet]

It looks like Peter Jackson will helm these films. In light of this recent article; Jackson, in his letter, is just coming off as coy in the chance New Line may proceed without him and he shouldn't be counting all of his chickens. He is also exasperrating himself of any blame if the case comes to be that. But New Line would be hanging themselves if they rushed this project. What has happened is the beginning a fan base boycott if anyone but Jackson does this project. I doubt Raimi will have the time or interest to involve himself in a project that is headed to backlash so New Line will either bite the bullet and pay off the lawsuit or let the rights fall by the wayside.

[MacGuffin]

Shaye: New Line Blacklists Jackson
Source: Sci-Fi Wire

In the latest comment in the controversy surrounding a proposed movie based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, New Line head Robert Shaye told SCI FI Wire in no uncertain terms that the studio won't work with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson on that film or any other film. Ever. At least not as long as Shaye is in charge.

Shaye's comments marked the first time a New Line executive has commented publicly on the fracas since Jackson announced that he has pulled out of the project and also appears to harden New Line's position against Jackson.

"I do not want to make a movie with somebody who is suing me," Shaye—New Line's chief executive officer—said in an interview on Jan. 5 while promoting The Last Mimzy, a New Line family fantasy that marks his first time in a director's chair since 1990's Book of Love. "It will never happen during my watch."

Jackson had told TheOneRing.net in November that he and partner Fran Walsh were bowing out after New Line, which produced the Rings films and has production rights to The Hobbit, told them the studio was moving ahead with the project without them. Jackson has said he won't discuss The Hobbit until a lawsuit against New Line over Rings accounting practices was settled.

As far as Shaye is concerned, Jackson is no longer welcome. "There's a kind of arrogance," Shaye said. "Not that I don't think Peter is a good filmmaker and that he hasn't contributed significantly to filmography and made three very good movies. And I don't even expect him to say 'thank you' for having me make it happen and having New Line make it happen. But to think that I, as a functionary in [a] company that has been around for a long time, but is now owned by a very big conglomerate, would care one bit about trying to cheat the guy, ... he's either had very poor counsel or is completely misinformed and myopic to think that I care whether I give him [anything]."

Shaye, who was also an executive producer on the Rings films, added: "He got a quarter of a billion dollars paid to him so far, justifiably, according to contract, completely right, and this guy, who already has received a quarter of a billion dollars, turns around without wanting to have a discussion with us and sues us and refuses to discuss it unless we just give in to his plan. I don't want to work with that guy anymore. Why would I? So the answer is he will never make any movie with New Line Cinema again while I'm still working for the company."

Shaye said that many of the Rings trilogy actors "suddenly, because, I'm guessing, of Peter's complaint," have declined to participate in celebrating New Line's 40th anniversary. "I'm incredibly offended," he said. "I don't care about Peter Jackson anymore. He wants to have another $100 million or $50 million, whatever he's suing us for. He doesn't want to sit down and talk about it. He thinks that we owe him something after we've paid him over a quarter of a billion dollars. ... Cheers, Peter."

New Line's hardened position against Jackson isn't the end of the story, of course. MGM, which owns the distribution rights to The Hobbit, on Nov. 20 told Variety through a spokesman that "the matter of Peter Jackson directing the Hobbit films is far from closed."

In his own online statement, Jackson said that New Line executive Mark Ordesky, who shepherded the Rings trilogy, argued that New Line is dumping Jackson because the studio has a "limited time option" on the film rights, obtained from Saul Zaentz.

[MacGuffin]

Peter Jackson Answers Lord Of The Rants
Source: Nikki Finke; Deadline Hollywood

I have Peter Jackson's response today to New Line's Bob Shaye telling SCI FI Wire that the studio won't work with the Lord of the Rings franchise director on the proposed movie based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, or any other film. Ever. "I do not want to make a movie with somebody who is suing me. It will never happen during my watch."  Shaye said this and more in an interview on January 5th while promoting the film he's directed, The Last Mimzy. Shaye's comments included personal attacks on Jackson, calling him "arrogant... misinformed... myopic..." Shaye also said he was "offended" that many of the Rings trilogy actors "suddenly, because, I'm guessing, of Peter's complaint," have declined to participate in celebrating New Line's 40th anniversary. And Shaye, who himself is obscenely wealthy, kept making a big deal about "the quarter of a billion dollars" paid to Jackson already for the Rings trilogy.
But here's what Peter Jackson says:

"Our issue with New Line Cinema has only ever been about their refusal to account for financial anomalies that surfaced from a partial audit of The Fellowship of the Ring.  Contrary to recent comments made by Bob Shaye, we attempted to discuss the issues raised by the Fellowship audit with New Line for over a year but the studio was and continues to be completely uncooperative. This has compelled us to file a lawsuit to pursue our contractual rights under the law. Nobody likes taking legal action, but the studio left us with no alternative. For over two years, New Line has denied us the ability to audit The Two Towers and The Return of the King, despite repeated requests. Film auditing is a common and straightforward practice within the industry and we don't understand why New Line Cinema has taken this position. In light of these circumstances, I didn't think it was appropriate for me to be involved in New Line Cinema's 40th Anniversary video. I have never discussed this video with any of the cast of The Lord of the Rings. The issues that Bob Shaye has with the cast pre-date this law suit by many years. Fundamentally, our legal action is about holding New Line to its contractual obligations and promises. It is regrettable that Bob has chosen to make it personal. I have always had the highest respect and affection for Bob and other senior management at New Line and continue to do so."

[Myxo]

Wow, I can't even imagine a Hobbit film without Peter Jackson at the helm.

I get the feeling Brett Ratner's name is going to appear in this thread shortly.

[MacGuffin]

Monaghan, Bean and Tolkien on The Hobbit clash
Source: Moviehole

Many of the former inhabitants of Middle Earth are coming out of the woodwork to voice their opinion – or lack of – on the whole Peter Jackson Vs. Robert Shaye 'Who will direct The Hobbit?' predicament.

Dominic Monaghan, who played pint-sized Merry (and yes, that is what his girlfriend Evangeline Lily likes to call it in the film, says he's a bit wary to pick a side – if only because he hasn't had any trouble with the filmmaker or the studio that produced the "Lord of the Rings" movie.

He tells IF Magazine, "This is a very iffy subject that you have to be careful with professionally as an actor because I've worked with New Line Cinema and I've worked with Pete Jackson and I have good relationships with both of them. My personal feeling as a fan is I think it's a real shame that New Line and Pete Jackson don't seem to be able to work out what's going to happen with THE HOBBIT. I think fans of that franchise would like to see New Line Studios attached with Pete Jackson directing.

"I would bend walls to work with Pete Jackson again, so it's unfortunate that it's turned into a battle of words. For me personally, I can't get involved in that because you're just going to come away with your hands dirty and you're not going to look good."

Meantime, Sean Bean, who played Boromir in the fantasy trilogy, told Moviehole that he's open to the idea of coming back for "The Hobbit" – but it'll depend on who New Line gets to replace Jackson.

"It's very much a creation of Peter Jackson. It's difficult for me to answer that question because I haven't heard about it. It depends on the circumstances, the many, many circumstances. The director, the writing, the whole idea behind it and what they are trying to achieve."

And finally – for the moment, anyway - J.R.R. Tolkien's great grandson Royd Tolkien shared his thoughts on the controversy over at his MySpace page.

"I've had a bunch of people asking my opinion on the recent New Line / Peter Jackson / Hobbit news. These are my thoughts... Before Peter made 'Lord Of The Rings' all I knew of his work was that I really enjoyed his films. That all changed a few years ago. He's not only a filmmaker, he's someone that I now trust and respect. Before the films were made I held massive reservations and fears that JRRT and LOTR would be used as merely a tool for producing revenue and would result ultimately in a substandard film. But it's different now, and it's different because of Peter.

"3 weeks ago those feelings returned. Without him, 'The Hobbit' will become what I had earlier feared LOTR was to become. To find a new director after the time and dedication Peter and all his people put in would not just be wrong, it would also be a bad decision.

"Now I know and understand that some purists would disagree with me, and whilst I again understand and agree with their right to have an opinion, just imagine how bad it could have been without Peter at the helm. Peter didn't just direct a film, he brought together a highly impressive team.

"Think about the different elements of his team; first there was the thoughtfulness and professionalism of Richard Taylor and everyone at Weta who realised the complex detail needed to make it believable; secondly the way Howard Shore's beautiful music compliments and binds the film. In addition to this there is the wonderfully detailed concepts of Alan Lee and John Howe, both of whose insights helped craft the feel of the film. The fabulous costumes of Ngila Dickson, the photography and vision of Andrew Lesnie, and New Zealand, a country that lends itself perfectly to Middle Earth with its breathtaking and varied landscapes. All of these elements and many more were brought together by Peter.

"How could a different director do what Peter has done? How would they find a similar team of people who have the knowledge, passion and understanding of a world they helped create? Surely that doesn't make any sense when Peter already holds the key. I do understand and agree with Peter's position, although I only know on the surface what must be a very difficult and frustrating decision for him. I know it's not simply a matter of saying yes. There's a mountain of issues that lie between New Line and Peter, but there must be some way to resolve this.

"I imagine there's been an awful lot of letters and conversations between both camps, heels have been dug in and hair pulled out. If only there was some way to sort out the stalemate between them and find that common ground and resolution which is needed to do justice to such an important book.

"Whilst I don't know the inner relationship between New Line and Peter, what i do know is that they backed him, all those years ago, to produce LOTR. For that part and many more they played, I'm forever grateful.

"When I saw the end result on screen, knowing that everyone had played a part in putting it there, and were all united in putting it there, it made me smile. I'm sorry but has everyone forgot those simple smiles? Isn't that what making films is all about? If Peter hadn't made LOTR with the respect he showed to my Great Grandfather, I'd not have felt compelled to voice my opinion."

[Pozer]

do you guys think of his "well it says here in my speech, hello, my name is Bob Shaye" joke that bombed at the magnolia premiere in 'that moment' whenever you hear his name like I do?

[MacGuffin]

Raimi to Helm The Hobbit?
From the New York POST, PAGE SIX:


NEW HELMER FOR 'HOBBIT'?
FANS of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy are praying for a miracle now that Peter Jackson has officially been severed from "The Hobbit" - and that miracle may be Sam Raimi. Sources say the pressure is on the "Spider-Man" director to helm the project. Raimi, a talented horror and fantasy vet, was approached by New Line Cinema late last year about doing the "Rings" prequel, but no deal was reached. Neither Raimi's agent, his producing partner nor New Line returned our calls. But Raimi is a busy man these days. He recently signed on to produce "The Shadow" and has several other flicks in the hopper. Harry Knowles, who runs the influential movie Web site aintitcoolnews.com, said even though Raimi's name has been bandied about, "Without Peter and Ian McKellan, who stated he won't do it unless Peter directs, I don't think anybody wants to see a 'Hobbit' film. At this juncture, it's on the shakiest of grounds." A few days ago, New Line boss Bob Shaye said he wouldn't work with Jackson again because the director is suing the studio for more of the "Rings" trilogy profits.

[Raikus]

Can't wait to see Bruce Campbell as Smog.

[MacGuffin]

Dead Hobbits Society
Weir rumored as director candidate.

Spider-Man 3 director Sam Raimi may be the frontrunner to helm The Hobbit for New Line Cinema -- seeing as how the studio has banned Lord of the Rings filmmaker Peter Jackson from directing it -- but now there's a juicy rumor that the studio may be pursuing another director as well.

According to Ain't It Cool News, Aussie director Peter Weir (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) is "being approached" by New Line to direct it.

Weir's eclectic filmography includes Witness, The Year of Living Dangerously, Dead Poets Society, Gallipoli, The Mosquito Coast, Fearless and The Truman Show.

For his part, Raimi has repeatedly said that, while he's open to the possibility of directing The Hobbit, he won't make a decision about what his next project will be until he has put Spider-Man 3 fully behind him and taken a break.

[Pubrick]

Raimi said that ... he won't make a decision about what his next project will be until he has put Spider-Man 3 fully behind him

in his back pocket.

i really hope raimi's thirst for blood wins out here and he gets the job. weir would make a better movie but i would hate to see another great director waste years of his life on something that will be forgotten after 3 hours by all except a deranged fanbase that will want to make him their slave.

[MacGuffin]

A midlife crisis at New Line
Source: Los Angeles Times

IT'S not unusual for a studio marketing chief to get the boot after a string of box-office failures. But only at New Line Cinema, the studio that often seems to be operating in an alternate universe from the rest of the movie business, could the head of marketing be fired after opening the studio's biggest hit in two years.

That's what happened this week to Russell Schwartz, the respected New Line marketing chief who departed Monday barely two weeks after opening "Hairspray," a movie nearing the $100-million mark, making it the studio's biggest hit since 2005's "Wedding Crashers." Schwartz, who is being replaced by Fox TV marketer Chris Carlisle, oversaw a variety of successes, in particular "Lord of the Rings." But he ended up taking the heat for a string of recent failures, including "The Last Mimzy," a film directed by studio founder Bob Shaye.

As it turns out, Schwartz's departure is just one of many wrenching changes sweeping through the studio. Though New Line made a big fuss celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the studio has been mired in a horrific slump. The real question facing New Line, with the contracts of its co-chairmen Shaye and Michael Lynne up next September, is whether the studio can be turned around in time to save it.

Relations have been rocky with parent company Time Warner, which many people believe is eager to turn New Line into a less autonomous production entity if Shaye and Lynne depart. For now, the studio ranks last in box-office revenue among all majors. By summer's end, it will have released just six films -- and that's counting "Full of It," a drippy comedy so bad it merited only a one-city release this spring. The studio is counting on "Rush Hour 3" to match "Hairspray's" success, but the rest of year is full of nagging question marks.

September brings "Mr. Woodcock," a Billy Bob Thornton-starring comedy that has bounced around the release schedule for a year, its humor so off the mark that the studio brought in "Crashers" director David Dobkin to do three weeks of re-shoots. "Rendition," a Reese Witherspoon-starring thriller due in October, was so mystifying to preview audiences that its ending has been re-edited to allay audience confusion.

"Martian Child," a romantic comedy due in October after being pulled from earlier release dates, has also undergone surgery, with director Jerry Zucker brought in to shoot new footage. That leaves a lot riding on "The Golden Compass," a fantasy epic that's being positioned as a successor to "Rings." But even "Golden Compass" has soared over its original $180-million budget because of re-shoots, though the studio has limited exposure because of extensive foreign pre-sales and outside investors.

New Line's biggest challenge is finding a way to focus its fuzzy identity. Once a cutting-edge youth comedy and horror film factory, it has lost much of its creative energy. Lionsgate, a hungry indie studio, has replaced New Line as the horror-film franchise leader. Bigger studios have wooed away a variety of hot comics who had their first hits at New Line. Because of various financial deals, New Line's back-end gross deals are worth less than rival studios', meaning the studio is usually the last stop for movie star projects.

If there is any good news here, it's that the studio is trying to reinvent its entire filmmaking process. "We've had a couple of bad years and it's very hard to figure out -- is it the films or is it the marketing?" says the famously blunt Shaye. "It felt like a disservice to everyone to just patch things up. I wanted someone with a fresh approach. It's exciting to me that Chris is from another medium -- he won't have the 'same old, same old' attitude. When you're in a rut, your job is to lift yourself out, which is something we're trying to do on the production side too."

Last October, production chief Toby Emmerich led his entire development staff off to a two-day retreat at the Ojai Valley Inn. "It was a way of saying -- what did we do wrong and how can we fix it?" he explains.

The most dramatic change to come out of the retreat was a new studio attitude toward marketing, which may have played a role in the arrival of Carlisle, a proactive marketer known for such innovations as giving away free DVDs of TV episodes in magazines like Entertainment Weekly.

"We'd always been a very script-driven company," Emmerich says. "But now, with so much competitive pressure in the marketplace, we have to focus as much on marketing as on the script. If we'd had a vision of the one-sheet when we were hearing a pitch, not just after we've made the movie, maybe we wouldn't have suffered through so many of our mistakes."

Emmerich not only invited OTX market research guru Kevin Goetz to speak to the troops, he had him do a market test of some of the films they had in development. "He's the guy who's there when the rubber meets the road, so having him assess the marketability of our casting ideas was a lot better litmus test than a bunch of development execs sitting around talking about whether the third act worked or not."

The studio has also been scrambling to recapture an old strength -- delivering against-the-grain movies. Many of the studio's biggest hits have been with films no one else would make, like "Lord of the Rings," or films in out-of-favor genres, as with "Wedding Crashers," which set off an explosion of R-rated comedies after the genre had been abandoned by studios eager to make safer PG-13 fare.

The studio begins production next month on the big-screen version of "Sex and the City," a project Warner Bros. passed on, despite the presence of all four female stars from the TV series. It is also making "My Sister's Keeper," a Cameron Diaz-starring drama about a dying girl who needs a kidney from her sister. It is a film rival studios would dismiss as a Lifetime TV movie, but New Line is banking on director Nick Cassavetes, who delivered a surprise hit for the studio with "The Notebook."

When it comes to counterintuitive thinking, nothing beats making a sequel to "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle," a 2004 stoner comedy that was a box-office dud. "Everyone said, 'Are you out of your mind?' Why would you want to do a sequel for a movie that lost money!' " recounts Emmerich. However, the original film was a DVD smash, much like the first installments in the "Austin Powers" series that spawned hit sequels for the studio. Emmerich believes the "Kumar" sequel, due next spring, is more outrageous than the original, citing a plot twist in which its heroes escape from Guantanamo Bay and end up getting high with the president.

"At our test screening," he explains, "George Bush was the highest-rated character in the whole film."

Eager to move ahead with "The Hobbit," New Line has quietly been trying to mend fences with "Rings" filmmaker Peter Jackson, who has sued the company over his share of profits from the first "Rings" films. When asked if it was true that company insiders had been in talks with Jackson's reps, Shaye replied, "Yes, that's a fair statement. Notwithstanding our personal quarrels, I really respect and admire Peter and would love for him to be creatively involved in some way in 'The Hobbit.' "

Moving ahead with "The Hobbit" would tie in to another pivotal New Line issue: In an era when Hollywood is deluged with equity money, will Shaye and Lynne make a run at buying back New Line from Time Warner? Shaye's response was worthy of a U.N. diplomat: "We have not expressed that point of view publicly. And if we ever do, [Time Warner chiefs] Dick Parsons and Jeff Bewkes would be the first to know about it."

A lot is riding on whether New Line can reinvigorate itself. It's often the company on the skids that is most willing to take the kind of daring risk that can turn everything around. Staking the company's future on "Lord of the Rings" was one of the great long-shot gambles in Hollywood history. The real question about New Line is: Can lightning strike twice?

[Pubrick]

The real question about New Line is: Can lightning strike twice?

with titles like The Last Mimzy, Full of It, and Mr Woodcock being approved, and with rush hour blood on their hands, lightning should strike as many times as it takes to burn the place down.

[Kal]

You forgot Snakes on a Plane... and the Final Destination Trilogy 

[MacGuffin]

'Hobbit' back on track as twin bill
New Line settles dispute with Jackson
Source: Variety

After settling a lawsuit with Peter Jackson on "The Lord of the Rings," New Line co-chairmen/co-CEOs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne announced jointly with MGM chairman Harry Sloan that the way is clear to turn JRR Tolkien's "The Hobbit" into two live action films.

Rabid fans might be disappointed to know that Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh are on board solely as exec producers at this point. But if Jackson doesn't ultimately direct, the resolution clears the way for "Spider-Man" helmer Sam Raimi to direct the film. While Shaye said that no creative decisions have yet been made, Raimi has long been interested but only if Jackson was involved.

Jackson and Walsh wrote the blockbuster Oscar-winning "LOTR trilogy with Philippa Boyens. The studios are planning to shoot "The Hobbit" simultaneously, as was done on the original trilogy. Aside from continuity of making the films together, New Line and Jackson brought in the trio of films for a spectacularly cost-efficient $400 million. The trilogy had a total worldwide gross just shy of $3 billion.

Pending a resolution of the writer's strike, the studios hope to get a script written and begin production sometime in 2009. MGM and New Line will co-finance the films, with New Line running production and distributing in domestic territories. MGM will distribute internationally.

The key to moving forward was settling all litigation between Jackson and New Line over monies owed the filmmaker. Requests for audits on the receipts from the three films turned into an ugly dispute between the filmmaker, Shaye and Lynne.

"We are very pleased we have been able to resolve our differences, and that Peter and Fran will be actively and creatively involved with 'The Hobbit' movies," Shaye said. "We know they will bring the same passion, care and talent to these films that they so ably accomplished with the trilogy."

Sloan, who had been touting the series as a linchpin in his plans to revive MGM, said: "Peter Jackson has proven himself as the filmmaker who can bring the extraordinary imagination of Tolkien to life and we full-heartedly agree with the fans worldwide who know he should be making 'The Hobbit.' Now that we are all in agreement on 'The Hobbit,' we can focus on assembling the production team that will capture this phenomenal tale in film."

Confirming the settlement, Jackson said: "I'm very pleased that we've been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. 'The Lord of the Rings' is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth."