LOTR geeks (Clare!)

**I Love Necks** · December 19th '07

I dont know how much you guys know about this situation, but its all been very messy and its somewhat of a miracle that its been resolved now, but I'll give you a quick run-down and see if it all makes sense:

Anyone who is a big LotR fan like I am, will have realised that it was only going to be a matter of time before The Hobbit film was made. However there were lots of legal entanglements. Mostly that New Line own the rights to make the film (until 2009) and MGM (or more particularly a guy who has big ties with MGM) have the rights to distribute the film, thus making anything that New Line do pretty redundant. In 2009, these rights revert back to the guy in MGM, which would leave them free to do a Hobbit film. However, New Line and Peter Jackson have some huge disputes at the moment regarding payment irregularities from the original trilogy (mostly Fellowship of the Ring). Thus PJ takes them to court over it, they say he's had enough and is being greedy. PJ says it isnt about him being greedy its about him and all the people who work for his production company getting the money they deserved and were promised for their work. They say that he's a greedy cunt and will never work with them again. The courts say that New Line are on very dodgy ground, are withholding audit figures and are generally being rather suspicious.

Problem is that New Line dont have long to get this film out. But they dont have a director, none of the original cast would do a non-PJ film, PJ and his production company own most of the sets and his special effects company WETA did all the visual effects work for the film and wouldnt do it without PJ. So New Line are a bit fucked and have to go back on all their bitching, which seemed very unlikely to happen.

HOWEVER, the breaking news is that a hell of a lot of this must've been resolved. PJ is on board currently as a producer, though I imagine that he'll take up the director mantle too as its a pretty big responsibility to pass on to someone else. MGM are working with New Line to get the film funded and created and distributed. Ian McKellen has already said today that he wants to reprise the role of Gandalf in the film. Furthermore, not only are they doing The Hobbit, but they are also making a 'bridging' film which...bridges the events from The Hobbit into the events from The Lord of the Rings, which will likely come largely from Tolkien's appendices and other available writings (many of which are off the market), probably about Aragorn's youth and suchlike.

This is huge news for me. We're going to be effectively getting new Lord of the Rings films starting principal shooting in 2009, probably released for Christmas 2010 and 2011. Its going to end up making a quintology.

Short version: The Hobbit and a new film that bridges the gap between The Hobbit and LOTR will be made pretty shorty. Peter Jackson is on board and it's basically going to be LOTR4+5.

This really is the best news I've heard in a long, long time. I'm actually more excited about the film that bridges Hobbit and LOTR than Hobbit itself but it's blatant that both are going to be utterly fucking tremendous. I'd usually be worried about films like this ruining a great (or in this case, the BEST) trilogy but I'm not in the slightest here. It will just be superb.

So far off though!

I hope you pee a little from excitement like I have.

**adam_smith** · December 19th '07

didnt like the first two didnt even bother with the last one

**nyx** · December 19th '07

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeee

**I Love Necks** · December 19th '07

adam_smith wrote:

didnt like the first two didnt even bother with the last one

Ey mate;

You | Taste

**adam_smith** · December 19th '07

its a shame cos they were well made i just couldnt get into it

**PrincessAlice** · December 19th '07

they should have done the hobbit first

i love lord of the rings i have the special feature boxsets and the soundtracks and i can always link something to it... yes yes i am sad but im proud

**Jyt** · February 7th '08

I prefer the books really.
Thought the acting was a little off in the movies, especially Sam.
It all seemed a little overdramatic and fairytaleish compared to the books.
Doesn't mean I won't watch either of those though