The Hobbit is Truly Official...

[Curubethion]

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2007/...ck-to-mid.html

And there's dozens more links, if you google "The Hobbit movie".

This is awesome news.

[Jon S.]

Here's one of the articles. Awesome news!!!

Media & Marketing: New Line and Director Settle 'Rings' Suit, Look to 'Hobbit'
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Publication date: 2007-12-19

After more than two years of acrimonious litigation over profits from the " Lord of the Rings" franchise, filmmaker Peter Jackson and studio New Line Cinema have settled the lawsuit and agreed to return again to Middle-earth for a two- movie installment based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit."

The settlement, for an undisclosed amount, comes at an important juncture for New Line, which has struggled to establish new franchises that can fill the void left by its successful "Rings" franchise. News of the agreement comes on the heels of the disappointing U.S. box-office performance of "The Golden Compass," New Line's latest attempt at franchise gold. In its first 10 days, the film -- which cost as much as $180 million to make -- has brought in only $42 million domestically.

The studio, a unit of Time Warner Inc., was hoping "The Golden Compass," the first installment of British author Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, would be the beginning of another blockbuster series of films akin to " Lord of the Rings." "Rings" grossed almost $3 billion world-wide.

Now, with the tepid domestic performance of "Compass," New Line co-heads Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne say no decision has been made about a sequel, which was once considered a near certainty.

"The jury is still very much out on the movie, and while it's performed very strong overseas we'll look at it early next year and see where we're going with [a sequel]," says Mr. Lynne, co-chairman and co-chief executive. Outside the U.S., the film has grossed $51 million over 10 days, according to Box Office Mojo LLC, which tracks ticket sales.

Messrs. Lynne and Shaye say the timing of the "Hobbit" news, less than two weeks after "The Golden Compass" release, was coincidental.

"From the moment 'Return of the King' came out, we knew we wanted to do 'The Hobbit,'" says Mr. Shaye, referring to the third movie in the "Rings" series. " We then had disagreements on various fronts, but at the time, 'Golden Compass' was truly only a twinkle in our eye."

Re-enter Mr. Jackson, 46 years old, and his wife and producing partner, Fran Walsh. The New Zealand filmmaker in June 2005 sued New Line, which produced the "Rings" movies. He alleged that through accounting tactics, the studio deprived him of a share of the profits. New Line disputed the accusations.

The thaw between Mr. Jackson and New Line began about a year ago. Mr. Jackson laid out his vision for the two "Hobbit" movies during a dinner at the home of Harry Sloan, chairman and chief executive of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., which owns international distribution rights to "The Hobbit." Ms. Walsh and Mr. Jackson's manager, Ken Kamins, were also at the dinner, according to Mr. Sloan. "His vision was so spectacular that we really wanted Bob Shaye to hear it and I asked that they talk," Mr. Sloan says.

A few months later, Messrs. Shaye and Lynne reconnected directly with Mr. Jackson and his associates. From an office at the Cannes film festival in May, the studio heads spoke on the telephone with Mr. Jackson and Ms. Walsh, who were in New Zealand.

It was the first direct conversation between the parties in more than three years, according to Mr. Shaye. Mr. Sloan, whose company has a large financial stake in "The Hobbit," acted as a go-between in the final months of settlement talks, according to the people involved.

With the lawsuit behind them, New Line and MGM say they will make "Hobbit" and a sequel. Mr. Jackson and Ms. Walsh will serve as executive producers with complete creative control, though Mr. Jackson will not direct the two movies as he did the three "Rings" movies. Officials from the studios and Mr. Jackson's camp say the search for a director and a writer for the films will begin in earnest in January.

The studios are hoping to release "The Hobbit" in 2010 and the sequel, untitled for now, the following year.

(END)
Copyright (c) 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

[Gordis]

Horrible, horrible news. PJ again...

Be preparad to see the Eye of Sauron rolling out of Mirkwood all the way to Barad Dur.
Be prepared for helpless pathetic Bilbo and pathethic Dwarves being saved by Snow-White (Arwen).
Be prepared for Thranduil's Elves beating the Dwarves senseless.
and 13 Dwarves instead of one - 13 times more gut-humor.



Will PJ again bring Philippa Boyens into it? She is at the bottom of my list of favorite people, even below PJ himself.

[brownjenkins]

Very cool!

It may not be perfect, but it'll be better than nothing.

And if you don't like the idea, don't go!

[Gordis]

"Nothing" is better: when there is nothing there is hope that one day a decent movie will be made.
When there is a bad movie, there is no hope...

[Earniel]

I'd love to see a Hobbit movie being made, but I am experiencing a bit of dread regarding that Hobbit sequel. What on earth are they going to put into it? I wasn't too keen on the inserted scenes in LoTR, so an entire, undefined sequel seems to be just asking for trouble...

[Curubethion]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

I'd love to see a Hobbit movie being made, but I am experiencing a bit of dread regarding that Hobbit sequel. What on earth are they going to put into it? I wasn't too keen on the inserted scenes in LoTR, so an entire, undefined sequel seems to be just asking for trouble...

I don't know that it'll be a sequel. I suspect they'll split TH into two parts.

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Curubethion

I don't know that it'll be a sequel. I suspect they'll split TH into two parts.

The news item doesn't seem to be clear on it. "Hobbit and a sequel" doesn't quite sound like a two-parter, but I could be wrong. And why would they have to split the movie? It's not the first time they've made single, long-running films.

I'd prefer a two-parter Hobbit to a single Hobbit movie and an undefined sequel.

[brownjenkins]

Originally Posted by Curubethion

I don't know that it'll be a sequel. I suspect they'll split TH into two parts.

That would make more sense, as they could better tell the entire story. Maybe split it at around when Bilbo defeats the spiders and the Dwarves are dragged off by the wood elves.

[BeardofPants]

Originally Posted by Curubethion

I don't know that it'll be a sequel. I suspect they'll split TH into two parts.

Did you even read the first article in this thread?
Apparently not. Here's a direct quote:

Jackson and his life/creative partner Walsh have always envisioned the big-screen adaptation of The Hobbit as two movies. The first would deal with the 80-year old novel. The second, imagined entirely by Jackson and Walsh, would link the conclusion of The Hobbit to the start of the first Lord of the Rings book, The Fellowship of the Ring.

[brownjenkins]

I suppose you could go into some detail about Gandalf and Aragorn's adventures, though it would have to be largely created. I'd think that Númenor and the Last Alliance would be more interesting, if you wanted to delve into that kind of territory, but who knows?

[brownjenkins]

Originally Posted by Gordis

"Nothing" is better: when there is nothing there is hope that one day a decent movie will be made.
When there is a bad movie, there is no hope...

That's not exactly true, as PJs are not the first, and probably not the last, attempt at Tolkien's stories.

War of the Worlds, for example, had two versions made a few years back. The "hollywood" one, and another lesser-known version that was very true to the original book, which the older 50s one wasn't either.

There's hope!

[BeardofPants]

Originally Posted by Gordis

"Nothing" is better: when there is nothing there is hope that one day a decent movie will be made.
When there is a bad movie, there is no hope...

Agreed.
I'm a little (okay, a LOT) concerned that he wants to make 2 movies - one based on the Hobbit, and one purely made up to 'fill in the gaps' between the two movie time-frames. Hmm.

[Curubethion]

A longer film would let you develop more stuff, like the White Council. I'd love Saruman shown as the noble leader of the Council...or at least semi-noble, considering that already he'd been tempted by the Ring.

[Jon S.]

Did you folks learn nothing from the LOTR movies? These will be movies "based on" The Hobbit. They will not be "The Hobbit." If you can't let go, you'll only be unhappy again. It's like some of you are masochists that actually want that outcome for yourselves! John Steinbeck wrote, "A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it." Same with someone else's movies, seems to me. Just let go and enjoy the show.

[Lady Ravyn]

i have to agree with jon s.

i enjoyed the trilogy of movies because they brought my favorite literature of all time onto the big screen. true, i was a tad.... angered (an understatement) at the changes and inaccuracies that were made, but i eventually swallowed my misgivings because i realized how many more people were brought into tolkien-fandom. i work in a library, and i can't even begin to tell you how many people started checking out the books- people that never would have read them otherwise- because they were inspired to do so by the movies.
i think it's wonderful that now 'the hobbit' will be getting the same attention! it gets the name of "Tolkien" on people's lips! it brings him to the general (and oft-times illiterate) populace! think of the NEW new generation of LotR fans that it will form!

so yeah, having said all this, i'm sure i'll be right here with all the other die-hards ripping them apart and saying what an injustice they did to the book, but i'll never say i wish they didn't make them. i'm glad for the publicity- even if it's not entirely accurate. at least it will inspire people to read the books and find out for themselves how much better the story is as Tolkien intended it.

[The Telcontarion]

Stupid two movie idea. Make the frickin hobbit and that's it. What...he didn't learn from the first movie not to change work of tolkien (atleast he shouldn't).

[Lady Ravyn]

Originally Posted by The Telcontarion

Stupid two movie idea. Make the frickin hobbit and that's it. What...he didn't learn from the first movie not to change work of tolkien (atleast he shouldn't).

i agree: two movies is rather ridiculous. the only value that idea could possibly hold is that they'l be able to put more detail into everything.

[Curubethion]

Originally Posted by The Telcontarion

Stupid two movie idea. Make the frickin hobbit and that's it. What...he didn't learn from the first movie not to change work of tolkien (atleast he shouldn't).

If they bring together tLOTR and TH, though, that's not changing the work of Tolkien. It's doing what he never had the chance to do.

[Gordis]

Originally Posted by Curubethion

If they bring together tLOTR and TH, though, that's not changing the work of Tolkien. It's doing what he never had the chance to do.

If someone DECENT brought together LOTR and TH and UT and some parts of HOME, it would have been awesome!

But DECENT is the keyword here. PJ is not and will never be. We will get even more of his own stupid additions, ruining the story. And all the characters will be twisted again.