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Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh out of "The Hobbit"

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Post subject: Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh out of "The Hobbit"
Posted: Mon 20 Nov , 2006 9:02 am
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In an open letter to TheOneRing.net, PJ had this to say:

http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/8/1163993546
Quote:
Moments ago we received this email from Peter Jackson and his crew down in New Zealand, take a look...

Dear One Ringers,

As you know, there's been a lot of speculation about The Hobbit. We are often asked about when or if this film will ever be made. We have always responded that we would be very interested in making the film - if it were offered to us to make.

You may also be aware that Wingnut Films has bought a lawsuit against New Line, which resulted from an audit we undertook on part of the income of The Fellowship of the Ring. Our attitude with the lawsuit has always been that since it's largely based on differences of opinion about certain accounting practices, we would like an independent body - whether it be a judge, a jury, or a mediator, to look at the issues and make an unbiased ruling. We are happy to accept whatever that ruling is. In our minds, it's not much more complex than that and that's exactly why film contracts include right-to-audit clauses.

However, we have always said that we do not want to discuss The Hobbit with New Line until the lawsuit over New Line's accounting practices is resolved. This is simple common sense - you cannot be in a relationship with a film studio, making a complex, expensive movie and dealing with all the pressures and responsibilities that come with the job, while an unresolved lawsuit exists.

We have also said that we do not want to tie settlement of the lawsuit to making a film of The Hobbit. In other words, we would have to agree to make The Hobbit as a condition of New Line settling our lawsuit. In our minds this is not the right reason to make a film and if a film of The Hobbit went ahead on this basis, it would be doomed. Deciding to make a movie should come from the heart - it's not a matter of business convenience. When you agree to make a film, you're taking on a massive commitment and you need to be driven by an absolute passion to want to get the story on screen. It's that passion, and passion alone, that gives the movie its imagination and heart. To us it is not a cold-blooded business decision.

A couple of months ago there was a flurry of Hobbit news in the media. MGM, who own a portion of the film rights in The Hobbit, publicly stated they wanted to make the film with us. It was a little weird at the time because nobody from New Line had ever spoken to us about making a film of The Hobbit and the media had some fun with that. Within a week or two of those stories, our Manager Ken Kamins got a call from the co-president of New Line Cinema, Michael Lynne, who in essence told Ken that the way to settle the lawsuit was to get a commitment from us to make the Hobbit, because "that's how these things are done". Michael Lynne said we would stand to make much more money if we tied the lawsuit and the movie deal together and this may well be true, but it's still the worst reason in the world to agree to make a film.

Several years ago, Mark Ordesky told us that New Line have rights to make not just The Hobbit but a second "LOTR prequel", covering the events leading up to those depicted in LOTR. Since then, we've always assumed that we would be asked to make The Hobbit and possibly this second film, back to back, as we did the original movies. We assumed that our lawsuit with the studio would come to a natural conclusion and we would then be free to discuss our ideas with the studio, get excited and jump on board. We've assumed that we would possibly get started on development and design next year, whilst filming The Lovely Bones. We even had a meeting planned with MGM executives to talk through our schedule.

However last week, Mark Ordesky called Ken and told him that New Line would no longer be requiring our services on the Hobbit and the LOTR 'prequel'. This was a courtesy call to let us know that the studio was now actively looking to hire another filmmaker for both projects.

Ordesky said that New Line has a limited time option on the film rights they have obtained from Saul Zaentz (this has never been conveyed to us before), and because we won't discuss making the movies until the lawsuit is resolved, the studio is going to have to hire another director.

Given that New Line are committed to this course of action, we felt at the very least, we owed you, the fans, a straightforward account of events as they have unfolded for us.

We have always had the greatest support from The Ringers and we are very sorry our involvement with The Hobbit has been ended in this way. Our journey into Tolkien's world started with a phone call from Ken Kamins to Harvey Weinstein in Nov 1995 and ended with a phone call from Mark Ordesky to Ken in Nov 2006. It has been a great 11 years.

This outcome is not what we anticipated or wanted, but neither do we see any positive value in bitterness and rancor. We now have no choice but to let the idea of a film of The Hobbit go and move forward with other projects.

We send our very best wishes to whomever has the privilege of making The Hobbit and look forward to seeing the film on the big screen.

Warmest regards to you all, and thanks for your incredible support over the years.

We got to go there - but not back again ...

Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh
I thought this news was big enough to merit a new thread. Will the new director use Howard Shore? Weta? Who knows...

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yovargas
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Posted: Mon 20 Nov , 2006 12:22 pm
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:bawl:


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Iavas_Saar
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Posted: Mon 20 Nov , 2006 1:36 pm
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Well that's sad.. but let's look at the positives.. we will now get to see another person's vision of Middle-earth. And also, perhaps The Hobbit is different enough that it should have a different directorial feel to it?

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Ara-anna
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Posted: Mon 20 Nov , 2006 6:02 pm
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Well don't they have to distribute through MGM? And if NL makes the movie and MGM won't distribute it because they want PJ to make it, it sort of puts a cog out of place for NL.

We could hope at least MGM has some balls and tells NL to appreciate PJ.

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MaidenOfTheShieldarm
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Posted: Mon 20 Nov , 2006 8:09 pm
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Quote:
Several years ago, Mark Ordesky told us that New Line have rights to make not just The Hobbit but a second "LOTR prequel", covering the events leading up to those depicted in LOTR.
WTFORK?

What events leading up to LOTR?

Does Christopher Tolkien know about this?

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yovargas
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Posted: Mon 20 Nov , 2006 8:15 pm
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TWT
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Posted: Tue 21 Nov , 2006 12:27 am
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Shyte!

I'm not sure if I should boycott this film now or embrace a new point of view... :neutral:


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The OG Borry
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Posted: Tue 21 Nov , 2006 12:45 am
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lol i can guess the response to that TWT
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Leoba
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Posted: Tue 21 Nov , 2006 9:50 am
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I was just reading about this on the BBC.

I think it might be a good thing for The Hobbit to be made by someone different (I hope I won't be burned as a heretic for suggesting that). By the end of LOTR I was somewhat out of love with PJ (thanks to those radioactive scrubbing bubbles) and I would really welcome a different take. Quite apart from that, The Hobbit is a very different sort of book, despite it's place in the Tolkien cannon. And PJ's Elves would have to undergo a dramatic overhaul to inject the requisite mischief. ;)

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Berhael
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Posted: Tue 21 Nov , 2006 10:50 am
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Iavas_Saar wrote:
Well that's sad.. but let's look at the positives.. we will now get to see another person's vision of Middle-earth. And also, perhaps The Hobbit is different enough that it should have a different directorial feel to it?
I agree with Iavas. ( :Q ;) )

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Legolas the elf
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Posted: Tue 21 Nov , 2006 4:02 pm
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Leoba said:
Quote:
I think it might be a good thing for The Hobbit to be made by someone different (I hope I won't be burned as a heretic for suggesting that). By the end of LOTR I was somewhat out of love with PJ (thanks to those radioactive scrubbing bubbles) and I would really welcome a different take. Quite apart from that, The Hobbit is a very different sort of book, despite it's place in the Tolkien cannon. And PJ's Elves would have to undergo a dramatic overhaul to inject the requisite mischief.
Exactly what I'm thinking. I look forward to seeing another's perspective and 'feel' of Middle-Earth. I'm actually glad P.J. won't be doing it.

And I'm thinking the 'events leading up to the LOTR' would be a Silmarillion movie....or atleast portions of the history of the Elves.
And there, once again, I'd like to see someone else take on their version of the Elves ....but for the sake of consistency, they couldn't deviate TOO far from PJ's Elves....But there will definitely be room for a little more PERSONALITY in the Elves. :D ;)


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Ara-anna
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Posted: Tue 21 Nov , 2006 5:24 pm
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Leoba wrote:
(thanks to those radioactive scrubbing bubbles)
:LMAO:

Great now I am going to be thinking that everytime I watch the movies....'oh there they are, those radioactive scrubbing bubbles'....

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Iavas_Saar
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Posted: Tue 21 Nov , 2006 7:26 pm
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Berhael wrote:
Iavas_Saar wrote:
Well that's sad.. but let's look at the positives.. we will now get to see another person's vision of Middle-earth. And also, perhaps The Hobbit is different enough that it should have a different directorial feel to it?
I agree with Iavas. ( :Q ;) )
In that case I must rethink! ;)

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ellienor
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Posted: Tue 21 Nov , 2006 8:00 pm
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Well, I'm not happy about this at all. :bawl:

Yes, there were radioactive scrubbing bubbles, but so many, many things were right.


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TWT
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Posted: Tue 21 Nov , 2006 8:45 pm
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OK, I'm completely missing out on the radioactive scrubbing bubbles refference... :scratch:


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ellienor
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Posted: Tue 21 Nov , 2006 9:45 pm
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This was originally coined by teh Mighty Squid, who has far too seldom graced this board. Anyways, the part where the shades of men from under the Mountain saved the day in Minas Tirith is what she was referring to. Watching the greenish tide of spirits come off of the boats and pour into the city, from the long angle PJ shot, many of the old m00bies from TORC thought it looked like the city was being cleaned by glowing greenish (hence, "radioactive") scrubbing bubbles.


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Wilma
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Posted: Wed 22 Nov , 2006 10:22 pm
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Oh dear!!! I not pleased at all, but I hope the directors have some sense to ask to use Weta and similar artists. At least things may seem a llittle consistent. It's pretty dissapointing. I just hope they don't find a person who will approach the childrens story aspect of the Hobbit with a Disney sort point of view. *ascared* :uhoh:

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Lady_of_Rohan
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Posted: Wed 22 Nov , 2006 10:44 pm
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What Wilma said. :Q :blackeye:

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Leoba
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Posted: Thu 23 Nov , 2006 12:15 pm
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I gather that Sir Ian Mckellan has been sharing his opion on this subject:

http://www.mckellen.com/epost/lotr/061122.htm
BBC wrote:

McKellen 'sad' at Hobbit decision
Sir Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films, has voiced dismay over the decision to drop Peter Jackson as director of The Hobbit.
"I'm very sad as I should have relished revisiting Middle Earth with Peter again," the actor wrote on his website.

"It's hard to imagine any other director matching his achievement in Tolkien country."

Jackson refused to discuss working on the Hobbit until a DVD royalty dispute with New Line Cinema was settled.

But New Line said it had only "limited time" to make the film and was proceeding without the Oscar-winning director.

Angry fans

The announcement has led to an online petition of 1,100 people asking for Jackson to be reinstated.

The petition created calls for The Hobbit to be filmed "the way it was meant to be or not at all".

A website has also been set up urging a boycott of New Line, and fans have used weblogs and forums to question the studio's judgement.


Can you imagine someone other than Ian McKellen playing Gandalf the Grey?
Extract from online petition

The petition argues that a Hobbit movie without Peter Jackson and his writers and special effects team is not what fans want.
"The characters and scenery will all be new and unfamiliar and props, costumes, and the backdrop of New Zealand will all be lost," it said.

"Most likely even the original actors will not sign on to do it - can you imagine someone other than Ian McKellen playing Gandalf the Grey?"

A user of fan site theonering.net has registered the domain name boycottnewline.com, which links to another petition.

"Something must happen to get New Line and Jackson to talk about the [legal case], which has been hanging over future Tolkein-related productions since 2005," the owner has written.

"The only way to get New Line to budge is to boycott future New Line productions until they sit down and hash things out with Peter Jackson."

'Wrong guy'

Before the story emerged this week, there was already a site - thehobbitfilm.com - encouraging fans to ask top studio executives to get on with making the movie with Jackson.

It urged people to send letters or postcards because "the only way we are going to reach our goal of having a live-action version of The Hobbit from Peter Jackson and his team is by keeping after the studios who own the rights".

However, other fans were more relaxed about the way the project was progressing.

"That's the best news I've heard concerning Peter Jackson in about five years," wrote one person on the ringbearer.org site.

"He's exactly the wrong guy to handle The Hobbit in any way shape or form."

Another, on theonering.net, said: "I'm sure The Hobbit will turn out to be a success even without the help of the great Peter Jackson."

A spokesman for distributor MGM told Variety newspaper that the matter was "far from closed", leaving some people hoping Jackson would return.

"Hopefully they will see the light and involve the two people who have proven worth in telling the stories," one person wrote in the chatroom at theonering.net.

Neither New Line nor MGM was available for further comment.

VOTE Can a Hobbit film succeed without Peter Jackson? Yes No Results are indicative and may not reflect public opinion

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/e ... 173178.stm

Published: 2006/11/23 08:37:38 GMT

© BBC MMVI

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Legolas the elf
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Posted: Fri 24 Nov , 2006 1:35 am
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Re: to Leoba's quoted box:

Don't these over-acting fans have an imagination beyond PJ's? Are these fans movie fans or book fans? Did PJ's rendition actually comprehensively cover every aspect of the Middle-Earth they imagined, or did they rely on PJ to visualize it for them?
Can I envision Gandalf being someone besides McKellan? Yes.
Can I envision Middle-Earth w/o PJ's writers? Yes.
Can I envision Elves not being entirely PJ's Elves? Yes.

Besides, this is merely the Hobbit...not LoTR. There's less to screw up here.

I say bring on a new version of Middle-Earth....that's my 2 cents.


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