Posted on 12/18/2007 8:50:25 AM PST by Abathar
NEW YORK - Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have reached agreement to make J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," a planned prequel to the blockbuster trilogy "The Lord of the Rings."
Jackson, who directed the "Rings" trilogy, will serve as executive producer for "The Hobbit." A director for the prequel films has yet to be named.
Relations between Jackson and New Line had soured after "Rings," despite a collective worldwide box office gross of nearly $3 billion — an enormous success. The two sides nevertheless were able to reconcile, with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) splitting "The Hobbit" 50/50, spokemen for both studios said Tuesday.
"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," Jackson said in a statement. "We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth."
Two "Hobbit" films are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, similar to how the three "Lord of the Rings" films were made. Production is set to begin in 2009 with a released planned for 2010, with the sequel scheduled for a 2011 release.
New Line Cinema is owned by Time Warner. Sony and Comcast are among the owners of MGM.
Woohoo!
Hmmm... ~two~ movies? [sigh]
Does Peter know how to milk a story or doesn’t he? :-)
~meanwhile~...
Then there’ll be both a theatrical and an extended DVD set. And we’ll buy them. :-)
"There" and "Back Again"
We’ll wait in line to buy them :~)
Well, we don’t know that PJ isn’t directing yet. It just hasn’t be decided yet. That might be to do with PJ’s busy schedule with the major Tintin project with Spielberg coming up.
Plum pitiful, ain’t we? ;-)
;-)
In any case, it's good news.
“The Hobbit” and “The Hobbit 2”
I wonder where they’ll split the storyline? Or maybe they’ll have some filler after Bilbo returns leading up to the LOTR timeline.
regardless, it’s a couple of years off, and the extended DVDs even further :-(
New Line is in serious financial trouble (too many expensive flops) and needs the guaranteed cash infusion "The Hobbit" will bring in.
Yes! Yes! Yes!!!
*doing the happy dance*
It’s about time! Thanks for the ping! :o])
I can NOT wait!!!
So they're not brilliant when it comes to foreign policy. I don't see any of them out there dissing the troops, or making big stinks about the War on Terror, so I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist about it.
Since there are so many different characters in “The Hobbit”, who the director is may not be as important. The producer makes sure all the pieces are in place, and having Peter do that will keep the same tone as the trilogy, and can be set up as a ‘prequel’
We can go to the theater to see The Hobbit, then come back to the house and watch the Extended Trilogy over the following days!!
I’m not leaving early this time...
Peter Jackson admitted it would have been easy to infuse boht the Lord of the Rings and King Kong with political themes. He absolutley refused to do that because he flet it wasn’t a necessary par tof the story.
I don’t give a whit what his politics, so long as he keeps it to himslef and doesn’t use the medium of movies as a way to promote his personal political agenda.
The guy is extremely talented when it comes to making movies. And that is fine with me.
Where shall we have it this time?
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