Peter Jackson to produce `The Hobbit'

AP via Yahoo ^ | 12/18/07 | JAKE COYLE

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

I wonder what happened behind the scenes that enabled the feud to be smoothed over.

One thing in particular The Golden Compass, a disastrous failure endangering the survival of New Line Cinema.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

I wonder where they’ll split the storyline? Or maybe they’ll have some filler after Bilbo returns leading up to the LOTR timeline.

The discussions I read on this subject say the break will occur after the end of the Hobbit, with the 'filler' you mentioned coming from some of Tolkien's appendices on the 60 years between then and TLOTR. There is another theory that the story which goes on in the background of the Hobbit, involving Gandalf's meeting with the White Council, and their actions against Sauron's gathering of strength in Mirkwood Forest could be included.

[Tired of Taxes]

I don't see any of them out there dissing the troops

He's dissing the troops. He said specifically that, in his view, the U.S. is the bad guy, that we're bombing innocent civilians in Afghanistan, and so on. That's dissing the troops.

Listen, we have the LOTR movies on DVD, we went to see the movies, etc. etc. They made a lot of money from us. Now they're each using their fame to promote their political views. And it's important for everyone here to know that.

[ExGeeEye]

Huzzah!

[ExGeeEye]

There’s a nice Holiday Inn in Joplin, MO I used to stay in on my way back to Texas; while that was a few years ago, I don’t imagine they’d have done aught but improve it. Near the center of CONUS, a good day’s ride from MI or TX or VA or IA, and a couple from WA unless somebody wanted to fly to St Louis and be picked up by westward travellers....

[Tired of Taxes]

The movies are great. But, Viggo just about ruined them all for me, too, especially because he played my favorite character. Also because he admitted he never even read LOTR until he was on the plane headed to start filming. I’m not sure he ever read the whole trilogy. Arghhh.

Also almost ruining it was the actor who played Gandalf with his political cause. What a shame.

[Corin Stormhands]

Did anyone say Hobbit?

Not even close.

[fnord]

either one of those would be good. I’d especially like a longer look at life in the Shire.

[Corin Stormhands]

Quite frankly, I don't give a rat's butt that Viggo is a moron. Yes, he is a liberal moron. But if I wanted to give up on every liberal moron in Hollywood, I wouldn't have much to watch.

The stories are great and beautifully told, acted and filmed. It's just frankly not worth my time to keep up with everyone's agenda. I just know what I like.

IMHO, if we have to judge every movie, every TV show, every book based on the moral/political persuasions of the artists involved, then we're going to be awfully bored.

Your mileage may vary.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

But if I wanted to give up on every liberal moron in Hollywood, I wouldn't have much to watch.

Sad, but true.

[diamond6]

Squealing and clapping hands.

I wonder who they will cast for Biblo?

[nina0113]

Never EVER EVER let yourself be aware of the politics of actors you like. Don’t watch interviews, don’t read interviews, don’t even look at the magazine covers in the checkout lanes. If you accidentally hear something bad (and I did hear about Viggo, and McKellen) just ignore it as much as you can, as long as they don’t make a point of using their talents to force their agenda on you (Barbra Streisand comes to mind).

[nina0113]

New Line is in serious financial trouble (too many expensive flops) and needs the guaranteed cash infusion "The Hobbit" will bring in.

So The Golden Compass was good for something after all.

[free_for_now]

You said:

As a Tolkien fan, I have mixed feelings about Jackson’s adaptation of LOTR. It was good, but I wasn’t thrilled with some of his omissions and changes to the story. Having read many of JRRT’s published letters in which he lambastes things like poor translations and illustrations that were inconsistent with his vision, I think that the author would likely have hated Jackson’s films.

My thought:

I agree. I saw them all in the theater and enjoyed them at the time. I think the visuals are brilliant, but they were playing one of the movies on TV the other day and on reflection I realized that while I was dazzled by the production when I saw them in the theater, I felt that they hit the wrong tone with a lot of the characters and saw no need for many of the changes which, I think take away from Tolkiens amazing saga. For example, the way Faramir is portrayed grated on me. In the book he was probably the most noble character of them all.In the movie hecomes off like a jerk. I knew that compromises would need to be made to make a movie of the trilogy, but I think there were too many changes made for no damn reason at all which worked against the story. Just my NSHO.

[irishjuggler]

For example, the way Faramir is portrayed grated on me. In the book he was probably the most noble character of them all.In the movie hecomes off like a jerk.

Yep. The changes to Faramir's character and story were indeed among the things I had in mind when I posted earlier. At the point in Jackson's TTT when Faramir announces that he's sending the ring to Gondor, I can't help but imagine Tolkien dismissing the film as rubbish and walking out.

[Corin Stormhands]

For example, the way Faramir is portrayed grated on me. In the book he was probably the most noble character of them all.In the movie hecomes off like a jerk.

Don't you mean Boromir? Faramir is the noble, rejected son. Boromir was the chosen son sent to Elrond's council.

The again, the book Faramir wouldn't have let his men beat the snot out of Gollum.

[SuziQ]

Now they're each using their fame to promote their political views. And it's important for everyone here to know that.

They were doing that when the movies first came out, when we had begun fighting back against the Taliban and were talking about going against Hussein. Most of their ire was aimed at President Bush and his administration for making the decisions. Soldiers don't go into wars on their own, they have to wait for the decision of the Commander in Chief.

I haven't seen much from Viggo or Peter lately, about the war.

[Thoro]

Also almost ruining it was the actor who played Gandalf with his political cause. What a shame.

I love Ian Mckellen in the LOTR, X-men and other movies. I know enough of his personal life to not read up too much on him outside his movie work. That was one thing I was happy about. Unlike Viggo, McKellen is(or was?) relatively low key. Whenever someone would ask McKellen about a project, or if he was involved in promoting a project, McKellen would try to stick strictly to the project, and steer all questions back into what related to the project. Viggo, on the other hand, would steer it into politics somehow and make some assinine statement.

[GATOR NAVY]

My wife and I both agreed The Two Towers was the worst of the trilogy as far as unfaithfulness to the books. Faramir’s character, the stupid Aragon goes into the river scene, Frodo offering the ring to the Nazgul...blah.

[xzins]

This is a relief. With Jackson at the helm, perhaps they strive for continuity. I especially hope to see that continuity especially with Gollum, Bilbo, and Gandalf.

BTW, go to this link LOTR symbolism