Posted on 03/12/2005 4:50:23 PM PST by nickcarraway
Oscar winning director Peter Jackson says it will be at least three years before he shoots The Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit.
Jackson this weekend took a break from his busy schedule filming King Kong in Auckland, stopping by Sydney's Powerhouse Museum to check out the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) exhibition.
On Saturday, the very private director will give a talk to fans about his films at the State Theatre.
A slimmed-down Jackson, who arrived in Sydney on Friday, was asked how long it would be before he started production on The Hobbit.
"Three or four years would be accurate, I would say," Jackson said.
The rights to J R R Tolkien's novel, The Hobbit, are split between two major Hollywood studios, MGM and New Line Cinema.
Jackson said he was keen to return to Middle Earth for The Hobbit but that MGM's sale to Sony Corporation made the project's future unclear.
"I think there is probably a will and a desire to try and get it made," he said.
"But I think it's gonna be a lot of lawyers sitting in a room trying to thrash out a deal before it will ever happen."
More than 140,000 people have seen the LOTR exhibition since it opened on Boxing Day.
The exhibition, which closes on March 31, includes memorabilia, sets, costumes and props from the hit film which took almost $US3 billion at the box office and garnered 17 Oscars.
"It is great that the film has got such an after life," Jackson said.
"Normally a film comes and goes and ends up on TV and the bargain bin in the video store but for this film to actually generate a museum exhibition and give people a chance to come look at the things we made, is fantastic."
Jackson's current project, a remake of the 1933 film King Kong, began production late last year.
It stars Australian Naomi Watts as Ann Darrow. Andy Serkis, Adrien Brody and Jack Black also star in the film.
"I am glad Kong is one film and not three," Jackson said, noting that the film had been a bigger project than expected.
"The hardest thing is that you are trying to create such an artificial environment, an artificial world because your central title character doesn't exist and he has to have an emotional story which really touches your heart and has a connection with your leading actress."
Good news.
bttt
I think they ought to make a radical departure for the Hobbit and do it all CGI. Style a new Rivendell, cozier and maybe even cute, new artwork, everything. Make it recognizable but different. Otherwise, it's going to suffer badly in comparison to LOTR .
The Hobbit is just so very different from LOTR. The Hobbit is lighthearted and closer to a simple adventure tale rather than the story of courage, love, failure and death that is the Trilogy.
Ah, but if I could have anything I wanted...Peter Jackson would get Weta and his team to do a series of "Non Theatrical Tolkien Short Features." Things to be released strictly in DVD.
"Tales from the Silmarilion"--this could be in a few parts
"Tom Bombadil Meets the Four Hobbits"
"Sam and Elanor Around the Fire at Bag End"
"Beren and Luthien"
"The Ents Finally Find the Entwives"
I've never read The Hobbit.
COMMUNIST! :-)
Good News Ping!
Semper Fi
To me, McKellan and Holm OWN the parts of Gandalf and Bilbo. Anyone else and it'd just be wrong. I hope they can be part of it. Hugo Weaving too.
James Earl Jones as the voice of Smaug, too.
Hi, StoneCold.
I agree the Ian's have put a heavy stamp on the parts, but they do have to be alive to act. Consider Michael Gambon for Gandalf. I'm having a spot of trouble coming up with someone similar to Ian Holm yet young enough to sustain the role.
However, I could easily do without Hugo as Elrond. From the few outtakes I've seen, he can be a pleasantly goofy guy in real life, but he brought none of that to Elrond. It simply won't work and I don't think he can reliably change it.
Betcha Robby Benson gets a chance to Smaug. Mark Hamill also does a lot of voice work for action GameCube and Playstation games. Has an excellent deep voice, usually in the hero role. Michael Ironside also has a good voice for this and does a lot of gaming work, often in villain roles. Don't box yourself in.
Cheers!
As far as I understand things, Ian McKellen has been the one really pushing for The Hobbit to be made, he's very keen on reprising the role. I'm not so sure about Ian Holm playing a younger Bilbo though, but I'm at a loss to think of an actor who could replace him.
Would you mind asking your LOTR friends if anyone knows who holds the movie rights to the Silmarillion?
Ring ping!
The rights to Silmarillion may not be owned already, since it was not yet published when Tolkien died... It was published posthumously by Christopher Tolkien, who has been pretty hostile to the idea of Jackson's movies. Last I heard, he was still claiming to have not seen them but did not like the idea them.
I think it's too bad he has shut himself off from a whole new generation of fans for his dad's work. Those movies certainly gave an enormous sales boost to the books.
I had a feeling that was true.... thanks for the facts, man ;~D
It's too bad, but I think the prospects of the film rights to The Silmarillion being sold are slim right now, unless there is a change of heart.
I'll say again what I've said before.
When I heard McKellen announced as Gandalf, I was very disappointed. I'd thought Connery would be perfect, and the only main thing reported about McKellen at the time was that he'd embraced and advertised a particular perverse sexuality. This wasn't, to say the least, a big selling-point to me.
But now I can't imagine anyone else as Gandalf. Connery would have been tremendously fun, but you'd be saying, "Isn't Connery great?" all the while. With McKellen, he just is Gandalf.
His performance was amazing, he owned the role. Just watching him again last night, Two Towers, when he's gaining entry to Theoden's court for the first time, I was just re-bowled-over. His performance is so nuanced -- that quick wink he tips at Aragorn.... I can't imagine anyone else being Gandalf.
Dan
Not wishing to be ghoulish or rude here, but Christopher Tolkien is getting on in years--he was a WWII vet!-- and perhaps his heirs would be more sympathetic to filming. I never hear much about Christopher Tolkien and he's a huge contributor to his father's works. Even though he has not enjoyed direct income from the movies, since the rights were sold so long ago and so cheaply, he must still be enjoying some nice income from the hugely increased sales of the books. They are in every grocery store--and they have been there for years, now. I wonder if he enjoys anything like JK Rowling in the way of royalties.
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