Damn. I thought work had already started on the film.
It has-this settlement keeps it from stopping.
Article says the Tolkien estate intervened directly to bock the film and filed for $150M against New Line for the previous ‘Rings movies.
This is interesting. Because I thought J.R.R. Tolkien had sold the rights for the films a long time ago and that any rights were held by Saul Zaentz.
I’m happy for the Tolkien’s, since I would like to see them receive something for all the attention their late father’s work has received. I hesitate to use the term “deserve” or “owed” since, if the rights were sold, they aren’t owed or deserve anything—it would just be nice to see them get something!
Christopher Tolkien has done a lot of work to keep his father’s writing alive by transcribing from his father’s tremendous library of notes and publishing the many volumes of the History of Middle-Earth. And he’s no young man. In his eighties, I think! I think he and the surviving Tokien’s have probably done alright by this work alone, but it would be something again if they can get in on some of the action of the films.
Would love to hear how the settlement, if anything, went for them. But I guess that’s sealed.