A few weeks ago a labor dispute and boycott by a New Zealand actors union and Peter Jackson threatened to moved “The Hobbit” away from the island nation.
Now with Jackson and the union in a fairly quiet state while meetings, including some involving government agencies go on, everybody is holding their breath to see where two “Hobbit” movies land.
The union, Actor’s Equity New Zealand, is holding meetings Wednesday in Wellington and Thursday in Auckland “to discuss how we can work together to progress new industry standards for performers.” According to the website, linked after the break, the meetings are set for Wednesday in Wellington and Thursday in Auckland.
The current guidelines for working actors in New Zealand is contained in “The Pink Book.” (Code of Practice for the Engagement of Cast in the NZ Screen Production Industry.)
Union members were sent a link to the current book and have been asked for comments while a link has been provided for those wishing to join the union and attend the meetings. The official website with its account of the past month’s affairs with “The Hobbit” as well as a great deal of other information for actors can be found at nzequity.alliance.org.au
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It isn’t known that the meeting will have any direct impact on “The Hobbit,” production decision but it seems likely that at the very least Jackson’s production studio and Warners would be keeping a close eye on the discussions. We will report details as they become available. Anybody attending the meetings can send in a report to SpyMaster@TheOneRing.net.
