Founder’s Day fun continues tomorrow with the 6th Annual LoTR Extended Edition Trilogy Marathon! (phew, that’s a long title!)
Join us Saturday, May 1, beginning at 9 a.m. EDT. in TORn’s chatroom “Barliman’s” as people from around the world will put their DVDs into their player and sit down at their computers with one common goal: to gather virtually with other fans to watch all three Lord of the Ring extended editions straight through. Geeky? Yes. Fun? Absolutely. Marathon FAQ.
But that’s not all! Also on Saturday Barliman’s will be holding a special Hobbit discussion between viewings of “The Two Towers” and “Return of the King.” (approx. 5:30 p.m.)
Speculation and anticipation are mounting among Lord of the Rings fans as news about the Hobbit continues to dribble out. With scripts for the two films drafted, but the project still awaiting the studio greenlight, TORn’s Hall of Fire returns to host a discussion asking “what next?” Come along, and bring your own rumours for discussion! Read more
So please join us on the TORn IRC server this Saturday for two very special events! Questions? Send them to barlimans@theonering.net .
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(CNN) — Before “The Lovely Bones,” the aughts had been a charmed decade for Peter Jackson.
It began with the one-two-three punch of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, a juggernaut that grossed almost $4 billion worldwide at the box office and won 17 Oscars — 11 of those, including best picture and best director, for the final chapter, “The Return of the King.”
Jackson followed “Rings” with his 2005 remake of “King Kong,” which was another huge success both at the box office and with critics. He donned his producer’s hat for 2009’s “District 9,” a low-budget South African film that made $200 million worldwide and was nominated for best picture. [Read Full Story]
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After the debtholders of MGM’s $3.7 billion extended its payment deadline for the fourth time (yes fans, that might mean more delays to the much pined-for “greenlight”) Wired.com posts a story that says historic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio might sell off “The Hobbit” franchise and that Warner Bros. is interested in buying. James Bond is another of the studio’s potentially hot tickets that is also for sale. The whole story can be read here.
We have an alternative for the debtholders: Greenlight two “Hobbit” films already! Tell MGM to pony up its half of the production budget, trust the talent of Guillermo del Toro, the Middle-earth experience of Peter Jackson, the wizardry of Weta (you know, those one guys who made that fairly popular “Avatar” flick) hire the right cast and get cameras rolling! Since potential buyers are offering you pennies on the dollar, raise the value of the studio not by sitting around looking desperate but by making money. That goes for James Bond too.
Nobody at TORn claims to be a movie mogul but two “Hobbit” films represent $2 billion in box office at least. MGM’s share of that might take might ease some pain and give hope for the future. Ditto James Bond. -sigh-
Thanks to Ringer Spy Bidu for the spare eyeball.
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TheOneRing.net has received rock-solid information from an absolutely reliable source that the MGM financial situation is indeed what is behind the delays of the start of “The Hobbit.”
The venerable film studio behind James Bond and about 4,000 other titles is reported to be in about $3.7 billion in debt but holds the distribution rights for two “Hobbit” films that are under contract to be made by Warners Bros. The two studios have an agreement in place to produce and distribute the film but financial difficulties for MGM, including the potential sale of the studio and its holdings, including rights to the films based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, has delayed the films.
The source inside the production has told TheOneRing.net that all of the wrangling with MGM is indeed a significant part of possibly pushing the films back.
“At this stage we are all working and hoping for the best case scenario. Without a doubt, the MGM situation carries great importance.” Continue reading “Source says the MGM situation of ‘great importance’ to two potential ‘Hobbit’ films”
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TheOneRing.net would like to send Happy Birthday wishes to Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro! If you’d like to send along your well wishes, take a moment to post on the thread that has already been started in our forums. (He visits them quite often!) Guillermo del Toro was born October 9, 1964 in Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico, which makes him only 45 as he moves into his second year of ‘Hobbit’ film development.
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DragonCon, one of the best fantasy and science fiction events in the world, concluded Monday in Atlanta, Georgia and while concluded, it will not be forgotten.
The convention, that gathers fans from the far reaches of the globe, is likely the last one before filming begins on Guillermo del Toro’s “The Hobbit,” and discussion and anticipation for the forthcoming pair of films adapting J.R.R. Tolkien’s book was a definite part of the landscape of the annual convention. Continue reading “DragonCon flies away for 2009”
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