Owain sends in an article from the New Zealand Herald: In a statement read at “Keep The Hobbit…
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Owain sends in an article from the New Zealand Herald: In a statement read at “Keep The Hobbit in New Zealand” rallies around the country this afternoon, Sir Peter said that if there were problems with actors’ working conditions, New Zealand had guilds to work them out.
Read the whole story right here
New Zealand is not going down without a fight! Join the effort to keep The Hobbit in New Zealand by participating positive rallies throughout the country. A facebook page has been setup for the effort, including dates and times when rallies will be taking part in your town. If you are in New Zealand, join your fellow Kiwis this Labour Day Monday! [Facebook Page] [Rally Event Page to RSVP]
If you do attend, please send in your reports to spymaster@theonering.net. We’d love to hear from you all.
Anyone else noticing a rather interesting trend? A few of the major NZ New Agencies are getting interviews with Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens on the actual sets for the upcoming Hobbit films. The previous interview from TVNZ was in Gollum’s Cave (see below), and the following from 3 News is inside the rebuilt Bag End set! Thanks to Ringer Pippin for the link. (Hey, I want to see Smaug’s Lair please) [3News Video]
Close Up’s Mark Sainsbury spoke with Sir Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens about the dispute surrounding The Hobbit. The location for the interview was the set for Gollum’s Cave currently under construction. The video can be viewed here.
Portions of the interview have been transcribed by TORn message board gem Ataahua who’s faithfully been keeping us updated of the scene as it unfolds down in New Zealand. Highlights from the transcription follow:
PJ: “There are sets behind us being made to shoot on. This is Gollum’s cave for goodness’ sake. It [the allegation that Warner Bros. always wanted to take The Hobbit overseas] is absolute junk. One month ago, no one in a million years thought this movie was going to leave the country. At that point [four weeks ago] the confidence in our country as a stable base to make movies was eroded. Is the movie going to come or go? We don’t know. Unfortunately, lifting the blacklist doesn’t have anyting to do with it: The damage will be done. Warners are coming here next Monday and we’ve got to fight like hell.”
Mark Sainsbury: “Right here, Thursday night, what is the status of The Hobbit?”
Philippa: “Probably going out the door.”
PJ: “Yeah. The studio are coming through on Monday and I’m wracking my brains to find out what they need to get the confidence that they need.”
The transcription can be viewed in over at our message boards using this link.
TORn message board member Owain has alerted us to an interview with NZ Prime Minister John Key over at the New Zealand Herald. Mr. Key believes The Hobbit movies can be saved and he says he is going to do his best to achieve that end when Warner Bros. executives arrive in New Zealand next week to begin preparations to move the films off-shore.
Here follow a few of his comments from the aforementioned interview:
“My concern is that if Warner Brothers deems New Zealand is not a good place to make movies, then there is a real risk other major film production companies will also believe that to be the case. There’s work to be done and the Government hasn’t given up trying to do its best to secure the movies. This is a very successful growth area for New Zealand and to have the film industry destroyed on the back of the actions of the unions is, I think, reprehensible.”
“I don’t think we should write off our chances of retaining the movies. Warner Brothers has already invested $100 million in The Hobbit movies so they have, historically at least, been of the view that New Zealand is a good place to make movies and it’s only the actions of the unions that encouraged them to start looking at other locations.”
The full interview is available at the news site of the New Zealand Herald.
