Sir Peter Jackson says he will step into the breach and direct The Hobbit himself if it becomes the only way to ensure the US$150 million (NZ$219m) film is made after the sudden departure of director Guillermo del Toro.
Wellington Chamber of Commerce has said that the film is worth “many millions of dollars” to Wellington’s economy and further delays may mean the film does not start shooting until next year.
Del Toro announced yesterday he had quit the The Lord of the Rings prequel over frustration with repeated delays. He had commitments to other films and said his resignation was “the hardest decision I’ve ever taken”. Read more
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Reports around the wwwebs are proclaiming that “‘Lord of the Rings’ prequel on hold” or “The Hobbit On Hold Indefinitely” which surely makes readers click headlines but aren’t actually accurate. They are suggesting the comments that director Guillermo del Toro made in a conference call this week somehow contradicts what Peter Jackson said about the production to MoviePhone on April 16. (Summarized here.) It doesn’t.
As Jackson said, “It’s not really been delayed, because we’ve never announced the date.” The film is, as it has been for a long time, in development. That means scripts get written, and broken down into scenes with cost estimates, possible actors and potential audiences are considered and budgets are written up so studios can gauge potential profits against costs. Then with money in place, a film gets the magical greenlight and goes into pre-production where actors and crew are hired. Contrary to reports, this has not happened yet but we do know designs, costumes, creatures and many elements of the film have been underway. There is obviously enough development budget and work in place to hit pre-production running when that green light gets turned on. Everybody knows two ‘Hobbit’ movies will happen. Guillermo del Toro’s latest comments (remember, in reaction to a false report about a greenlight and the film’s 3D status) are just a restating of what TheOneRing exclusively reported way back on March 17; the MGM financial mess is holding up “The Hobbit”. It has been confirmed many times in many place since then but this isn’t new at all, it is just still the situation as it has been for months. But, there are a lot of signs that Warner Bros. is frustrated, things are moving forward and November is still a target for a start date.
To go with all these facts, our best “guess” is that some official word will come down from the studio in about the next two weeks. As you might imagine, we will report on it ASAP when it becomes official.
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Sources all over the place are confirming our earlier report that indeed, there is no greenlight for “The Hobbit,” and that currently 3D isn’t being planned. The director held a conference call supporting the film “Splice,” and predictably those films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book written for children came up during the phone chat. The Mexican director, currently living and working in New Zealand was definitive:
“On both counts, there are no final answers. It is not greenlit. That is categorical. And 3D has been discussed literally once in the room. The budget and the schedule and everything that we are handling – the cost of the film, the number of days it would take to shoot – is being handled right now without looking towards 3D. Is there a chance it will become 3D in the future? Maybe. Right now, it’s not being planned as such.”
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Rumors have hit the interwebs today that there is an now an official greenlight for ‘The Hobbit’ which we have learned is not true and further have learned that that 3D is a bit unlikely at this point. A greenlight would mean that Warner Bros. either with MGM or despite MGM and its uncertain future, have approved a budget and put the movie-making machine in motion. We checked with our global spy network and our own Xoanon heard back from sources in New Zealand that this is not true. So fans, calm those heart palpitations. Update #1: Another rock-solid trusted source has checked in with duplicate info so if there were any doubts, obliterate them. No lights are green*.
On the side of good news, a completely different source (yes, a third) confirmed that word is out to those involved with the production to prepare for a potential November start date. So while there isn’t officially a ‘go’ on the pair of films to be directed by Guillermo del Toro and produced by Peter Jackson, the film industries in Hollywood and Wellington are still keeping that target in mind. That, as Kiwis can tell you, turns out to be just about the right time to shoot on Hobbiton. And, if it wasn’t clear already, the moment, yea, the instant we hear official word has been given, we will post it here. *Update #2: There is nothing definitive but a highly placed source also tells us today (thanks to the ‘green’ ruckus) that 3D looks less likely at this point. Reading between the lines, 3D would add to both budget and schedule and the parties involved don’t want to sacrifice story or shooting time just to have 3D flicks.
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Ringer spy Earl provided a story hot of the presses from the Los Angeles Times that says MGM’s management is no longer in control of the studio’s fate and that debtholders are now the decision makers.
The MGM Saga is developing into a film-worthy drama all its own (one that will never get a greenlight) and the article states: “The internal divide and lingering uncertainty demonstrate how tortured MGM’s reorganization process has been and how the balance of power has shifted from management to lenders.”
For fans this means that non-entertainment types are now calling the shots and how that plays out is completely unpredictable. There is one tidbit about the two movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” to be directed by Guillermo del Toro and produced by Peter Jackson:
“Though Time Warner’s bid has not been officially rejected, people at the media giant’s Warner Bros. studio have been frustrated by the protracted process, in part because it and MGM co-own the rights to movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” which are currently in development.”
The article explains a lot more of the intricacies of what is going on. How does this fit with the report that filming will start in November? We have our feelers out and will update you as soon as we hear anything definite.
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Nobody has been cast in “The Hobbit,” but there are some clues that despite not being able to hire anybody, plenty of auditions are taking place. The latest example is Caroline Grace-Cassidy for the role of Primula. We aren’t announcing that she has been cast, only that she visited Los Angeles for an audition with “Lord of the Rings” casting director Victoria Burrows back in March. It might be notable that this is beyond “send in a tape” or auditioning in the UK where she is based so it could even be a second audition or an in-person follow up to a previous recorded reading. Click inside to see a larger shot and more discussion. Continue reading “Primula and other casting news / clues for ‘The Hobbit’”
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