In a story just published, the New York Times writes on the international outcry from fans regarding Peter Jackson’s recent letter concerning the Hobbit, which appeared on TORn. Included in the story are comments — of sorts — from New Line Cinema, MGM, and Saul Zaentz. [More]

New Line Cinema: “We are in litigation with Wingnut Films, and have been unsuccessful despite a formal mediation, as well as discussions with Wingnut directly to settle the matter; therefore, we cannot comment at this point.”

MGM: “We expect to partner with New Line in financing ‘The Hobbit. We support Peter Jackson as a filmmaker, and believe that when the dust settles, he’ll be making the movie. We can’t imagine any other result.”