Deleece Cook sends along an interview transcript from Newstalk Radio discussing the departure of Guillermo del Toro. The interview features…well…me! Take a listen or a read.
Director Guillermo Del Toro has quit as director of The Hobbit movies. The Mexican filmmaker has been working with Sir Peter Jackson to bring the two Lord of the Rings Prequels to the screen. (duration: 10:57):
Jim Mora “After living 2 years breathing designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must with great regret take leave from helming these wonderful pictures”.
And with that, Director Guillermo del Toro has quit as Director of The Hobbit movies. The Mexican Film Maker has been working with Sir Peter Jackson to bring the 2 Lord of the Rings prequels to the screen. But indefinite delays forced on the films by the financial troubles at MGM, which holds part of the rights, and also del Toro’s unwillingness to continue delaying his other projects, these factors have contributed to the split here. Continue reading “Newstalk Radio Talks Del Toro”
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
With all the traffic TORn has been getting since the GDT resignation story first broke, we were not able to post this podcast in a ‘hasty’ manner. But now that things are a ‘bit’ slower, here’s TORn’s very own Quickbeam with reaction to the news that Guillermo del Toro has resigned from The Hobbit project.
Guillermo Del Toro announced today that he is no longer directing the two movies based on J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, but will continue to co-write the screenplays. Out of respect to the legions of loyal Tolkien fans, both Guillermo and Peter Jackson wanted to break the news to The One Ring first. They are both committed to protecting The Hobbit and will do everything in their power to ensure the films are everything that the fans want them to be.
“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming “The Hobbit,” I am faced with the hardest decision of my life”, says Guillermo. “After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wlsh the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director”. Continue reading “Guillermo Del Toro departs “The Hobbit””
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.
Looks like Sideshow is going to be releasing a new premium format figure soon! If you can’t see the video above, click here to video it at SideshowCollectibles.com. And if you are new to collecting their Premium Format line-up, the Moria Orc and Galadriel figures are now instock. The Gandalf the Grey figure is currently pre-ordering.
Guillermo Del Toro announced today that he is no longer directing the two movies based on J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, but will continue to co-write the screenplays. Out of respect to the legions of loyal Tolkien fans, both Guillermo and Peter Jackson wanted to break the news to The One Ring first. They are both committed to protecting The Hobbit and will do everything in their power to ensure the films are everything that the fans want them to be.