The Los Angeles Times reports today that Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, founders of Spyglass Entertainment, have signed a non-binding letter of intent to manage MGM, according to familiar sources. They are also discussing a Chief Operating Officer position for veteran Hollywood executive Ken Schapiro.
They write: “Schapiro is partnered with Amir Malin in private media investment fund Qualia Capital, which earlier this year proposed restructuring MGM with a $500 -million cash infusion to keep the studio alive as a scaled-back operation.” The Hobbit production would need such an infusion of cash to get off the ground.
There is more issues to consider before the deal can be approved and MGM’s sixth forebearance date (September 15th) is looming. Read the entire story here.
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EW.com comes through today with an update to the Martin Freeman story…
Yesterday, the British newspaper The Sun ran a story saying that Martin Freeman (a.k.a. Tim from the original U.K. Office) had to decline an offer (and seven-figure payday) to play Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’sHobbit movies due to a scheduling conflict: The actor was already committed to shoot the BBC seriesSherlock, in which he plays Dr. Watson. That’s all true, but according to sources close to the Hobbitproduction, it’s not over yet. New Line and MGM, the studios backing the Hobbit films, have since come back to Freeman with a proposed schedule that would allow him to shoot both projects. All parties are currently negotiating a deal.
[Read More]
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TheOneRing.net is teaming up with Wolf Trap to giveaway two pairs of tickets for his weekend’s ‘The Lord of the Rings – Return of the King’ live Orchestra and Soloists event! If you are near the Washington DC area, you will not want to miss this performance, as you witness the stunning conclusion to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy with Howard Shore’s Oscar-winning score performed live on stage! The film is presented in HD on huge screens both in-house and on the lawn. How do you enter? All we ask is you tell us your favorite Return of the King scene in either a comment on this post, on our facebook thread about this giveaway, or as a response on our message boards. Act fast, as we will be choosing two (2) random winners on Thursday evening (9/10). Tickets for the event range from $25-$55 dollars, and can be purchased immediately at the Wolf Trap website. Check out the links for more details and good luck! [Wolf Trap]
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With the recent news, from the somewhat questionable source at The Sun, that Martin Freeman has declined to be a lead in two ‘Hobbit’ films, it is time to talk Bilbo Baggins.
While we have no information (yet) if Freeman actually turned down the role, we can say with absolute certainty that he was the first choice to step into the hairy Hobbit feet as early as last year. Developing and keeping good sources means that sometimes secrets must stay secret but since Freeman has been outed now, we can definitively declare that ‘The Sun’ article is absolutely talking about the right actor and so the rest of the story may well have merit. Continue reading “Martin Freeman was ‘first choice’ for Bilbo”
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According to the U.K Sun, Martin Freeman has reluctantly turned down the opportunity to play the coveted part of Bilbo, (and the associated seven figure salary), due to prior commitments to the BBC series “Sherlock.” According to their source:
“It was one of the most difficult decisions of his career. MGM, who are making the film, only got a formal offer over in the last couple of weeks. It was too late for Martin because he had already signed up for another series of Sherlock. It was agonising but he had no other choice.”
Thanks to message board member Owain for alerting us to the story.
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This morning WB Games hosted a ‘Second Breakfast’ event at the Hyatt in Seattle. Fans were invited while watching the ‘War in the North’ demo at PAX. The invite itself was a clever Hobbit style letter, complete with a red wax seal much like the one seen in FOTR.
The conference room at the Hyatt was setup for roughly 80 people, they quickly needed to add more seats as the turnout was better than expected! Concept art from the game decorated the room, and they even had fans sign a guestbook for a chance to win on the pieces of art! Another demo of ‘War in the North’ was setup, a different one seen at PAX, this one featuring 3 way battle with a champion orc and two deadly trolls! Continue reading “PAX Day 4: Second Breakfast Demo”
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